Robert Pollin, Distinguished Professor of economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute (PERI), comments on a $1 trillion infrastructure plan with a focus on sustainability proposed by presidential candidate and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg. Pollin says Buttigieg’s plan is “going in the right direction,” but “a lot hinges on where you come up with the money.” He says Sen. Elizabeth Warren “does a much more serious job of going underneath the surface than he does.” (South Bend Tribune, 1/14/20)
Author: sgilroy
A news story about calls by the mayors of London and New York for cities to divest their pension funds from fossil fuel producers notes that a 2018 report co-authored by Robert Pollin, Distinguished Professor in economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, says the divestment movement has not substantially impacted fossil fuel share prices or reduced carbon emissions. (Reuters, 1/8/20)
Coverage of the annual meeting of the American Economic Association quotes M.V. Lee Badgett, professor of economics and co-chair of the association’s new Committee on the Status of LGBTQ+ Individuals in the Economics Profession, formed in response to revelations of sexism, racism and harassment in the profession. Badgett says, “What I’ve heard, over and over again, is — this is the moment, we need to take advantage of it.” (The New York Times, 1/7/20)
In a video interview, Katherine Moos, economics, discusses the significance of news that for the second time in history women outnumber men in the U.S. workforce,. Moos says this is due in part to the expansion of jobs in traditionally female sectors, like healthcare, education and retail. (The Real News Network, 1/16/20)
A column written by a woman who was paid by her husband to do housework and suggests the government might pay women for doing housework, quotes Nancy Folbre, professor emerita of economics. Folbre says she does not favor a public sector wage and says government money could be better spent on policies like paid family leave or tax subsidies for child care that honor and reward such work, as well as on policies that encourage men to increase their responsibilities at home. (The Atlantic, 9/25/19)
As a bill to raise the Massachusetts minimum wage to $15 awaits final approval, some business owners are concerned about the costs associated with the higher pay levels. Cited in the report is a study of 137 minimum wage increases by Arindrajit Dube, economics, which found that the number of jobs didn’t decrease following pay hikes. (Globe, 6/21/18)
Research by Gerald Friedman was used as a basis for a bill calling for a single-payer healthcare system in New York State, which was recently passed by the state Assembly and has moved on to the state Senate for consideration. (New Rochelle Patch, Healthcare Purchasing News, 6/16/18)
There is continued national news coverage of the analysis done by Gerald C. Friedman, economics, on what would happen to the U.S. economy if Bernie Sanders’ proposals for spending, single-payer healthcare and tax policy were adopted. A number of left-leaning economists are challenging Friedman’s analysis. Other commentators note that Sanders’ plans call for increased government spending that could spur economic growth. There is also an opinion piece by Friedman and Mark Paul, a graduate student in economics, about why Sanders and his policies are appealing to young voters, especially African-American students. (CNN Money, Slate, Dallas Morning News, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Dollars and Sense, 2/24/16)
Michael A. Ash, economics and public policy, is interviewed in the Portuguese weekly magazine Expresso. (Expresso, 4/7/18)
Robert N. Pollin, Distinguished Professor in economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, comments in a news story about Madeline Janis, who pioneered local hiring agreements in the Los Angeles area. Pollin told Janis that existing Buy America policies were inadequate and encouraged her to develop the Jobs for America program, a nonprofit group that works to bring manufacturing jobs back to the U.S. (The American Prospect, 4/9/18)