An article reporting that Congress has set a record for the longest stretch of time, 10 years, since the federal minimum wage was raised, cites an upcoming paper by Arindrajit Dube, economics. Dube’s work shows that raising the minimum wage significantly reduces the number of families living in poverty. (Vox, 6/19/19)
Category: UMass Economics
Doug Cliggott, Lecturer in Economics at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, was featured in WalletHub’s recent piece about hedge funds. (WalletHub, 6/4/19)
Did the BJP/NDA secure a mandate to refashion India along the lines of Hindu-majoritarian nationalism? The answer has to be negative given the evidence writes Vamsi Vakulabharanam, economcis, and how the recently concluded election produced a puzzling outcome. (The Wire, 5/5/2019)
A columnist writing in the Washington Examiner cites the research of Arindrajit Dube, economics, who says raising the minimum wage has little negative impact if the increase is kept at about half the median wage level for a city or region. The writer argues that large increases in the minimum wage will have more negative effects than expected, in part, because people won’t carefully read what economists like Dube are actually saying. (Washington Examiner, 6/5/19)
An editorial calls for the British government to proceed cautiously following a report that Arindrajit Dube, economics, who was hired by Philip Hammond, chancellor of the exchequer for the U.K. to examine Britain’s minimum wage, has signaled he is likely to support proposed big increases in the rates. (Financial Times, 6/3/19)
Robert N. Pollin, Distinguished Professor in economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, comments in a news story about the degrowth movement that seeks to have people work fewer hours in an effort to shrink the economy and reduce the strains caused by global warming and the consumption of finite energy resources. Pollin says while he agrees with the movement’s sentiments, he doesn’t think such a system would work in time to prevent damage from climate change. He also suggests applying the degrowth policies to parts of the economy rather than trying to slow down the entire global economy. Pollin is also featured on the podcast “Start Making Sense” where he describes how to pay for Medicare for All. (Vice, 5/29/19; The Nation, 5/30/19)
Robert N. Pollin, Distinguished Professor in economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, says he is frustrated by both sides in the debate over Medicare for All. He says opponents exaggerate the job losses the program would create but backers also fail to be candid that there will be large numbers of people whose jobs will disappear. He says a plan to offer salaries and training for people displaced by the new system might be a way to deal with job losses. (The Fiscal Times, 5/24/19)
An article about the rising cost of health insurance premiums, coupled with increased co-pays, deductibles and other expenses, quotes Gerald Friedman, economics, who says people often don’t notice the declining quality of their health insurance until they need it. (The Herald News [Fall River], 5/14/19)
Professor emerita Nancy Folbre is one of eight economists quoted in a story about how to close the gender pay gap. Folbre says stronger social insurance, including paid family leave, more public subsidies for care of children and the elderly, changes in the length of the school day, and Medicare for All are some ways to close the gap. (CNBC, 5/9/19)
Robert N. Pollin, Distinguished Professor in economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, writes a column where he discusses a new report from the Congressional Budget Office that lays out the framework for establishing a single-payer health care system for the U.S. He says while the report doesn’t specifically answer key questions about costs and levels of health coverage, it is a valuable tool for understanding how to build a fair and workable health care system. (Commondreams.com, 5/4/19)