Average & median incomes diverged more for men than for women as income inequaltiy grew bit.ly/16XXzQq http://t.co/Tp0IAXqxH8—
Catherine Mulbrandon (@VisualEcon) August 20, 2013
Why did the top 1% only pick on men in the great wage stagnation?
27 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economic history, gender, labour economics Tags: middle class stagnation, reversing gender gap, top 1%, wage stagnation
The Great Escape in South Korea
27 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in development economics, economic history, growth disasters, growth miracles, health economics Tags: child mortality The Great Escape, infant mortality, South Korea
Child Mortality decreased incredibly fast in South Korea.
My History of Global Health: OurWorldInData.org/VisualHistoryO… http://t.co/dMl8YOOuuJ—
Max Roser (@MaxCRoser) July 20, 2015
John Howard’s birthday – what I admire most about him
26 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in defence economics, economic history, politics - Australia, Public Choice, Thomas Schelling, war and peace Tags: Australian national security policy, East Timor, game theory, Indonesia, John Howard
What I admire most about John Howard was his decision to intervene in East Timor to stop massacres, which were a by-product of succession struggles within TNI. Howard didn’t have to do that. He didn’t.
If there ever was a prime directive in Australian national security policy, more so than have a great and powerful friend (first the UK, than the USA, dumping Britain like a stone in 1941 when a better great and powerful friend became available), it’s never put Australian military forces in a position risking an exchange of fire with TNI.
That did happen during the East Timor intervention. There were armed stand-offs at roadblocks between the Australian Army and TNI. Platoon leaders in the Australian Army had to keep their cool with guns drawn on both sides otherwise it would be a real shooting war that could spiral out of control.
That is why there is a genuine risk of major war not from accidents in the military machine but through a diplomatic process of commitment and escalation that is itself unpredictable. Schelling also argues that nations, like people, are continually engaged in demonstrations of resolve, tests of nerve, and explorations for understandings and many misunderstandings.
In Schelling’s view, many wars including World War 1 were products of mutual alarm and unpredictable tests of will. When people discuss the futility of World War 1, they under rate the role of unintended consequences and the dark side of human rationality in situations involving collective action.
Indonesia and its politically ambitious and corrupt military wing are next door to Australia forever. A pragmatic approach is a necessity of survival along such a volatile border.
That’s actually why Whitlam did what he did, and sat on his hands over the East Timor massacres in 1975. Australia had no credible capability of intervening, particularly against a country with such a large military and unstable politics. In 1975, the Indonesian military most certainly would have shot back.
I thought America’s poor never had health insurance cover!? I’ve watched too much American TV?
26 Jul 2015 1 Comment
in applied welfare economics, economic history, economics of media and culture, health economics, industrial organisation, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking, survivor principle Tags: adverse selection, expressive voting, health insurance, Leftover Left, media bias, medicaid, Medicare, moral hazard, Obamacare, rational ignorance, rational irrationality
#Medicaid expands access to health coverage and supports work: bit.ly/1RKHQ2x #Medicaidat50 http://t.co/mydZMggcXg—
Center on Budget (@CenterOnBudget) July 20, 2015
6.4 million seniors get the vital support & care they need thanks to Medicaid: bit.ly/1HqYvNG #Medicaidat50 http://t.co/onWMiYj301—
Center on Budget (@CenterOnBudget) July 23, 2015
Reminder: #Medicaid helps millions of babies: bit.ly/1RS7ME5 #Medicaidat50 http://t.co/SeJ7MFPGWE—
Center on Budget (@CenterOnBudget) July 20, 2015
#Medicaid help millions of children across the country live healthier lives. #Medicaidat50: bit.ly/1RS7ME5 http://t.co/LT6rXhNzUg—
Center on Budget (@CenterOnBudget) July 16, 2015
50 years of coverage that every American deserves. #Medicare http://t.co/uRtERV2k9K—
American Progress (@amprog) July 30, 2015
Mann: Celebrating historic gains in coverage for kids CCF#2015 http://t.co/g7CYQ7DuwN—
Georgetown CCF (@GeorgetownCCF) July 22, 2015
#Medicare has been keeping seniors insured and healthy for 50 years. http://t.co/mXW4x12Rhi—
American Progress (@amprog) July 30, 2015
The majority of Americans of all ages don't recognize that gov subsidizes their health care: vox.com/2015/3/1/81257… http://t.co/ivq5eLThsi—
(@SocImages) April 22, 2015
Matt Ridley on How Fossil Fuels are Greening the Planet
26 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, energy economics Tags: Fossil Fuels, The Great Enrichment, The Great Escape, The Great Fact
If Roe v Wade was to fall
26 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in constitutional political economy, economic history, economics of media and culture, health economics, politics - USA, Public Choice Tags: abortion, constitutional law, expressive voting, median voter, rational ignorance, rational irrationality, social change
On abortion, the USA is split on pro-life versus pro-choice. State legislatures pass laws safe in the knowledge that they will be struck down the next day. they were playing to a grandstand made up of values voters.
When the supreme court became a little vague on some procedural aspects of abortion law in the early 1990s, the state legislatures started showing much more restraint because the median voter would be annoyed.
Where Roe v. Wade to fall, some states would permit abortion, some would not. The Center for Reproductive Rights predicts that 21 states are likely to outlaw abortion immediately where Roe v. Wade to fall. This assessment is based not only on current law, but on the political makeup of the state legislatures. On the other hand, abortion is likely to remain legal in many states, according to these groups.
Did the 1996 federal welfare reforms increase child poverty in America?
25 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied welfare economics, economic history, labour economics, poverty and inequality, welfare reform Tags: 1996 U.S. welfare reforms, child poverty, family poverty
Number of black children in poverty may have eclipsed whites for the first time on record pewrsr.ch/1M7La40 http://t.co/wnb9sLo9Fv—
PewResearch FactTank (@FactTank) July 18, 2015
Average effective retirement ages by gender in the USA, UK, Germany and France, 1970 – 2012
25 Jul 2015 1 Comment
in economic history, gender, labour economics, labour supply, politics - USA Tags: ageing society, British economy, demographic crisis, economics of retirement, effective retirement ages, female labour force participation, female labour supply, France, Germany, male labour force participation, male labour supply, old age pensions, older workers, retirement ages, social insurance, Social Security, welfare state
Figure 1 shows a divergence from a common starting point in 1974 effective retirement ages. The French in particular were the first to put their feet up and start retiring by the age of 60 by the early 1990. There was also a sharp increase in the average effective retirement age for men in the UK over a short decade. After that, British retirement ages for men started to climb again in the late 1990s. Figure 1 also shows that the gentle taper in the effective retirement age for American men stopped at the 1980s and started to climb again in the 2000s. The German data is too short to be of much use because of German unification. France only recently stopped seeing its effective retirement age fall and it is slightly increased recently – see figure 1
Figure 1: average effective retirement age for men, USA, UK, France and Germany, 1970 – 2012, (five-year average)
Source: OECD Pensions at a Glance.
Figure 2 shows similar results for British and American women as for men in the same country shown in figure 1 . That is, falling effective retirement ages for both British and American women in the 1970s and 1980s followed by a slow climb again towards the end of 1990s. French effective retirement ages for women followed the same pattern as for French retirement ages for men – a long fall to below the age of 60 with a slight increase recently. The German retirement data suggest that effective retirement ages for German women is increasing.
Figure 2: average effective retirement age for women, USA, UK, France and Germany 1970 – 2012, (five-year average)
Source: OECD Pensions at a Glance.
Obama’s report card – second quarter 2015
25 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, politics - USA Tags: obama
Creative destruction in household types
25 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history, population economics Tags: creative destruction, household production, marital division of labour, Population demographics, single mothers, single parents
Number and Type of Households since 1940
More income graphics: bit.ly/11be39y http://t.co/noyPIlRRCa—
Catherine Mulbrandon (@VisualEcon) July 11, 2013
Murray Rothbard on the falling popularity of Pope Francis
25 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, economic history, economics of bureaucracy, economics of education, economics of regulation, economics of religion, energy economics, environmental economics, income redistribution, industrial organisation, international economics, Murray Rothbard, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking, survivor principle Tags: antiforeign bias, antimarket bias, Catholic social thought, climate alarmism, expressive voting, global warming, makework bias, Pope Francis, rational ignorance, rational irrationality, voter demographics
Apollo 11 returned from the Moon today
25 Jul 2015 Leave a comment
in economic history Tags: Apollo 11, moon
Coming back from the moon, Apollo astronauts had to go through customs and declare moon rock as cargo. http://t.co/cy8VNTtC6N—
ClassicPics (@History_Pics) February 25, 2015
Recent Comments