The United States has has a nationwide childcare program at one time in its history: a temporary program during World War II. Tim Sablik of the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond tells the story and summarizes some economic research on the topic in “When Uncle Sam Watched Rosie’s Kids: To support women working on the…
The National Childcare Program During World War II
The National Childcare Program During World War II
02 Nov 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, defence economics, discrimination, econometerics, economic history, gender, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, war and peace Tags: World War II
Why are Spain and Italy islands of equality?
31 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, discrimination, gender, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, poverty and inequality Tags: gender wage gap
The Puzzle of Japan’s Economy: When Productivity Gains Are Outside National Borders
26 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in development economics, economic growth, economic history, growth miracles, labour economics, labour supply, macroeconomics, population economics Tags: economics of fertility, Japan
In total size, Japan’s economy is fourth-largest in the world, just behind Germany for third-largest. In per capita GDP, Japan is ahead of Spain and South Korea, although well behind Italy and France. With a life expectancy at birth of 84 years, ,Japan has one of the highest levels in the world. Clearly, Japan has…
The Puzzle of Japan’s Economy: When Productivity Gains Are Outside National Borders
Slides Against Sohrab Ahmari
25 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in development economics, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, poverty and inequality Tags: economics of immigration
Opening statements at my Steamboat Institute debate on open borders versus Sohrab Ahmari were so brief that I failed to even finish my slideshow. Since the audience didn’t get to see the whole thing, I’m sharing it here. Remember: This is the only immigration debate I’ve ever done where the resolution was explicitly about “benefit…
Slides Against Sohrab Ahmari
Reflections on United Arab Emirates
23 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, comparative institutional analysis, constitutional political economy, development economics, economic history, economics of bureaucracy, economics of crime, energy economics, growth miracles, income redistribution, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, liberalism, libertarianism, property rights, Public Choice Tags: Dubai, economics of immigration
On my way to India, I connected through Abu Dhabi, capital city of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). During my one-day layover, I toured not only Abu Dhabi, but its more famous sister-city, Dubai. Here are my main thoughts.In Dubai, these are not empty words.Per-capita, UAE is the most amazing country I’ve ever seen. With…
Reflections on United Arab Emirates
Aus Deputy PM Chief of Staff resigns due to bullying
19 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in health and safety, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, politics - Australia, unions
News.com.au reports: Richard Marles’ chief of staff says she is “being bullied out” of her dream job after reporting misbehaviour directly to the Deputy Prime Minister. In a press conference on Thursday morning, Jo Tarnawsky said she “loved” her job working for Mr Marles, whom she had known for “more than 10 years”. But she […]
Aus Deputy PM Chief of Staff resigns due to bullying
The gender gap that dare not speak its name
18 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in discrimination, econometerics, economic history, economics of education, gender, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, poverty and inequality Tags: gender wage gap, racial discrimination
Guest Post: KiwiSaver – is it ‘working’?
17 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in labour economics, labour supply, politics - New Zealand
A guest post by Michael Littlewood: So, John Horner of the Financial Markets Authority thinks that KiwiSaver’s reaching $100 bn “…is something to celebrate; for a relatively small country like New Zealand, it represents a coming of age of KiwiSaver.” (FMA 24 September 2024 here). Others in the financial services industry praise KiwiSaver while some call for […]
Guest Post: KiwiSaver – is it ‘working’?
Dearth of Green Jobs in UK
15 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in energy economics, environmental economics, global warming, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice Tags: solar power, wind power
Chris Morrison provides the analysis in his Daily Sceptic article ONS Reveals the Pitiful Number of New Green Jobs Being Created in the U.K. Economy. Excerpts in italics with my bolds and added images. The problem with the green U.K. economy, and its associated destruction of the hydrocarbon environment, is that there are very few […]
Dearth of Green Jobs in UK
Further evidence for the babysitting theory of education
08 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, economics of education, economics of love and marriage, human capital, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics Tags: economics of fertility
Bryan Caplan will feel vindicated: This paper asks whether universal pre-kindergarten (UPK) raises parents’ earnings and how much these earnings effects matter for evaluating the economic returns to UPK programs. Using a randomized lottery design, we estimate the effects of enrolling in a full-day UPK program in New Haven, Connecticut on parents’ labor market outcomes […]
Further evidence for the babysitting theory of education
US Productivity Growth: Downside, Upside
08 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, econometerics, economic growth, economic history, entrepreneurship, history of economic thought, industrial organisation, labour economics, labour supply, macroeconomics Tags: The Great Enrichment
Over time, a rising US standard of living is driven by productivity growth. Michael Peters succinctly describes the problem in “America Must Rediscover Its Dynamism” (Finance & Development, September 2024). He writes: The US economy has a multitrillion-dollar problem. It’s the dramatic slowdown in productivity growth over the past couple of decades. Between 1947 and…
US Productivity Growth: Downside, Upside
In 1900, when most U.S. women baked their own bread and did the laundry by hand, maintaining a home was a full-time job.
07 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in discrimination, economic history, gender, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice Tags: The Great Enrichment
The NZ Treasury’s Lack of Imagination Threatens our Future. It has no faith in Economic Magic (Einstein did).
07 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, health economics, labour economics, labour supply, poverty and inequality, public economics, welfare reform Tags: retirement savings
Our Treasury is at it again. Telling Kiwis a bleak future awaits them, especially in retirement. Its latest report about how NZ Demographic Change will affect the Country’s Finances is enough make the PM’s eyes glaze over, Finance Minister Willis fall asleep, NZ First leader Peters to press Delete on his laptop & everyone else…
The NZ Treasury’s Lack of Imagination Threatens our Future. It has no faith in Economic Magic (Einstein did).
Rockonomics Highlights
05 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in labour economics, labour supply, Music, occupational choice
I missed Alan Kreuger’s 2019 book on the economics of popular music when it first came out, but picked it up recently when preparing for a talk on Taylor Swift. It turns out to be a well-written mix of economic theory, data, and interviews with well-known musicians, by an author who clearly loves music. Some […]
Rockonomics Highlights
Canada Is Part of the Anti-Convergence Club
01 Oct 2024 Leave a comment
in applied price theory, budget deficits, comparative institutional analysis, economic growth, economic history, economics of regulation, environmental economics, fiscal policy, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, macroeconomics, property rights Tags: Canada
Economists widely agree with the theory of “convergence,” which is the (mostly true) idea that poor nations should grow faster than rich nations as they catch up (converge). But there are exceptions. Sometimes a richer country will grow faster than a poorer country over a significant period of time, and we can learn from these examples. This is […]
Canada Is Part of the Anti-Convergence Club
Utopia, you are standing in it! 
Recent Comments