21 Jun 2015
by Jim Rose
in applied welfare economics, economic history, Gary Becker, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, population economics, technological progress
Tags: Australia, British economy, Canada, life expectancy, lost decades, New Zealand, The Great Enrichment
Figure 1: increase in real GDP and increase in real GDP plus life expectancy GDP increase equivalent, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, USA and England & Wales, 1965 to 1995
Source: Becker, Gary S., Tomas J. Philipson, and Rodrigo R. Soares. The Quantity and Quality of Life and the Evolution of World Inequality, NBER Working Paper No. 9765 (June 2003).
GDP per capita is usually used to proxy for the quality of life of individuals living in different countries. Becker and his co-authors computed a "full" growth rate that incorporates the gains in health and life expectancy.
Figure 1 shows that New Zealand was way behind the other countries in improvements in the quantity and quality of life between 1965 and 1995. This brings new meaning to the two decades of lost growth between 1973 and 1995. Canada should refer to 1965 to 1995 as its golden era.
21 Jun 2015
by Jim Rose
in economics of love and marriage, labour economics, labour supply, law and economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, population economics, poverty and inequality, welfare reform
Tags: Australia, British economy, Canada, child poverty, economics of families, family poverty, Ireland, labour force participation, single parents
Figure 1: child poverty rates in couple families by employment status, Anglo-Saxon countries, 2010
Source: OECD Family Database; Poverty thresholds are set at 50% of the median income of the entire population.
21 Jun 2015
by Jim Rose
in economics of regulation, health economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, technological progress
Tags: 9/11, anti-vaccination movement, antiscience left, conspiracy theories, expressive voting, GMOs, inspiriting theorists, rational ignorance, rational irrationality, risk risk trade-offs, vaccines
20 Jun 2015
by Jim Rose
in gender, labour economics, labour supply, occupational choice, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, population economics
Tags: economics of fertility, economics of the family, single mothers, single parents
Figure 1: Proportion of births out of wedlock, 2011, Anglo-Saxon countries
Source: OECD family database; no data for Ireland.
20 Jun 2015
by Jim Rose
in labour economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, poverty and inequality, welfare reform
Tags: Australia, British economy, Canada, child poverty, economics of the family, family poverty, female labour force participation rates, Ireland, maternal labour supply, single mothers, single parents
Figure 1: Child poverty rate by employment status of single parent, Anglo-Saxon countries, 2010
Source: OECD Family Database; Poverty thresholds are set at 50% of the median income of the entire population.
19 Jun 2015
by Jim Rose
in economics of media and culture, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA
Tags: Ben Elton, expressive voting, Green Left, Leftover Left, rational ignorance, rational irrationality, The fatal conceit, The pretence to knowledge
18 Jun 2015
by Jim Rose
in economic history, labour economics, minimum wage, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA
Tags: Australia, British economy
Figure 1: real minimum wage, 2013 constant prices, purchasing power parity, US$, Australia, New Zealand, USA and UK
Source: OECD StatExtract.
17 Jun 2015
by Jim Rose
in applied price theory, applied welfare economics, comparative institutional analysis, environmental economics, global warming, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, Public Choice, rentseeking
Tags: cap and trade, carbon tax, carbon trading, climate alarmism, expressive voting, fossil fuel disinvestment, global warming, rational irrationality, Robert Stavins
16 Jun 2015
by Jim Rose
in economics of education, human capital, labour economics, occupational choice, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA
Tags: economics of personality traits, gender gap, PISA, reversing gender gap
Boys’ dominance just about endures in maths: at age 15 they are, on average, the equivalent of three months’ schooling ahead of girls. In science the results are fairly even.
But in reading, where girls have been ahead for some time, a gulf has appeared. In all 64 countries and economies in the study, girls outperform boys. The average gap is equivalent to an extra year of schooling.
Figure 1: : Gender differences (boys – girls) in student performance in reading, mathematics and science in PISA 2012
Source: OECD family database.
HT: The weaker sex | The Economist.
15 Jun 2015
by Jim Rose
in health economics, labour economics, politics - Australia, politics - New Zealand, politics - USA, population economics
Tags: ageing society, healthy life expectancy, life expectancy, The Great Escape
Figure 1: life expectancy and healthy life expectancy of women, Anglo-Saxon countries, 2010
Source: OECD family database.
Figure 2: life expectancy and healthy life expectancy of men, Anglo-Saxon countries, 2010
Source: OECD family database
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