Dean Baker's Blog, page 41

L.A. Times, Crusader for Working Class, Exposes CA Subsidy for Electric Cars, Costing Residents 80 Cents Each

It’s great that we have investigative reporters to expose this sort of corruption. The break for electric cars, which the piece only reports as costing California $32 million a year (that comes to 80 cents per resident per year), is explicitly discussed as a hit on the working class.

The post L.A. Times, Crusader for Working Class, Exposes CA Subsidy for Electric Cars, Costing Residents 80 Cents Each appeared first on Center for Economic and Policy Research.

L.A. Times, Crusader for Working Class, Exposes CA Subsidy for Electric Cars, Costing Residents 80 Cents Each

It's great that we have investigative reporters to expose this sort of corruption. The break for electric cars, which the piece only reports as costing California $32 million a year (that comes to 80 cenrs per resident per year), is explictly discussed as a hit on the working class.

Ross Douthat Goes Nuts on China's "Population Crisis"

I ridiculed the NYT and Washington Post yesterday for telling us that China, the world’s most populous country, is in danger of running out of people. Using a tool that seems relatively scarce in Washington policy discussions, arithmetic, I showed that China’s gains in productivity will dwarf the effects of a falling ratio of workers to retirees. To put it simply, with each worker being far more productive, China will be able to enjoy a society in which both workers and retirees enjoy much...

Ross Douthat Goes Nuts on China's "Population Crisis"

I ridiculed the NYT and Washington Post yesterday for telling us that China, the world's most populous country, is in danger of running out of people. Using a tool that seems relatively scarce in Washington policy discussions, arithmetic, I showed that China's gains in productivity will dwarf the effects of a falling ratio of workers to retirees. To put it simply, with each worker being far more productive, China will be able to enjoy a society in which both workers and retirees enjoy much...

The NYT and WaPo are Both Worried that China is Running Out of People

Folks who have followed economic policy debates for the last few decades can never be surprised by the poor quality of reporting, but it still can get annoying. In a world where we are already doing irreparable damage to the environment through global warming, the idea that we will have fewer people in the future should be seen as a good thing.

Nonetheless, our leading news outlets are warning us that China, the world’s most heavily populated country may be seeing its population decline in...

The NYT and WaPo are Both Worried that China is Running Out of People

Folks who have followed economic policy debates for the last few decades can never be surprised by the poor quality of reporting, but it still can get annoying. In a world where we are already doing irreparable damage to the environment through global warming, the idea that we will have fewer people in the future should be seen as a good thing.

Nonetheless, our leading news outlets are warning us that China, the world's most heavily populated country may be seeing its population decline in...

Krugman on Child Poverty and Family Benefits in the 2020 Election

(This is a guest post by Shawn Fremstad.)

In his column today, Paul Krugman rightly calls for more attention in the presidential campaign on family benefits and child poverty. As he points out, in Europe public social expenditures on family benefits (including benefits like child allowances, paid family leave, and child care) “average between 2 and 3 percent of G.D.P. The corresponding number for the United States is 0.6 percent of G.D.P.”

I’d add there are at least three notable non-European...

Krugman on Child Poverty and Family Benefits in the 2020 Election

(This is a guest post by Shawn Fremstad.)

In his column today, Paul Krugman rightly calls for more attention in the presidential campaign on family benefits and child poverty. As he points out, in Europe public social expenditures on family benefits (including benefits like child allowances, paid family leave, and child care) “average between 2 and 3 percent of G.D.P. The corresponding number for the United States is 0.6 percent of G.D.P.”  

I’d add there are at least three notable...

Did Shareholders’ Benefit by Paying Boeing’s Fired CEO $62 Million?

(This post first appeared on my Patreon page.)

This is not an abstract philosophical question. Boeing forced out its CEO, Dennis Muilenburg last week. Muilenberg had played a major role in overseeing the development and production of the Boeing 737 Max, a plane which was recently involved in two major crashes, resulting in hundreds of deaths. Following these crashes, and the grounding of the plane in March, evidence has come out that Boeing did not take seriously many safety issues that were...

Did Shareholders’ Benefit by Paying Boeing’s Fired CEO $62 Million?

(This post first appeared on my Patreon page.)

This is not an abstract philosophical question. Boeing forced out its CEO, Dennis Muilenburg last week. Muilenberg had played a major role in overseeing the development and production of the Boeing 737 Max, a plane which was recently involved in two major crashes, resulting in hundreds of deaths. Following these crashes, and the grounding of the plane in March, evidence has come out that Boeing did not take seriously many safety issues that were...