Understanding the Long-Run Effects of Africa’s Slave Trades
Looking at some of the lasting damage done by the slave trade, such as higher incidence of HIV.
Read more...Category Archives: Economic fundamentals
Bank of International Settlements Paper Confirms That High Levels of Household Debt Hurt Growth
We’ve written from time to time that not all debt is created equal. Prudent business borrowing enables companies to make investments and expand operations. And even though governments like the US that issue their own currency may nevertheless sell bonds, operationally they can simply create more dough to fund spending. The constraint on spending is […]
Read more...Understanding the Global Role of the US Economy
Investigating the spillover channels linking the US and the global economy.
Read more...Democratic Party Orthodoxy in Action: “Hit With Some Serious Clinton Blame Cannons”
An example of Democratic Party pathology.
Read more...Can Europe Be Saved from Populism?
Two economists offer recommendations on how to defend Europe from an upsurge of populism. Unfortunately, their ideas give cause for pause.
Read more...An Economy of Meaning – or Bust
Can one really create “an economy of meaning”?
Read more...How Antitrust Enforcement Can Spur Innovation: Bell Labs and the 1956 Consent Decree
A concrete example of how well-designed antitrust enforcement produced large economic benefits.
Read more...Michael Hudson: Why Failing to Solve Personal Debt and Polarization Will Usher in a New Dark Age
Crushing personal debt loads have repeatedly produced economic and social crises. The elites ignore the warning signs at their peril.
Read more...French Presidential Contender Macron Backs Tough Stand on Brexit
Macron, who has taken a recent hit as a result of a campaign blunder, took a forceful position on Brexit in a meeting with Theresa May.
Read more...Biggest Gasoline Glut In 27 Years Could Crash Oil Markets
High gasoline and crude inventories do not bode well for oil prices this year.
Read more...The Opioid Epidemic and the Face of Long-Term Unemployment
The role the opioid epidemic plays in long-term unemployment.
Read more...Globalisation and Economic Nationalism
An in-depth data analysis shows a strong correlation between exposure to competition from imports and a rise in right-wing nationalism.
Read more...Why Extreme Inequality Causes Economic Collapse
A look at how rising inequality becomes systemically destructive.
Read more...Wolf Richter: “Seriously Delinquent” Auto Loans Surge
Auto loans are have been looking awfully bubbly….and the hangover has begun.
Read more...When the IMF Evaluates the IMF
A recap of where the IMF admits that it screwed up. Also points out how the IMF overlooked a core methodology prone to errors and gaming.
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