Re-Thinking the Mancession
Worth Reading
How states and local governments differ in choosing sources of tax revenue. Some possible negative consequences of zero interest rates. Arkansas has the highest rate of serial marriage. READ MORE >>
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Shariah compliant Islamic banks fared relatively well during the crisis. Despite Felix Salmon's protests, Thomson Reuters still buys Breakingviews. READ MORE >>
How Supply and Demand Really Did Drive the Oil Boom
I've highlighted a couple recent papers investigating the causes of the commodity price boom, pre-crisis. This one chalks it up as a perfectly expectable response to rising demand, while this one says that though there's little evidence of manipulation, the financialization of commodities did allow the market to develop a bubble. READ MORE >>
How the Recession is Boosting the Military
The Dept. of Defense is crowing about its recruiting success in fiscal year '09, and chalking it up -- at least in part -- to the weak economy. From the Washington Post: READ MORE >>
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Fed minutes show FOMC considered increasing purchases of mortgage securities. Calvin Trillin on super smart Wall St. workers and their dim bosses. What Obama did in his first 12 days to earn a Nobel nomination. READ MORE >>
More on the Government Job Premium
On Monday, I asked what might explain the 20% difference in wages between government and private sector workers who hold similar jobs. READ MORE >>
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Are economists upset that a political scientist won the Nobel? Bloomberg tries to build a case that inflation expectations are rising. READ MORE >>
Why They Keep Making Those Awful "Saw" Movies
Well, OK, so I only saw the first one in the series. (And no pun intended, seriously.) But the violence-porn level was high enough for me -- and the production values looked cheap enough -- that I didn't need to see the rest. READ MORE >>
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Nobel reactions from around the web. What's more important for China's future: social or financial reforms? READ MORE >>
