Economics

Three Common Ways Governments Misuse Statistics and What You Can Do About It 0
- Economics
- June 28, 2018
Government agencies and researchers produce endless reams of statistics. While statistics can be valuable, they can be easily misrepresented. A 2017 study on the use of statistics in news characterized the problem as such: “The constant supply of data produced by think tanks, government agencies, independent researchers, academics and others is a significant and a
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Seattle Aiming to Become More Like Detroit 0
- Economics
- June 22, 2018
This article says “Seattle is struggling to find a path forward to deal with a crisis that’s exploded in recent years.” What is that crisis? An economic boom! The article says, “unemployment in the county is at 3%, the lowest in the state… Housing is becoming less affordable, leading to more homelessness. At the same
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‘Bourgeois Dignity’: The Idea that Created the Modern World 0
- Economics
- June 22, 2018
When thinking about the astonishing improvement in living standards occurring over the last two centuries, one can’t help but wonder about the causes of such a radical transformation: what explains the unprecedented increase in income per capita that the world has experienced since 1800? To answer this question, one needs to look back at where it all
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Social Security Has Not Been “Looted”0
- Economics
- June 20, 2018
The newly released Social Security Trustees Report describes serious fiscal issues with the program and stresses that it should be reformed soon, or the situation will become much worse. However, public support for reform is impeded by a common fiction that inflames debate and distracts from the roots of the problem. What the Report Says
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Hayek Can Teach Trump the Key to Bringing Political Freedom to North Korea 0
- Economics
- June 20, 2018
President Trump and North Korea’s leader Kim Jong-Un recently held a historic summit that captured the American public’s attention. Some commentators have argued that establishing a dialogue between the two countries is a meaningful step, but others criticize President Trump for not proposing that the dictator reform his oppressive regime, which is notorious for brutally executing political dissenters. Perhaps the
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Are Elite Charter Schools Excluding Minorities?0
- Economics
- June 20, 2018
Earlier this week, NBC News ran an article entitled “It’s like a black and white thing: How some elite charter schools exclude minorities.” The article focuses on Lake Oconee Academy (LOA), a charter school in Greensboro, Georgia. It makes the case that the school has intentionally excluded minority students while favoring wealthy, white families. The nation’s first charter
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