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The IIJA has provided a historic opportunity for advancing racial equity in infrastructure investments. Only if state and local activists force their elected officials to take advantage of it will its full potential be realized.

Anaïs Goubert and Algernon Austin / February 02, 2022

Article Artículo

Economic Crisis and Recovery

Marketplace Radio Gives Us the Latest Bad News on the Economy: A Glut of Retail Goods

In the old days, we might have thought that too many goods, with too few buyers, might have meant lower prices.

Dean Baker / February 02, 2022

Article Artículo

Argentina

International Monetary Fund

Latin America and the Caribbean

World

Back from the Brink — Argentina and the IMF Negotiate a Better Agreement

In the end, in a democracy, it is the voice of the citizens of the country that must be heard most loudly.

Joseph Stiglitz and Mark Weisbrot / February 01, 2022

Article Artículo

Jobs

Preview: What to Look for in the January Jobs Report

The January jobs report is likely to look weaker than recent reports, first and foremost because of the spread of the omicron variant.

Dean Baker / February 01, 2022

Article Artículo

Economic Crisis and Recovery

More Thoughts on the Great Inflation Debate

We don’t want to see anything like the surge in unemployment from the 1981–82 recession, especially if it’s intended to combat an inflation problem that does not exist.

Dean Baker / January 29, 2022

report informe

Private Equity

Wall Street

Literature Review: Monopsony, Employer Consolidation, and Health Care Labor Markets

This literature review summarizes relevant parameters and techniques for measuring the extent of labor market monopsony and discusses estimates of the earnings effects of monopsony, with particular attention paid to employer concentration (or consolidatio

David Wasser January 28, 2022

Article Artículo

Economic Crisis and Recovery

Growth

GDP Jumps to 6.9 Percent in Fourth Quarter 2021, Driven by Strong Inventory Growth

Inventories grew at a $173.5 billion annual rate in the fourth quarter.

Dean Baker / January 27, 2022

Article Artículo

Economic Crisis and Recovery

Washington Post Tries to Tell Readers that Fourth Quarter Jump In Inventories Was Due to Higher Prices

It's not clear what the Washington Post is referring to.

Dean Baker / January 27, 2022

Article Artículo

Globalization and Trade

International Monetary Fund

World

Eighty Countries Have Already Used Their Special Drawing Rights, but More of these Resources Are Needed

A preview of key findings that we will explore in greater depth in the upcoming report on the use of SDRs since August 2021.

Andrés Arauz and Kevin Cashman / January 26, 2022

Article Artículo

Health and Social Programs

Inequality

The Medicaid Gap Fix in the Build Back Better Act Could Improve Health and Save the Lives of Low-Income Individuals

The Build Back Better (BBB) Act would improve health and save lives by expanding access to affordable health care.

Tamara Sokolowsky / January 26, 2022

GDP Byte Artículo

Economic Crisis and Recovery

Growth

PREVIEW: What to Look for In the Fourth Quarter 2021 GDP Report

GDP growth for the fourth quarter should bounce back from the 2.3 percent figure from the third quarter, likely coming in at close to 5.0 percent.

Dean Baker / January 25, 2022

Article Artículo

Economic Crisis and Recovery

Washington Post Says Life Was Bleak for Workers on Eve of Pandemic

If workers are experiencing serious hardship today, things must have been really awful for them in December 2019, when most workers had lower real wages.

Dean Baker / January 22, 2022

Article Artículo

Economic Crisis and Recovery

Are Used Car Prices Bankrupting Workers?

While everyone has been seeing the huge rise in gas prices over the last year, used car prices have risen almost as rapidly.

Dean Baker / January 21, 2022

Article Artículo

Workers

All Workers Should Share the Benefits of Growth, Raise the Federal Minimum Wage

It is time for Congress to say that employers in some states can’t exploit their workers, even when the state’s politicians want to preserve that option.

Dean Baker / January 21, 2022

Article Artículo

Government

These States: US Federal-State-Local Fiscal Relations in the Wake of Pandemic-Driven Recession

The role of the SLG in anti-recession policy should not be forgotten, since its impact on any economic recovery is inescapable and, absent federal intervention, that impact on recovery will be negative.

Max B. Sawicky / January 19, 2022

Article Artículo

Coronavirus

Intellectual Property

Gaslighting on the Big Lie by Thomas Edsall in the NYT

For political purposes it is very much to the advantage of these powerful elites to pretend that their wealth is just the result of the free market, but it is not true, and it is gaslighting to pretend it is.

Dean Baker / January 19, 2022

Article Artículo

Coronavirus

Intellectual Property

Expensive Drugs and Multi-Million Dollar Salaries for Firefighters

Do we want good health care, or are we more interested in making a small number of people very rich.

Dean Baker / January 19, 2022

Article Artículo

Economic Crisis and Recovery

Workers

The “Great Resignation” is Hype. Workers Need More Benefits, Not Less

The political fortunes of the Democratic Party look dim, but the current economy is not too damn bad. How to explain this seemingly contradictory economic news?

Max B. Sawicky / January 18, 2022

Article Artículo

Economic Crisis and Recovery

Is the US Economy Operating Above Its Capacity?

If we can get the pandemic under control, the supply problems we are now seeing (along with pretty much every other wealthy country) will dissipate over the course of the year.

Dean Baker / January 17, 2022