Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Who gets paid sick days?

From the Economic Policy Institute comes this piece on who gets benefits: The pandemic highlighted vast inequalities in the United States, especially in the U.S. labor market. Striking disparities were magnified in who could work from home and who had to go into work in person, who was able to keep their job and who […]

Has the Third Era of Globalization Ended?

by Joseph Joyce (Capital Ebbs and Flows) Has the Third Era of Globalization Ended? Behind the headlines forecasting a global economic recession there is another narrative about the end of globalization. This reflects political tensions over trade, the impact of the pandemic on global supply chains and the shutdown of economic ties with Russia. But dating the beginning […]

Markups and profits skyrocket

Mike Konczal and Niko Lusiani at the Roosevelt Institute take a closer quantitative look at the sources of inflation the last two years: This research brief is the first to explore the size and distribution of markups (essentially the difference between sales and marginal costs) and profit margins across 3,698 firms operating in the US […]

They have come to resurrect Caesar.

Dana Millbank at the Washington Post points us to JD Vance, the MAGA Republican from Ohio running for a Senate seat in Congress and a potential American Julius Caesar. “‘Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears: They have come to resurrect Caesar. MAGA Republican leaders take umbrage at being accused of ‘semi-fascism,‘ which is understandable: […]

Household incomes have fallen since 2019

Chandra Childers at Economic Policy Institute reports on household income: “Household incomes have fallen since 2019 despite growth in workers’ earnings“ “On Thursday, the U.S. Census Bureau released 2021 household income and household earnings data for states from the American Community Survey (ACS). National averages hide the wide disparities experienced by workers and families across […]