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

A Bit More On Consumption

This is another entry into the series Rip Van Keynesian wakes up after 40 years and tries to analyse data up through 2013 with Paleo Keynesian concepts and statistical techniques. I’m pretty sure the main reason these notes can’t be published in any academic journal is that I will use old fashioned statistical techniques. It […]

Is Inflation decaying?

Quote from the most recent Federal Statement. “In determining how long to maintain the current 0 to 1/4 percent target range for the federal funds rate, the Committee will assess progress–both realized and expected–toward its objectives of maximum employment and 2 percent inflation. This assessment will take into account a wide range of information, including […]

Real State Per capita Income

The Bureau of Economic Analysis has been working on creating state and metro cost of living indices for several years and they have just published a new set of them that can be used to create real per capita income comparisons between states. In their press release they show a map comparing real growth in […]

Recovery in Europe?

by Joseph Joyce (is a Professor of Economics at Wellesley College and the Faculty Director of the Madeleine Korbel Albright Institute for Global Affairs.  His book, The IMF and Global Financial Crises: Phoenix Rising?, was published in 2012 by Cambridge University Press.) Recovery in Europe? Greece has returned to the bond market, issuing $4.2 billion […]

Living with Water Scarcity

David Zetland just published Living with Water Scarcity.  Ed Dolan at Economonitors reviews the book…(the review is re-posted with permission of the author). Living with Water Scarcity: A Refreshing Take on a Hot-Button Issue by  Ed Dolan   (is an economist and educator with a Ph.D. from Yale University. Since 2001, he has taught at several universities […]

Is the Fisher Effect Stable or Unstable?

  Low inflation in an atmosphere of low nominal interest rates brings up the issue of the Fisher Effect. Here is the long run Fisher equation for a “steady-state” nominal interest rate… Inflation rate = steady-state nominal interest rate – natural real interest rate The steady-state means that the nominal interest rate is projected to […]