Category Archives: The destruction of the middle class

The Economy Under Trump: Business Optimism Combined with Inequality

Gerald Epstein dissects the Trump Administration happy talk about the state of the economy.

Michael Olenick: Digging Into Data on the Student Loan Scam

A data dive shows that the student loan business is at least as bad as you think it is.

Why We Should Worry About Monopsony

Why the Fed is, rather late in the game, concerned about monopsony power.

The Mills of Providence Were Ground Up Slowly

Life along Woonsquatucket, and what “a screw loose” really means.

The “Petrodollar” Has No Bearing on Any Country’s Ability to Employ Its People Fully

Debunking the petrodollar myth.

Why I Am Not Wildly Enthusiastic about Sanders’ Plan to Tax Amazon

Defects in Sanders’ “plan to have a plan” to tax Amazon, and how to cure them.

Market Power, Low Productivity, and Lagging Wages: The Real Drivers

To understand labor productivity—and growing inequality—you have to look at the “dual economy”

Brexit as a Tightly Coupled Process

Stepping back to look at the Brexit trajectory.

Elizabeth Warren’s Proposal for “Co-Determination”: Really a Second New Deal?

Strengths, weaknesses, and context of Elizabeth Warren’s “Accountable Capitalism Act”

Brexit Is a Consequence of Low Upward Mobility

In the Brexit referendum, UK citizens were pleading through their vote – and non-vote – for a fair shot at the future.

Why Elizabeth Warren’s Accountable Capitalism Act Will Be Good for Shareholders

Why shareholders are getting a raw deal out of the misguided corporate fixation on “maximizing shareholder value,” and Elizabeth Warren’s new bill is therefore good for them.