WASHINGTON — OK, I should have headlined it, “My favorite economics books of 2016.” There surely are many good books that I missed. Still, the four below share certain appealing characteristics. They tell us stuff we don’t know, which alters our view of the world. They are all deeply researched and reported. They’re clearly written. […]
Robert Samuelson
Posted inOp-Eds
Pentagon losing the budget war
WASHINGTON — Any reporter who’s written about the federal budget knows that there’s a surefire solution to every problem. It’s called “fraud, waste and abuse.” You want to end budget deficits? Just eliminate all the “fraud, waste and abuse” in the $4 trillion budget. The same is true for cutting taxes or raising spending. Attacking […]
advertisement
Posted inOp-Eds
America’s real productivity problem
WASHINGTON — The U.S. faces a productivity crisis. Gains in productivity have slowed to a crawl or stagnated. Unless they revive, prospects for higher living standards will fade or vanish. But according to a new economic report, we’re ignoring the real productivity problem. A huge part of the productivity slowdown, says economist Jonathan Rothwell, author […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Trump would redefine America’s role
“For the first time since the end of the Second World War, the future relationship of America to the world is not fully settled.” — Henry Kissinger, in an interview with The Atlantic in its December issue. WASHINGTON — Donald Trump is an avowed economic nationalist. He promises to put American interests “first” in fashioning […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Italy’s future unsettled as economy falters
WASHINGTON — Italy may be the next stop on the world’s journey to more economic nationalism. First we had Brexit — Britain’s decision to leave the European Union. Then we had the election of Donald Trump as the next U.S. president, pledging to put “America first” in his policies. Now Italy may be treading down […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Male dropouts — shirkers or disabled?
WASHINGTON — The work ethic is such a central part of the American character that it’s hard to imagine it fading. But that’s what seems to be happening in one important part of the labor force. Among men 25-to-54 — so-called prime-age male workers — about one in eight are dropouts. They don’t have a […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Welfare takes rap for weak economy
WASHINGTON — Alan Greenspan, former chairman of the Federal Reserve Board, weighed in recently on one of the pressing issues facing the Trump administration — slow economic growth. Greenspan’s explanation is bound to be controversial. To preview: He blames the welfare state and overall uncertainty for the slowdown. Economic growth matters greatly. Faster growth raises […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Dealing with the post-election hype
WASHINGTON — Elections regularly inspire an orgy of hype — and so it is with this one. The Democrats are in disarray, it’s said. Unless they’re enormously skillful or lucky, they risk becoming a minority party indefinitely. Be skeptical. The reality is that these dire forecasts have a habit of not coming true. Remember Barry […]
Posted inOp-Eds
Trump’s big plans may be unrealistic
WASHINGTON — Donald Trump, it seems, embraces the old dictum: Make no small plans. Already, he’s published an agenda for his first 100 days in office, recalling Franklin’s Roosevelt’s launching of the New Deal. Not surprisingly, near the top of Trump’s to-do list is a pledge to double economic growth from its recent desultory rate […]
Posted inOp-Eds
The real national embarrassment
WASHINGTON — The race for president is over; however, the 2016 campaign for the White House will undoubtedly be remembered for its vulgarity, mean-spiritedness and mendacity. It has been a national embarrassment. But a parallel failing is less noticed: the unwillingness of both candidates — Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump — to come to grips […]