BOHANON & CUROTT: Tariffs will hurt, but pain will not be felt this year
If President Trump’s import tariffs are as bad as economists say, why is the Trump economy so strong?
Cecil Bohanon / Special to IBJ
Articles
BOHANON & CUROTT: Debt is bigger U.S. threat than nation’s trade deficits
Many think that, if our debt even approaches 200 percent of GDP, our currency will lose its reserve status or our super-low interest rate will rise.
BOHANON & CUROTT: Incentives can backfire if carried to extremes
Part of economists’ useful function is to offer alternative ways of structuring incentives to attain socially desired ends.
BOHANON & CUROTT: Borrowed time, money keep Social Security alive
Thank heavens Social Security has reserves. We have 16 years to fix the system, right? Think again: The reserves are part of the problem.
BOHANON & CUROTT: Economic impact numbers often tell only half the story
The problem with the economic impact studies is, they report revenue but not costs.
BOHANON & CUROTT: How a new Seattle tax can work in Indy’s favor
The City Council of Seattle recently passed a controversial tax, and what happened next could be good news for central Indiana’s quest to snag Amazon’s second national headquarters.
BOHANON & CUROTT: Currency failure kills hope—and people—in Venezuela
The collapse of the currency is staggering. The yearly inflation rate is now over 18,000 percent.
BOHANON & CUROTT: Universities chase quality, but defining it is a trick
Universities and colleges, though they are not-for-profit enterprises, in many ways act like for-profit firms
BOHANON AND CUROTT: Let’s be informed voters, but shaping outcome unlikely
It’s that time of year when all good citizens are supposed to do their duty and go to the polls and vote. And duty it is because, on a strictly cost-benefit basis, it makes no sense to be an informed voter.
BOHANON & CUROTT: It’s likely no coincidence whom tax law helps, hurts
We are shocked—shocked!—that punitive politics might have played a role in the tax bill. Then again, not really.
BOHANON & CUROTT: Let the sharing economy take flight
The Aviation Empowerment Act creates a class of pilots called “personal operators” who can use flight-sharing apps without being subject to common-carrier regulations.
BOHANON & CUROTT: Spending on defense is small part of GDP
How big of a role do we Americans want to play in the world?
BOHANON & CUROTT: Socialism sounds cool—until you study results
The capitalist economy is facilitating a sharing revolution in transportation that would make Karl Marx blush.
BOHANON & CUROTT: It’s time to unleash power of small banks
The banking system might finally get some relief from the burdensome overregulation that has hamstrung the economy for almost a decade.
BOHANON & CUROTT: Muncie school-funding problem is about control
the district’s problems illustrate a larger issue: How should different levels of government work together to provide K-12 education?
BOHANON & CUROTT: The Amazon equation includes costs, too
Any choice you make implies you forgo some alternative. The value of that next-best alternative is the cost of the choice.
BOHANON & CUROTT: No, trade wars are not easy to win, Mr. President
Apparently, Trump thinks he is declaring war on foreigners. But in reality, he is declaring war on Americans.
BOHANON & CUROTT: Financial aid frees up funds for alternate uses
An underappreciated principle of economics is the fungibility of resources.
BOHANON & CUROTT: Liquor law changes are politics as usual
Why are unpopular regulations passed in the first place? And why are they so persistent? Three words: special interest politics.
BOHANON & CUROTT: Increasing immigration would help economy
Like with any policy, some benefit and some lose from immigration, but the overall effect is positive.