BOHANON & STYRING: Enjoy all the rankings, but read the fine print
Here is the dirty little secret behind all rankings. More than anything else, they reveal the policy preferences of the organization doing the ranking.
Economic Analysis
Articles
BOHANON & STYRING: Both sides have it wrong on currency manipulation
The Trump administration is known for its anti-manipulation rhetoric, but so are Bernie Sanders and other Democrats. Complaining about this is a bipartisan sport.
BOHANON & STYRING: Licensing people who braid hair is nonsense
Our Legislature is debating whether to remove the requirement that hair braiders obtain a cosmetology license to practice their craft.
BOHANON & STYRING: Don’t swim against the manufacturing tide
Manufacturing employment as a share of total employment is down from 25 percent to less than 10 percent. It has fallen under every U.S. president since Truman.
BOHANON & STYRING: Airbnb critics unwisely toy with property rights
Clear and enforceable property rights are at the core of any prosperous and free economy.
BOHANON & STYRING: Trump has no easy way out of his Mexican standoff
How do we make Mexico pay for the wall? “Mexico” is a nation-state abstraction. Economists insist all costs are borne by people, not legal entities called countries or corporations.
BOHANON & STYRING: Economic effects of smoking are not all obvious
If you think federal spending and deficits are out of control or that the state of Indiana needs a bigger surplus, advocate cigarette smoking.
BOHANON & STYRING: How can our roads be more like Netflix?
Netflix, a for-profit enterprise, is able to collect enough in fees to keep its network thriving and sustainable.
BOHANON & STYRING: Pre-K isn’t as effective as proponents say
Do kids who go through Head Start-type programs ultimately wind up learning more than comparable kids who don’t? The answer is pretty clearly no.
BOHANON & STYRING: ‘Sin’ legislation creates unlikely bedfellows
Any action that limits access to a legal product raises prices consumers pay. Black and gray markets usually follow.
BOHANON & STYRING: Energy can be both clean and abundant
Life was pretty miserable before fossil fuels replaced animal and human muscle power.
BOHANON & STYRING: Trump’s tax-cutting plan will boost economy
The Law of Demand is a bedrock theorem of economics. Increase the price of something and you get less of it. Decrease the price of something, you get more of it.
BOHANON & STYRING: Look beyond those happy Carrier employees
The $7 million benefit over a 10-year period is peanuts compared to the near $65 million in annual savings Carrier would garner from the Mexico move.
BOHANON & STYRING: Will Trump cast aside stagnation, usher in growth?
Since the election, markets have all been telling a fascinating tale: more economic growth, higher inflation, a stronger dollar, higher interest rates and pressure toward even larger trade deficits.
BOHANON & STYRING: New era approaching for health insurance
Here’s the primer on what Obamacara was, is, and may be.
BOHANON & STYRING: We’ll soon learn how Trump plans to beef up military
There is necessarily a trade-off between defense/foreign-policy objectives and our willingness to forgo other desirable things to pay for those tanks and troops.
BOHANON & STYRING: Beware of promises to spend big on infrastructure
Arguments for spending on roads and bridges always look great on paper. Alas, these schemes at the federal level seldom deliver on the rosy political rhetoric.
BOHANON & STYRING: Gender wage gap not the gulf it’s made out to be
Dozens of factors determine any worker’s pay, including occupation, educational attainment, years of experience, interruptions in work experience and a host of other intangible factors.
BOHANON & STYRING: Drugmaking business has economics like no other
Manufacturing the drug itself typically costs pennies, but getting FDA approval certifying the drug as “safe and effective” can run upward of $2 billion.
BOHANON & STYRING: Rewards app makes market, educational sense
Give the students an incentive to turn their cell phones off in class.