06 | September | 2012

Wednesday, June 19, 2013

Introducing Marginal Revolution University

Mark J. Perry | September 6, 2012, 12:39 pm

Marginal Revolution bloggers and George Mason University economics professors Tyler Cowen and Alex Tabarrok announced yesterday the creation of Marginal Revolution University. The first course to be offered will be Development Economics, taught by Tyler and Alex. Here are posts … read more >

Image Credit: Nick Knupffer (Flickr) (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Pethokoukis

Democratic convention thunderbolt: Will Obama endorse Bowles-Simpson tonight?

James Pethokoukis | September 6, 2012, 12:32 pm

Democratic National Convention – Charlotte, North Carolina Bill Clinton argued a “stay the course” message last night, despite the slow-growth, high-unemployment economy. Will Obama do the same? Or will he go bold and make some big political and economic news … read more >

Carpe Diem

Markets in everything: On-demand ridesharing in San Francisco challenges the city’s taxi cartel

Mark J. Perry | September 6, 2012, 12:20 pm

From today’s San Francisco Chronicle, an article about how social media, smart-phone technology and “on-demand ridesharing” is challenging the city’s taxi cartel: The taxi business in San Francisco is famously fractious. “It’s like a car crash – you can’t look away,” … read more >

Carpe Diem

Danish government may scrap its ‘fat tax’ after only one year

Mark J. Perry | September 6, 2012, 12:15 pm

Global Tax News is reporting today that: Only one year after its implementation, the Danish government is planning to scrap the “fat tax.” The reason why: reports show that it simply doesn’t work. Denmark is now likely to abolish the … read more >

Pethokoukis

In the middle of an economic emergency, Clinton tells America to stay the course

James Pethokoukis | September 6, 2012, 12:04 pm

Bill Clinton, last night: “Now — but he has — he has laid the foundations for a new, modern, successful economy of shared prosperity. And if you will renew the president’s contract, you will feel it. You will feel it.” … read more >

Image Credit: Brave New Films (Flickr) (CC BY 2.0)

Foreign and Defense Policy

Kerry on Obama foreign policy: Charting and thinking vs. leading and winning

Danielle Pletka | September 6, 2012, 11:49 am

John Kerry’s going to give the Big Democratic National Security Speech tonight. He’s also doing his Big Audition for SecState in a second Obama administration. read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, Europe and Russia

Russia’s flip-flop

Katherine Earle | September 6, 2012, 11:39 am

President Obama’s warning that the use of chemical or biological weapons by the Assad regime could result in “enormous consequences” did not sit well with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. Lavrov has not only denounced even a hint of Western … read more >

Carpe Diem

Today’s employment reports

Mark J. Perry | September 6, 2012, 10:10 am

1. Global outplacement consultancy Challenger, Gray & Christmas announced today that: “Employers announced plans to shed 32,239 workers from their payrolls in August. It was the fewest number of monthly job cuts by US-based firms since December 2010, when layoffs … read more >

Carpe Diem

U.S. railroads are booming, thanks to the Bakken oil boom

Mark J. Perry | September 6, 2012, 9:59 am

CNBC reporter Frank Byrt travelled to the Bakken region of North Dakota and wrote this report: Among the biggest beneficiaries of the demand for transport of crude oil out of North Dakota’s Bakken shale region are the owners of the … read more >

Pethokoukis

Study: U.S. economy hovering just above ‘stall speed,’ vulnerable to new recession

James Pethokoukis | September 6, 2012, 9:29 am

I’ve frequently written about research from the Federal Reserve that finds since 1947 when two-quarter annualized real GDP growth falls below 2%, recession follows within a year 48% of the time. (And when year-over-year real GDP growth falls below 2%, … read more >