Disability | AEIdeas

Monday, May 20, 2013

Credit: NPR

The problem of exploding US disability rolls

James Pethokoukis | March 26, 2013, 2:56 pm

When I worked at USNews & World Report, I once wrote a story about an Electrolux refrigerator plant in Greenville, Michigan. It shut down several years ago, taking 3,000 jobs with it. Even though it had been clear for years that … read more >

Economics, Entitlements

SSI exemplifies America’s flawed approach to social welfare policy

Richard Burkhauser | December 12, 2012, 12:12 pm

As Nick Kristof wrote in his Sunday New York Times column and as Arthur Brooks noted in his blog post yesterday, some social welfare programs exhibit serious flaws. While budget concerns drive program criticism—particularly in the context of the looming … read more >

Economics, Entitlements

Is raising the retirement age really regressive?

Andrew Biggs | December 4, 2012, 10:27 am

In his (most recent) piece on class warfare, Paul Krugman writes: Consider, as a prime example, the push to raise the retirement age, the age of eligibility for Medicare, or both. This is only reasonable, we’re told — after all, … read more >

Economics, Entitlements

How more and more ‘disabled’ Americans affects the shrinking U.S. labor force

James Pethokoukis | May 4, 2012, 2:36 pm

Now that the labor force participation rate is at its lowest level since 1981, it’s a good time to take another look at how the rising number of disabled Americans affects the official size of the workforce. Here are disturbing … read more >

Economics

Land of the free, home of the disabled (more on those phony unemployment numbers)

Nick Schulz | February 7, 2012, 3:03 pm

JPM’s Mike Feroli is one of the best economists on Wall Street. In a new Economic Research Note he finds the number of Americans claiming disability is rising rapidly: As of January over 8.5 million individuals were receiving federal disability … read more >

Lean In… to Government?
Sheryl Sandberg's runaway best-selling book Lean In has managed to offend both the Left and the Right. Sandberg touts female hard-headedness, yet also calls for an elaborate government- and employer-supplied support system for women. […]
Are American Voters Racist?
Racial prejudice plays a very small role in American politics, but a highly disciplined sense of self-interest on the part of one group may play a very large role in the way the federal government functions. […]
The Perpetual Passion for Paper
Paper is becoming less important in some respects, but its strengths — prestige, utility, permanence, and security — are more essential than ever. […]
Could California Make a Comeback?
An unexpected glimmer of hope might cast a new light on the Golden State. […]