It's the beginning of fall semester at CSB|SJU, so it's time for a new season of Econ in English. We'll start with a topic we worked on last spring: income inequality and its consequences among families at CSB/SJU. … [Read more...]
What the heck does the election mean for the economy?
UPDATE: MPR News broadcast of this event is available here. Join the McCarthy Center the day after the election for the latest installment of our Econ in English series! Professor Louis Johnston explains complex economic topics in plain English and separates the sense from the nonsense in economic policy. In this session, Professor Johnston and Liz Fedor will focus on the November 8 election and what it this means for the economy. … [Read more...]
Why the heck is healthcare so expensive?
Yesterday we had our first Econ in English event of the term. Seventy-five people attended, and we had a good discussion about healthcare spending and the economics of health care in the US and abroad. Here are the slides I prepared to structure the discussion. Update, 10/9/2016: here is a video of the event. … [Read more...]
What next? Economic implications of Brexit
BRITAIN STUNS WORLD WITH VOTE TO LEAVE E.U. is the headline on the New York Times homepage. Stock markets plunged, the values of the pound sterling and of the euro relative to the dollar fell sharply, and Prime Minister David Cameron announced he would resign by October. So, where do we go from here? I'll discuss this question with Roshini Rajkumar on WCCO Radio this Sunday at 12:35 CDT. For now, three items bear watching in the coming days and weeks. Article 50 You’ll hear this … [Read more...]
Inflation! Debasement! May Edition
Check out the inflation update originally posted here. Image: Hyperinflation-era German currency Source: Flikr Creative Commons Welcome back to the monthly inflation! debasement! update. We’re keeping track of that nefarious phenomenon of which Speaker of the House Paul Ryan warned that, no matter what the data tell us, accelerating inflation and a depreciating currency are just around the corner. Here are the latest data through May 2016: Inflation: same as in April and March. … [Read more...]