EconoFact Chats

In his 2012 book, 'A Capitalism for the People,' Luigi Zingales notes the deep economic problems that arise when people are rewarded for who you know, or even, who you pay off, rather than what you know, or your ability to produce and sell better goods and services. What are the broader consequences of this type of corruption that distorts outcomes like who gets a job, what is purchased, and what...

The United States is an outlier in health insurance coverage. Almost all other high-income countries have near-universal coverage, while almost 10% of the non-elderly US population is uninsured. How did this come to be? And what can policymakers do to improve access to health insurance? Mark Shepard joins EconoFact Chats to discuss these questions. Mark is an associate professor at Harvard Kennedy...

Since the release of ChatGPT in November 2022, improvements in large language models have continued at an impressive clip, driving a surge of investment in new models, developing new products based on them, and in constructing data centres and other infrastructure needed to run AI models. What will the economic landscape look like as artificial intelligence becomes more pervasive? What are the pro...

Football and basketball teams at Division I universities generate billions in revenue. But the student-athletes themselves do not receive salaries. Should they? Most have scholarships for their tuitions, but to what degree are they students, as well as athletes? And how does the money raised through these big-ticket sports support other, less high-profile sports, and the academic mission of these...

High intensity flooding events, storms, wildfires, and droughts are becoming more frequent in many parts of the world. Are there measures that can help mitigate the number and severity of these events? What adaptations could make fires, storms, and floods less destructive? And is there a greater role for the government and the private sector when it comes to catastrophic risk insurance? Galina Hal...

Much like national economies, countries that economically interact with each other need rules to help ensure markets work well, and that economic outcomes accord with some understanding of fairness and equity. While such rules can constrain what a country does, for much of the post-war era, nations have recognized the benefits of international cooperation and the importance of a stable set of rule...

The basic principles of economics are not only worthwhile reading for students, but for the wider public, and perhaps especially, for those involved in policy. Greg Mankiw, the author of best-selling textbooks for Macroeconomics and Principles of Economics joins EconoFact Chats to highlight how a wider understanding of economic principles such as trade-offs, opportunity costs, how people respond t...

Immigration promises to be a key issue in the U.S. Presidential elections. Candidates from both parties favor limits but differ on the extent of restrictions. Immigration is important for a vibrant economy in a country with a low rate of native population growth. What role has immigration played in U.S. economic and demographic growth in recent decades? What has been the impact, if any, on employm...

Both presidential candidates have supported tariffs, albeit at very different levels. Can tariffs bring back manufacturing jobs, reduce the trade deficit, and provide substantial revenues? Responding to a recent article in The Atlantic, Maurice Obstfeld and Kim Clausing highlight that steep, across the board tariffs, like those candidate Trump proposes, will prove costly to US consumers and produc...

A center-right economic policy agenda has traditionally meant a focus on lower marginal tax rates, fiscal prudence, an openness to immigration, free trade and globalization. In recent years however, there has been significant change in the Republican Party's stance on some of these issues -- especially trade and immigration. Michael Strain of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) joins EconoFact...

President-elect Trump's campaign promises included imposing broad tariffs to bolster U.S. manufacturing jobs, pursuing mass deportations to free jobs for U.S. citizens and ease the housing crunch, and assuming a greater role in setting monetary policy. How likely is it that these policies will be enacted and, if so, what would be their possible consequences? Binyamin Appelbaum of The New York Time...

Home insurance has traditionally protected people from catastrophic losses of what is, for many, their most valuable asset. But climate change has contributed to the increasing frequency and severity of destructive weather events and wildfires. Widespread losses stress the solvency of insurance markets while higher premiums contribute to lower rates of coverage. The challenges facing home insuranc...

The share of Americans working a full day from home rose from 7% in 2019 to 60% in the immediate wake of COVID in 2020. This share has now fallen to 25%, still well above its pre-COVID rate. What have the last four years revealed about the effects of working from home on productivity? Are employers right in worrying about shirking? What do employees like, and dislike, about remote work? Do they no...

Does the outcome of the 2024 election suggest a realignment of traditional voting patterns? Early data points to continuity along some dimensions, such as an expected anti-incumbency vote against Democrats. But there were also notable shifts among certain groups. For example, young people, who had largely tilted towards Democrats in recent election cycles, swung by more than 20 points towards Repu...

Japan's economy was seen as something of a juggernaut in the post World War II era, with growth averaging about 10% during the 1950s and 60s. Yet, in subsequent decades, with a stock market crash, and the bursting of a real estate bubble, Japan entered a period of stagnation and deflation, from which it is only now emerging. What drove Japan's rapid post-war growth? Why did growth stall, and rever...

Mark Zandi, Chief Economist at Moody’s Analytics, points out that the American economy is currently the envy of the world. The outcome of the Presidential election could change the course of the economy since the two candidates have put forward very different policies. One key difference is the size and scope of tariffs. High and broad-based tariffs would raise prices which would have knock-on eff...

Immigration policy has been called “the third rail” of American politics, with intense feelings on both sides of the issue. In this charged environment, it is important to know the facts about immigration, especially as they relate to economic outcomes. The Analysis Group, Inc., an international economic consulting firm headquartered in Boston, published an extensive study of the economic impact o...

Drug overdose deaths in the U.S. fell by 12.7% between May 2023 and 2024. As the Office of National Drug Control Policy notes, this marks the largest recorded reduction in overdose deaths. It also marks six consecutive months of reported decreases. What has driven the recent declines? Which policies and interventions have proven particularly effective? And what work still needs to be done where ov...

The economy often figures as a major topic of debate in the lead-up to elections. This election cycle is no exception. While both Presidential candidates have frequently discussed recent economic developments including inflation, trade, tariffs, infrastructure spending, and industrial policy, what economic policies are they likely to try implement if elected? And what impact could those policies h...

The 2017 Tax Cut and Jobs Act was among the most sweeping realignments of the U.S. tax code in over three decades. It lowered tax rates, simplified taxes, raised the government debt, and was regressive, benefitting people who are well off more than the middle-class and the poor. But many of the Act's provisions are set to expire at the end of 2025 unless action is taken to preserve them. What woul...

Economies have been subjected to profound disruptions from technological change in the past -- from the adoption of weaving machines in the 19th century, to the mechanization of agriculture, and the use of robotics in manufacturing. Yet, these disruptions very often led to a broad increase in societal wealth, and the creation of entirely new occupations. Will generative AI both disrupt and benefit...

Charitable giving in the United States as a percentage of national income, about 2%, is significantly higher than the comparable percentage in other rich countries. How do people decide which causes to support? One approach is “effective altruism” which focuses on what’s important (primarily saving lives, no matter where), what’s effective but neglected (saving lives in extremely poor countries),...

The United States bills itself as a land of opportunity; where economic and social advancement depend on abilities, skills, and drive, rather than the circumstances into which one is born. But is this characterization accurate? How does the U.S. compare to other countries in terms of socio-economic mobility across generations? And does the ability to change one's economic lot differ much by race,...

Middle-income jobs have been declining over the past decades, leaving behind a polarized workforce, with one group of people doing high-skilled, well remunerated work, and another growing set, that are in low-wage, relatively economically insecure positions, that don't have much of a career ladder. Automation, globalization, and the shrinking role of unions have all contributed to the hollowing ou...

How do people come to their views on issues like income inequality, tax policy, and immigration policy? What is the role of personal experience in forming these opinions?  Do people’s views change when they are confronted with new information that challenges their existing ideas? This week on EconoFact Chats, Stefanie Stantcheva explains how divergent social and political views can become entrench...