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Category Archives: Policy
Some Short Takes
Greece What would a posting be without some comments about Greece? Here are some quick ones. One of the interesting dynamics in Greece is the continued attachment of the Greek population to the Euro. All the polls show 60-70% majorities … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Finance, Policy
10 Comments
A Death Foretold
There is an old joke about economists and their allegedly unrealistic way of looking at the world. The punchline is the economist asking “that’s all good and well in practice, but will it work in theory?” As someone who looks … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Policy
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A European Argument with Lessons for America
I have stated before that the argument over immigration is in many ways a disguised debate about the welfare state. Further proof of this contention comes from Europe, where “welfare tourism” has become a major issue. “Welfare tourism” is the … Continue reading
Obamacare: Another Dubious Victory Lap
Jonathan Bernstein over at BloombergView has just published an article entitled “Obamacare Narrows the Deficit. Let’s Move On.” It can be found here. To put it mildly, the argument is far from the slam dunk that Bernstein imagines. Bernstein reports … Continue reading
Posted in Policy
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Headscarves and the First Amendment
Back in my youth, I thought I understood the First Amendment, at least as it related to religious freedom. It meant that jackbooted police officers could not burst in on peaceable worshippers and start arresting them. It also meant, as … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Policy, Politics
7 Comments
The Ghost of Dubya
Over the last week or so, we have seen why I hope the Republicans do not nominate Jeb Bush as the party’s presidential candidate. Not because he is a bad guy, not because he has bad policies, and not because … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Finance, Policy, Politics
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Central Bankers: Finally Getting the Joke?
There are some nascent signs that the world’s central bankers are finally beginning to understand – or at least publicly acknowledge – that their policies are, for the third time already in this new century, creating asset bubbles that have … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, General Culture, Policy, Politics
4 Comments
Pensions and Other Things
(I have to issue a geek alert at the beginning of this post. Many of the topics discussed below – pension accounting, Chinese demographics and UK electoral mathematics – have, shall we say, limited general appeal. If you are squeamish … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Finance, Policy, Politics
6 Comments
Latest Roundup
“Finish the Job” I recently attended a real estate conference in Barcelona. As is often the case, the conference included a presentation by a politician, in this case Lord George Robertson, a Labour Party politician from Scotland and a former … Continue reading
Posted in Economics, Policy
8 Comments
Après Ski (Part 3)
This is the last of my “catch up” postings. After this, I will try to make things more timely. Islamic State It appears that the tide is turning against Islamic State (IS). Even the editors of the Economist –whom I … Continue reading
Posted in Policy, Politics
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