Dear Dr. Dollar: Is Economic Growth Environmentally Sustainable?
I keep hearing progressive economists talking about environmental sustainability, in particular in the context of the looming catastrophe of global
Dear Dr. Dollar: What Is U.S. Workers' Share of National Income?
How well do U.S workers fare in relation to workers in other countries when you compare workers' shares of national income? --Martin Voelker, Golden, Colo.
Dear Dr. Dollar: Will Artificial Intelligence Mean Massive Job Loss?
What's the story with artificial intelligence and jobs? Will the application of robotics to production really lead to massive unemployment? --Anonymous, via email
Dear Dr. Dollar: Are We Stuck in a Period of Economic Stagnation?
Is it really true (or likely) that the U.S. and world economies are entering an extended period of slow economic growth--that is, stagnation? --Aaron Shields, Maplewood, N.J.
Dear Dr. Dollar: Do Trade Agreements Foreclose Progressive Policy?
Doesn’t the increasing liberalization of U.S. international economic policies foreclose the possibilities for progressive policies in this country? Don’t these policies undercut the effectiveness of fiscal policy efforts to stimulate employment and output? And don’t they virtually rule out many prog
Dear Dr. Dollar: Puerto Rico’s Colonial Economy
It seems like Puerto Rico's economic and financial mess came out of nowhere. Until recently, there wasn't much about Puerto Rico in the press, but what there was seemed to portray things as fine, with a generous amount of funds going to the island from Washington. Sometimes, Puerto Rico was held up
Dear Dr. Dollar: A Case for Public Ownership
Dear Dr. Dollar: Would the U.S. economy work better if some industries were nationalized? Banks? Other industries? Which ones and why? —Richard Hobbs, San Jose, Calif.
Dear Dr. Dollar: Inequality in the World
I had thought that neoliberal globalization was making the world more unequal. But recently I have seen claims that the distribution of income in the world has become more equal. Is this true? —Evan Swinerton, Brookline, Mass.
Dear Dr. Dollar: Crony Capitalism, or Plain-Old Capitalism?
Congressional Republicans and the Heritage Foundation are making a big deal about the Export-Import Bank, calling it “crony capitalism.” Are they right? Does the Ex-Im Bank serve a useful purpose, or is it just propping up the profits of trans-national corporations? —Arnie Alpert, Canterbury, N.H.
Dear Dr. Dollar: The Minimum Wage and Inflation
Dear Dr. Dollar: Would an increase of the minimum wage be inflationary? Would more inflation than we have now be a good or bad thing? —Alex Searles, Boston, Mass.
Dear Dr. Dollar: Why the Shift from Production to Speculation?
Why has our economy switched so greatly away from manufacturing that produces real goods and services that provide real value and towards speculative, financial activity--everything from mergers and acquisitions to derivatives, off-shore tax shelters, and other scams? --Glen W. Spielbauer, Dallas,