Media clips
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The Left-leaning Economic Policy Institute (EPI) last week fired back that the true loss would be about 97 percent less, only 5,000 jobs. The union-backed policy organization argued that The Trade Partnership reached “hyperbolic” conclusions by using a nonstandard model that vastly overstates the impact of tariffs. “The question is how the economy is going to respond to higher prices for steel and aluminum,” said Robert Scott, who wrote the EPI study. “They’ve made the most extreme assumptions possible.” Scott, EPI’s director of trade and manufacturing policy research, told LifeZette that The Trade Partnership study abandons the traditional assumption of full employment generally used in trade research. That has the effect of exaggerating the jobs losses triggered by higher prices for steel and aluminum that tariffs cause. (Rob quoted throughout)
Lifezette March 26, 2018 -
If anything, the consequences of failing to complete college seem to be increasing, as the economy becomes ever more technologically advanced. Since 2000, the average inflation-adjusted wage of workers with some college credit but no degree has actually fallen, by 2 percent, according to a recent report by the Economic Policy Institute. The average wage of college graduates is up 6 percent.
The New York Times March 26, 2018 -
The left-leaning Economic Policy Institute disagreed, saying that many employers take a portion of tips even in places where it’s forbidden, and would do so even more often if it were legal. In a recent report, it estimated that servers would lose some $5.8 billion in tips annually to their employers.
CNN Money March 26, 2018 -
But there are big caveats to Acemoglu and Restrepo’s paper. The kind of robots they look at constitute only a small fraction of the automation technologies being deployed across the world today. Economists from the Economic Policy Institute looked closely at Acemoglu and Restrepo’s results and found that investment in computers is associated with job gains rather than losses.
Bloomberg View March 26, 2018 -
Politics and putdowns aside, the economic question — what’s going to work best? — matters most. The unions argue — in their own report and a union-backed study released Thursday by the Washington, DC-based Economic Policy Institute — that pro-labor policies help the whole state’s economy. The richest and most successful states, they argue, including New York, California and Massachusetts, are typically those that have strong collective bargaining traditions. For example, the idea of allowing arbitrators to choose compromise pay and benefits awards, advanced by the commission, encourages labor and management to hold extreme positions. The unions say Connecticut’s lack of growth comes despite a 20 percent gain in income since 2007, and we’re not properly taxing that income. They show research claiming it’s a myth that rich families leave because of high taxes.
Stamford Advocate March 26, 2018 -
This week in the war on workers: California laws protect undocumented workers from abuse by the boss
Undocumented immigrant workers are some of the most vulnerable in the U.S., with employers all too often targeting them for abuse, paying them less than the law requires, and basically using ICE to put down worker organizing efforts. But California, which has the highest proportion of undocumented immigrant workers of any state, is leading the way in protecting them and penalizing abusive employers, the Economic Policy Institute’s Daniel Costa reports. Seven laws enacted since 2013 send a message to employers: the law still applies. You don’t get to break labor laws just because your workers are undocumented. (whole story)
Daily Kos March 26, 2018 -
Alameda County is one of the priciest places to live in the nation, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The organization recently released its 2018 family budget calculator that estimates how costly it is to live in each of America’s 3,142 counties and 611 metro areas. The group estimates a family of two adults and two children in Alameda County would need to earn a combined $121,922 per year — or $10,160 a month — to live comfortably. (whole story)
Alameda patch March 26, 2018 -
How much do you have to earn to live comfortably in the Philadelphia suburbs?
The Economic Policy Institute recently released its 2018 family budget calculator that estimates how costly it is to live in each of America’s 3,142 counties and 611 metro areas.
In the five Pennsylvania counties that make up the Philadelphia region, the most expensive is Chester County, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The group estimates a family of two adults and two children in Chester County would need to earn a combined $104,775 per year — or $8,731 a month — to live comfortably. (whole story)
Bensalem Patch March 26, 2018 -
Kent County is the second cheapest place to live in Rhode Island, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The organization recently released its 2018 family budget calculator that estimates how costly it is to live in each of America’s 3,142 counties and 611 metro areas. Newport County was the most expensive followed by Bristol, the Westerly area (including Hopkinton and Block Island); and Washington County. Kent County was next followed by Providence.
The group estimates a family of two adults and two children in Coventry would need to earn a combined $83,061 per year — or $6,922 a month — to live comfortably. Here’s how the group breaks down that number: (whole story)
Coventry Patch March 26, 2018 -
Providence County is the cheapest place to live in Rhode Island, according to the Economic Policy Institute. The organization recently released its 2018 family budget calculator that estimates how costly it is to live in each of America’s 3,142 counties and 611 metro areas. Newport County was the most expensive followed by Bristol; the Westerly area (including Hopkinton and Block Island); and Washington County.
The group estimates a family of two adults and two children in Cranston would need to earn a combined $77,839 per year — or $6,487 a month — to live comfortably. Here’s how the group breaks down that number: (whole story)
Cranston Patch March 26, 2018