Category Archives: Higher Education

College Student Loan Debt: A Tale of Two Time Periods

THE Brookings Institute released a study earlier this week arguing that “the impact of student loans may not be as dire as many commentators fear.”  The authors of the study arrive at this conclusion by examining data from the Federal Reserve tracking student loan debt between 1989 and 2010.  Their key findings include: Roughly one-quarter […]

The Maine Brain Gain?

THERE’S been a substantial amount of discussion about the ‘need’ to increase the number of college graduates in Maine to close the purported skills gap and boost Maine’s economy.  In short, the lack of skilled and educated labor in the state is restraining the state’s economy as job opportunities remain unfilled.  One might conclude from […]

Education as Economic Policy

ELIOT Cutler rolled out his plan to increase funding and overhaul the state’s education system as a means to promote economic growth.  As reported by the PPH: “States that are doing well economically are almost always the states that consistently have made investments in education, from early childhood through elementary and high school, to post […]

The Portland Press Herald Tilts at Economic Windmills

AS I previously wrote, there is a belief in this state that the key to unlocking Maine’s economic potential is to increase the number of college graduates.  However, those who espouse that view often fail to elaborate on the nuances of that plan; specifically, how increased college grads will boost economic growth.  Moreover, there is […]

The Maine Labor Market, Say’s Law, and the Lump of Labor Fallacy Fallacy

JOHN Buell’s op-ed published in the BDN last week highlighted the effectiveness of work sharing in Germany to suppress unemployment amid slow economic growth.  Likewise, as Paul Krugman recently noted, France has also been able to buoy it’s labor market, but does not note that the country has done this through similar practices as the Germans. The reason […]

Friday Chart(s): The Driver of the College Wage Premium

IT is pretty much expected that soon to be graduating high school seniors will be on their way to college in the fall.  Most suggest that this is the desired path to higher incomes and more desirable jobs than their non-degree holder counterparts.  The gap in pay between those with a degree and those without […]