Tag Archives: Brookings Institute

Is the economy in worse shape than the Obama defenders suggest? Um, yes.

YESTERDAY on Twitter, economist Justin Wolfers, whose wife is on President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, tweeted out the following: Bottom line: Demographics are driving labor force participation rate down. It’s here to stay. Get used to it. #BPEA pic.twitter.com/bGrtfvNfyw — Justin Wolfers (@JustinWolfers) September 12, 2014 That post was a follow up to a post […]

Skynet is not coming for our jobs

THE post-2008 economic recovery has been anemic by most measures, with job growth in particular making weak gains.  However, job growth in the U.S. has slowly declined over the past three decades, specifically since 2000 (the last year annual job growth in the U.S. hit 2%). Among the myriad of explanations for why job growth […]

Is there a Skills Gap in Maine?

AS noted previously, much has been made in Maine regarding twin structural problems in the state’s labor market and overall economy.  The first problem is that Maine’s shifting demographics are causing a labor shortage (or, some will argue, will within the next 6 years).  However, the concern over shifting demographics is a bit misplaced; at […]

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 […]