Harvard’s Sendhil Mullainathan is one of a small number of economists who has delved into the world of machine learning, the subfield of computer science concerned with using algorithms to learn from data. His research, along with the work of Stanford’s Susan Athey, suggests that while machine learning may not revolutionize economics, it will greatly … Continue reading
Forget about equations and forecasts. Powerful economic concepts have given rise to companies and transformed industries. Ignore economists at your peril. As business leaders seek to stay ahead of the curve, they should ensure that somewhere in their range of view are the ideas of economists. Not forecasts or models or the dry parade of … Continue reading
The IGM Forum, which is run by the University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business, polled top economists on the minimum wage. The first question they asked was whether raising the minimum wage could make it harder for some low-wage workers to find jobs. The second question was whether they thought increasing the minimum wage … Continue reading
Most economists surveyed by USA TODAY have little faith a divided Congress will adequately address looming tax increases and spending cuts, significantly hampering economic growth well into 2013… via Economists see budget impasse blocking growth – USATODAY.com. Related articles IMF – Global Economic Outlook More Worrisome Neither Obama nor Romney Will Jump Start Jobs Growth … Continue reading
A substantial number of the 2,500 economists working at Statistics Canada could end up with notices that their jobs are affected by the Conservative government’s budget cuts, forcing them to compete with each other for their jobs, says the union representing them.
Academic economists played a big role in causing the crisis. Their models were overly simplified, distorted, and left out the most important aspects. Those faulty models then encouraged policy-makers to believe that the markets would solve all the problems. Before the crisis, if I had been a narrow-minded economist, I would have been very pleased … Continue reading
Welcome to life in a suboptimal currency area. After all, countries that share a currency also share monetary policy. If they don’t share fiscal policy too — that is, there is no centralized treasury — they can get into trouble. Just ask Europe. But as Christian Odendahl at The Economist points out, this also means that … Continue reading
The Conservative government could tip Canada into a recession if it reduces federal spending by up to $8 billion, says an analysis by the union representing government economists and social scientists. Claude Poirier, president of the Canadian Association of Professional Employees, said that if the Conservatives press ahead with spending reductions of $8 billion by … Continue reading
According to The Economist, “the academic achievements of (german) schoolchildren, measured in international tests, look only mediocre… (And) the reading abilities of German 15-year-olds, according to the PISA studies published by the OECD, are below the average for rich countries. The question is then: “In a world where brainpower matters more and more, how does … Continue reading