Seth Ackerman has a fantastic piece (a primer if you will) in the latest Jacobin. At the heart of the piece is an explanation of the economic calculation problem, and the challenge it poses to the realization of socialism. For those interested in this sort of thing, the discussion is pretty standard, but still worth… Continue reading Socialize finance!
Author: Matt Bruenig
The misleading world of student debt and college cost statistics
As a frequent writer on student debt and college cost issues, I have become acquainted with a standard set of misleading and useless statistics. Here is a handy guide to the most frequently used. $1 Trillion Student Debt In spring of last year, the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau estimated that US borrowers collectively held $1… Continue reading The misleading world of student debt and college cost statistics
Chris Maisano on student debt
I am reading through the latest Jacobin release right now. In it, Chris Maisano has a piece on student debt titled “The Soul of Student Debt.” The basic gist of the piece is that charging for college forces students to make economic calculations about their degree and future career. That is, students have to pick… Continue reading Chris Maisano on student debt
The rich-poor education gap in the NY Times
The New York Times had a long Sunday piece on the rising rich-poor gap in higher education. The separate infographic lays out the basic story well: all classes are attending and graduating college at higher rates, but the rich are leaping far ahead. The latest data show that only 29 percent of poor kids enroll… Continue reading The rich-poor education gap in the NY Times
My top five posts in 2012
What follows is a list of my top five posts from 2012, as measured by pageviews. Popular posts are not necessarily the best posts, but I think most of these are pretty good on the merits as well. The hidden gem in Romney’s disaster speech Piracy really costs the economy nothing The strange and scary… Continue reading My top five posts in 2012