So apparently Rahm Emanuel is suing to enjoin the Chicago Teachers Union strike. The court injunction is a long-standing enemy of organized labor; so who knows what will actually come of it. Dylan Matthews took a stab at figuring out whether Rahm had a case. Matthews quotes from the IL state statute governing educational employees:… Continue reading Another serious problem with Rahm’s lawsuit
Author: Matt Bruenig
Causation and the Chicago Teachers Strike
The Chicago Teachers are striking for various reasons. I support them, and hope they win. It occurred to me — once again — that confusions about causation have muddied the debate here. And since I now apparently write about theories of causation often, why not do it again here. The effect that we are trying… Continue reading Causation and the Chicago Teachers Strike
State of Working America 2012 edition is out
One of the greatest things the Economic Policy Institute does is publish an annual State of Working America. It aggregates and beautifully presents almost all of the statistical indicators that someone interested in inequality, poverty, labor, and other similar subjects needs. Well, the 2012 edition is out and things look terrible, as expected. I might… Continue reading State of Working America 2012 edition is out
Think about the poverty cycle really hard
Anyone with even a passing interest in discussions of poverty has heard of the poverty cycle. The poverty cycle explains why poor kids wind up poor as adults by demonstrating that the conditions that correspond with growing up poor set the stage for future poverty. In what seems to be its most popular form, the… Continue reading Think about the poverty cycle really hard
Ridiculously high doctor compensation levels in the US
Healthcare costs in the US are really high relative to other countries. In 2008, the US spent over $7,500 per person on health care, nearly twice the amount of a group of similar OECD countries. As a result, the US spends 16% of its GDP on healthcare, more than 5 points higher than any other… Continue reading Ridiculously high doctor compensation levels in the US