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
Author: Matt Bruenig
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
Why talking about the “cause” of poverty is incoherent
Contrary to popular belief, the concept of causation is actually extraordinarily tricky. Once we step out of hard physical sciences (and perhaps even then), attributing a cause to an effect becomes a very difficult matter. Here I go over some of the problems with showing causation and look specifically at the “cause” of poverty. The… Continue reading Why talking about the “cause” of poverty is incoherent