Teenage pregnancy is one of the few issues that most people are on the same page about. In the United States at least, there is almost a universal consensus it seems that teenage pregnancy is a negative thing, and should be discouraged. The reasons given for this view are diverse. Moralizers of various sorts —… Continue reading Teenage pregnancy and poverty
Author: Matt Bruenig
Political advertising reception and what it means for democracy
In the aftermath of Citizens United, outside political spending has become unleashed. This new political reality troubles many, especially those on the left. With no checks on outside political spending, those with the most money can spend an unlimited amount of money to influence elections. We’ve seen how ugly this can get with the recent… Continue reading Political advertising reception and what it means for democracy
On the so-called “rough economy”
I often hear people remark that the economy is really rough right now and seems like it will remain so into the foreseeable future. I know what they mean: unemployment is high, incomes are not rising, and structural shifts have destroyed the kinds of jobs many once relied upon. Although this is rough, there is… Continue reading On the so-called “rough economy”
A basic primer on Rawlsian and egalitarian distributive justice
By now, regular readers — and believe it or not there are some — have been treated to my occasional swipes at theories of procedural justice. Roughly speaking, proponents of procedural justice locate justice in the processes that an economy follows. As I have never seen a theory of procedural justice that was not impossible… Continue reading A basic primer on Rawlsian and egalitarian distributive justice
College wage premium exists even for low-skill jobs
Most known about the large wage premium that comes from college degrees for those who capture jobs that require such degrees. But what about those who do not capture those jobs, and wind up in jobs that do not require college degrees? Believe it or not, those graduates also wind up making quite a bit… Continue reading College wage premium exists even for low-skill jobs