Over at Equitable Growth: I had thought we were well-past the interwar watershed in economic policy. The interwar watershed had three parts: * The winning of the franchise by the working class. * The portfolio rebalancing of the non-entrepreneurial wealthy. * And the recognition that the gold standard was not unbreakable. The last of these … Continue reading »
economic history
Modern great books: David S. Landes’s “The Unbound Prometheus” and nineteen others…
The most important economic historian ever to teach at U.C. Berkeley died last month: my old teacher David S. Landes taught at Berkeley starting in 1958 until Harvard lured him away until 1964. From a student’s perspective, he was ideal: he knew more than you did, was eager to share, could and did make everything … Continue reading »
Economic equality, 1774 and beyond
Economic historians studying early America remind one of archaeologists studying prehistoric civilizations. Instead of piecing together pot shards and bone splinters to help imagine cultural practices many millenia ago, the historians piece together fragments of tax records, tattered business ledgers, town regulations, and a few partial censuses (and sometimes pot shards and bones, as well) … Continue reading »
More services means longer recoveries
By Martha L. Olney and Aaron Pacitti Recovery from recessions takes longer than it has in the past. The current crisis aside, this change has not happened because recessions themselves are longer. Nor has it occurred because recessions are deeper than in the past. Instead this change is the result of slower economic growth following … Continue reading »