Economic Studies

How much will automation impact the middle class? We don’t know yet

How much will automation impact the middle class?

Marcus Casey and Sarah Nzau

Thursday, July 18, 2019

Apartment buildings are shown in downtown Los Angeles, California, U.S. October 2, 2018. REUTERS/Mike Blake - RC1DE752AF80

Tackling zoning to help the middle class: 5 policy approaches

Tiffany N. Ford and Jenny Schuetz

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

People walk on the esplanade of La Defense, in the financial and business district, west of Paris, France, October 6, 2017. REUTERS/Charles Platiau - RC1B9BB86D30

Class Notes: Universal family care, minimum wage analysis, and more

Sarah Nzau and Richard V. Reeves

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas (R) is shown at sunset in Las Vegas, Nevada December 14, 2010.

Making a Middle Class: Colleges and cities in the Mountain West

Richard V. Reeves and Katherine Guyot

Wednesday, July 17, 2019

Dollars with stethoscope on them. Costs for the medical insurance. Blue toned

Rep. Ruiz’s arbitration proposal for surprise billing (H.R. 3502) would lead to much higher costs and deficits

Loren Adler, Erin Duffy, Paul B. Ginsburg, Mark Hall, Erin Trish, and Christen Linke Young

Tuesday, July 16, 2019

The Hudson Yards development on Manhattan's West side, which will have more than 18 million square feet of commercial and residential space and 14 acres of public parks and gardens including "The Vessel" (C) is seen New York City, New York, U.S., March 12, 2019. REUTERS/Mike Segar - RC1DF81C4870

For all but the lowest-rated state and local governments, buying bond insurance is a bad deal

Sage Belz and David Wessel

Monday, July 15, 2019

How bad is the state and local pension crisis really?

Finn Schüle and Louise Sheiner

Monday, July 15, 2019

California state worker Albert Jagow (L) goes over his retirement options with Calpers Retirement Program Specialist JeanAnn Kirkpatrick at the Calpers regional office in Sacramento, California October 21, 2009. Calpers, the largest U.S. public pension fund, manages retirement benefits for more than 1.6 million people, with assets comparable in value to the entire GDP of Israel. The Calpers investment portfolio had a historic drop in value, going from a peak of $250 billion in the fall of 2007 to $167 billion in March 2009, a loss of about a third during that period. It is now around $200 billion. REUTERS/Max Whittaker (UNITED STATES) - WASE5AM11ZS01

Are state and local pension funds really in crisis?

Monday, July 15, 2019

A tanning salon sits vacant, out of business and for sale in Shamokin May 1, 2014. Shamokin, Pennsylvania, tucked away in the coal country about 120 miles northwest of Philadelphia, has $800,000 of unpaid bills and can't get a loan from a bank. It is so broke, the gas service to city hall was temporarily cut off last month. So the council for the city of 7,000 residents has agreed to seek entry to a state financial oversight program dating from 1987 that facilitates access to credit and permits the levying of certain taxes. Picture taken May 1, 2014. To match Story USA-PENNSYLVANIA/MUNICIPALS REUTERS/Mark Makela (UNITED STATES - Tags: BUSINESS POLITICS SOCIETY) - GM1EA5217EX01

Muni bond defaults more common than rating agency tallies suggest

Michael Ng and David Wessel

Monday, July 15, 2019

People walk past a closed store in San Juan, Puerto Rico, July 31, 2015. Puerto Rico will miss a payment on debt due August 1, the governor's chief of staff said on Friday, an event that will be considered a default by investors as the commonwealth lurches towards what could be one of the largest U.S. municipal debt restructurings in history. The island faces a number of debt payments that day but had signaled in recent weeks that it may miss the $58 million payment on Public Finance Corporation (PFC) bonds. REUTERS/Alvin Baez - GF20000010455

How Puerto Rico’s default lowered states’ borrowing costs

Jeffrey Cheng and David Wessel

Monday, July 15, 2019