The intersection of markets and politics: fiscal policy, tax structure, regulatory economics, campaign finance, inequality, monetary policy, and the strategic behavior of economic actors in political environments.
In this post, Larry Bartels provocatively claims that Rich People Rule! In a nutshell, Bartels argues (correctly) that more and more political scientists are producing multiple and smart independent analyses of the determinants of public policy, one of which, by Kalla and Broockman, I have already opined on (“Donation Discrimination Denotes Deliverance of Democracy“). Bartel’s motivation … Read more
A recent paper by Joshua Kalla & David Broockman has attracted some attention (for example, in this Washington Post story, Monkey Cage post, and this excellent, reflective post on Mischiefs of Faction by Jennifer Victor). In a nutshell, the paper reports the results of a well-designed field experiment that provides evidence that donations to a Member of Congress “open doors” in the … Read more
The debt ceiling drama is inexorably drawing to its next installment, and the question remains: when and, more importantly, how will a deal get done? To keep matters simple, President Obama and Congressional Democrats have stood by the long-standing pledge to not negotiate on the debt ceiling, but some Congressional Republicans have been pushing for … Read more
This Op-Ed in Forbes, “Almost Everything You Have Been Told About The Minimum Wage Is False,” by Jeffrey Dorfman, argues that increasing the federal minimum wage (1) would not affect as many people as you might think and (2) would not help the working poor as much as (say) teenagers. The first half of Dorfman’s Op-Ed … Read more
I have been thinking a lot lately about this very interesting post by Kristina Lerman. The post is excellent: succinct and well-written, data-centric, and relevant beyond the data’s idiosyncratic qualities. In a nutshell, Lerman’s central question is whether the rate of information production is outstripping the rate at which we (choose to or can) consume and … Read more
To all you single guys out there, it’s not how you start the date, it’s how you finish it, sir. A lot of people can, you know, start the date with flowers and candy, but if you don’t finish the date – you know what I mean? — Shaquille O’Neal Budget negotiations are kind of like … Read more
Of course, the fiscal cliff is attracting a lot of attention (including by me). This is understandable, as it has been built up for two years, follows directly from the current partisan-cum-policy wrangling of the Democrats and GOP, and — most importantly — stars Barry O. and Johnny B. in a wacky “odd couple-meets-buddy film” … Read more
There has been a resurgence of interest in the question of which groups may or may not explicitly support and endorse candidates for election. In particular, some church groups have begun to provide explicit endorsements of specific political candidates, and a lawsuit was recently filed seeking to force the IRS to enforce the requirement that these … Read more
With the 2012 election firmly in the rearview mirror, the discussion has turned to the impending fiscal cliff. In a nutshell, the looming budget cuts (sequestrations) and tax increases are the result of the 2011 budget deal that increased the debt ceiling and staved off the need for further budget wrangling between the GOP and Democrats … Read more
Somewhere in the midst of this year’s elections, there is a debate about the structure of the federal government’s tax system. A common complaint about the system (and, increasingly, the Affordable Care Act) is dubbed “double taxation.” In this post, I describe the complaint and note its nonsensical nature. In a nutshell (and framed in … Read more