maandag 6 juli 2009

Work till you drop


Retirement has got out of hand. Read the complete article in The Economist here.

Scrimp and save

Pensions will have to become far less generous

Read the complete article in The Economist here.

The cost of medical innovation

Many healthcare policymakers and analysts are focused on controlling rising medical costs. Is attacking high-cost, low-benefit medical innovation a solution? This column estimates that medical innovation – the use of advanced diagnostic imaging, newer drugs, and higher-ranked physicians – significantly increases life expectancy without raising medical expenditures per capita. Read the column here.

Why we shouldn’t subsidise clean-energy technologies

Nearly all economists agree that the most efficient way to address environmental problems is to raise the cost of the pollution-generating activity, but US policies subsidise clean-energy alternatives instead. This column criticizes that approach – subsidies lower the cost of energy, play favourites with technologies, are often inframarginal, and frequently interact in unexpected ways with other policies. Read the complete article here.

How bad are bubbles for welfare?

Read this Columbia University article here.

Unemployment update with and without the recovery plan

Read Greg Mankiw's article here.