… It is a downbeat reality for a region that for much of the second half of the 20th century was actually closing its gap with the rest of the country, helped by the federal war on poverty and the end of legalized segregation. But during the past 15 years […] Read more »
Whose Party Is It Anyway?
… The conflict between a pro-free-trade presidential wing of the Democratic Party and an anti-free-trade congressional wing has the potential to become a permanent fixture of the center-left. The conflict gives expression to both the downscale forces in the party that lean against trade and the pro-trade upscale forces. At […] Read more »
Economic Confidence Index Holds at Seven-Month Low
Gallup’s U.S. Economic Confidence Index was essentially steady in June, averaging -8 for the month. This is statistically tied with May’s -7 score, keeping the index at its lowest monthly reading since November. CONT. Justin McCarthy, Gallup Read more »
Government isn’t a business
“Running government like a business” is a mantra for many politicians, particularly Republicans. Two GOP governors who are trying to become president, Ohio’s John Kasich and Wisconsin’s Scott Walker, made that appeal explicit as they transformed their state economic development agencies into “private” entities. The results suggest they know precious […] Read more »
In wake of stronger growth, more Americans and Europeans say U.S. is top economic power
For the first time in six years, more people in America say that the U.S. – not China – is the world’s leading economic power, according to a new Pew Research Center survey. Furthermore, Europeans, who had favored China as the leading economy in the past few years, increasingly view […] Read more »
Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index Increases Again
The Conference Board Consumer Confidence Index®, which had improved moderately in May, increased further in June. The Index now stands at 101.4 (1985=100), up from 94.6 in May. CONT. Conference Board Read more »