Mike Norman Economics

I’m not saying all economists can’t answer these questions. I’m saying that collectively these are core parts of what the discipline of economics should be about and yet are topics dealt with by fringe groups whose key insights have not penetrated the textbooks or been shared widely across the discipline.... Fresh Economic ThinkingSeven questions economists can't answerCameron K. Murray

The cyberattack on Internet sites and blogs is on.The Vineyard of the SakerEmergency Warning From The Saker The SakerSee alsoWSWSBehind the Facebook data scandal: The drive to censor the Internet Andre Damon

“It’s a strategy of building a wall separating Russia and the European Union. I know from my own experience of work in the European Parliament that the European Union is conducting a real Cold War against Russia,” Le Pen said.... Russia FeedMarine Le Pen: I know the EU is waging a Cold War against Russia – Here’s Why Matfey Shaheen

Amid a recent upsurge in support for a national job guarantee program, L. Randall Wray, Stephanie A. Kelton, Pavlina R. Tcherneva, Scott Fullwiler, and Flavia Dantas outline a new proposal for a federally funded program with decentralized administration. Their Public Service Employment (PSE) program would offer a job—paying a uniform living wage with a basic benefits package—to all who are ready and willing to work. In advance of an upcoming report detailing the economic impact of the PSE,...

I found Populism: A Very Short Introduction by Cas Mudde and Cristobal Rovira Kaltwasser to be very useful and conceptually clear, a worthy addition to Oxford’s charming Very Short Introductions series.The real contribution of the book is that it provides a definition of populism that is both conceptually clear and empirically useful–no mean feat. Here it is: We define populism as a thin-centered ideology that considers society to be ultimately separated into two homogeneous and...

I just had occasion, in replying to a correspondent, to reiterate much of the thinking in my recent MMT Conference presentation. I thought it might be a useful and apprehensible form for some readers, so I’m reproducing it here. I’ve also explained this at somewhat painful length here. AsymptosisMMT and the Wealth of Nations, RevisitedSteve Roth

'This is a brilliant move straight out of The Art of The Deal – Bolton will scare [North Korea] to death'. I guess that's one way to think about it. But it is also scaring the world to death, including many Americans. The presumption of these folks is that if and when Kim and Trump meet, The Donald will give Rocket Man an ultimatum to disarm or North Korea will be reduced to ash. In other words, a deal you can't refuse, Mafia-style.Asia TimesBolton appointment lets Trump negotiate from...

Satire for weekend reading. CounterpunchThen They Came for the Globalists C. J. Hopkins, award-winning American playwright, novelist and satirist based in Berlin

Medicare for All is politically viable in 2018. That’s according to a new report from Alex Panagiotopoulos and Kingston Creative. The report is titled – Is Medicare for All Politically Viable? A Guide to 561 Congressional Candidates…. Lookin' good. JG getting play, too. Unfortunately, the Democratic Establishment that doles out funds to candidates is against it. Counterpunch Study Finds Single Payer Viable in 2018 Elections Russell Mokhiber | editor of the Corporate Crime Reporter.

Hence this month’s historical developments which have placed Russia and the West in a direct collision course. As I said above, the Empire can now either fold or double down. If it decides to fold, war will be averted and meaningful negotiations finally entered into. If it doubles down, something the Neocons always do, then this means war with Russia. This is a stark and very difficult choice (no, not for normal people, but for the psychopaths ruling the West). And there isn’t much Russia...