from David Ruccio Last month, Philip Alston, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights (whose important work I have written about before), issued a tweet about the new poverty and healthcare numbers in the United States along with a challenge to the administration of Donald Trump (which in June decided to voluntarily remove itself from membership in the United Nations Human Rights Council after Alston issued a report on his 2017 mission to the United...
Read More »Open thread October 23, 2018
Here it is! #EconomicsInTwoLessons
Economics in Two Lessons is now officially available for pre-order. Here’s the front cover. Not quite as striking as the one for Zombie Economics, but that would be hard to cap. Thanks to everyone who helped with comments and encouragement. Like this:Like Loading...
Read More »All-time most viewed RWER Blog posts
Title Views Summary of the Great Transformation by Polanyi 50,877 Citigroup attempts to disappear its Plutonomy Report #2 42,171 Reflections on the “Inside Job” 21,729 25 graphics showing upward redistribution of income and wealth in USA since 1979 21,190 Emerging vs. developed countries’ GDP growth rates 1986 to 2015 20,221 Keen, Roubini and Baker win Revere Award...
Read More »Weekly Indicators for October 15 – 19 at Seeking Alpha
by New Deal democrat Weekly Indicators for October 15 – 19 at Seeking Alpha My Weekly Indicators post is up at Seeking Alpha. Between them, high interest rates and tariffs are affecting the readings in all three timeframes. As usual, clicking on the link and reading the post puts a little coin in my pocket, as well as giving you an up-to-today read on the economy.
Read More »The connection between cause and probability
from Lars Syll Causes can increase the probability of their effects; but they need not. And for the other way around: an increase in probability can be due to a causal connection; but lots of other things can be responsible as well … The connection between causes and probabilities is like the connection between a disease and one of its symptoms: The disease can cause the symptom, but it need not; and the same symptom can result from a great many different diseases … If you see a...
Read More »Yours truly at National Theatre discussion on The Lehman Trilogy
After attending a performance of the Lehman Trilogy, I was honoured to join a panel at the National Theatre on 16th October, 2018 to discuss the play. Readers will know that the play was directed by Sam Mendes, and starred three great actors in all of the complex parts: Simon Russell Beale, Adam Godley and Ben Miles. It was, and is a tour de force, and has now moved to New York. At that invite-only side discussion of the play, an audience of 100 gathered in a private room at the NT. They...
Read More »Hype and facts on free trade
from C. P. Chandrasekhar Voices questioning the claim that nations and the majority of their people stand to gain from global trade are growing louder. The one difference now is that the leading protagonist of protectionism is not a developing country, but global hegemon United States under Donald Trump. Free trade benefits big corporations with production facilities abroad, Trump argues, while harming those looking for a decent livelihood working in America. With time Trump has made...
Read More »The connection between cause and probability
from Lars Syll Causes can increase the probability of their effects; but they need not. And for the other way around: an increase in probability can be due to a causal connection; but lots of other things can be responsible as well … The connection between causes and probabilities is like the connection between a disease and one of its symptoms: The disease can cause the symptom, but it need not; and the same symptom can result from a great many different diseases … If you see a...
Read More »Abraham Rotstein and the Radical Decade from the mid-sixties to the mid-seventies
Remarks at a posthumous book launch of his Myth, Mind and Religion at Massey College, University of Toronto, October 2018 For more than 50 years, going back to the days of the old Department of Political Economy, Abe was my colleague in teaching and researching economic history and political economy, my intellectual soulmate, and my closest friend. I have many fond memories. Let me go back to that wondrous decade of the sixties. This incredible book which Abe has left us begins with what he...
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