Technological Progress and Economic Disruption

Dani Rodrik on the Policy Challenges Arising from Labor Saving Technological Breakthroughs

http://www.project-syndicate.org/print/labor-saving-technology-by-dani-rodrik-2015-01

FRBSF Economic Letter - Higher Education, Wages, and Polarization by Rob Valletta

http://www.frbsf.org/economic-research/publications/economic-letter/2015/january/wages-education-college-labor-earnings-income/el2015-02.pdf

US Manufacturing – Renaissance Ahead?

An interesting new report debunks the notion of a US manufacturing renaissance: http://www.itif.org/publications/myth-america-s-manufacturing-renaissance-real-state-us-manufacturing

History and Economics – Book Recommendations

Three recently published books offer impressive historical insights:

Empire of Cotton: A Global History by Sven Beckert

The Fortunes of Africa: A 5000-Year History of Wealth, Greed, and Endeavor by Martin Meredith

Hall of Mirrors: The Great Depression, The Great Recession, and the Uses-and Misuses-of History by Barry Eichengreen

The latest edition of Lives of the Laureates: Twenty-three Nobel Economists (Sixth Edition) by Roger W. Spencer and David A. Macpherson is a pretty good read.

US Healthcare Reform Mess

An interesting piece (review of Steven Brill's America's Bitter Pill) by Malcolm Gladwell:
http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/01/12/bill-6

Steven Brill on Charlie Rose Show
http://www.businessweek.com/videos/2015-01-12/america-s-bitter-pill-charlie-rose-01-12

Back in 2010, PBS's Frontline had a very interesting report on the same topic:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/obamasdeal/

Learning the Right Lessons from the Great Depression

Misinterpreting the lessons from history can be costly for modern day policymakers:

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/11/upshot/the-depressions-unheeded-lessons-.html

Marketing and Neuroscience

Interesting new research:

http://forbesindia.com/article/harvard/how-our-brain-determines-if-the-product-is-worth-the-price/39251/0

US Labor Market Update

A Good Jobs Report

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2015-01-09/december-employment-gain-caps-best-year-for-u-s-since-1999.html

Wage growth and labor force participation rates are still a major concern.