U. of Georgia historian Stephen Mihm writes about the late WUSTL economist Hyman Minsky, who "has begun emerging as perhaps the most prescient big-picture thinker about what, exactly, we are going through. A contrarian amid the conformity of postwar America, an expert in the then-unfashionable subfields of finance and crisis, Minsky was one economist who saw what was coming. He predicted, decades ago, almost exactly the kind of meltdown that recently hammered the global economy. "

References:

1. Sept. 13, 2009 — Why capitalism fails in the The Boston Globe

While some stores like Sharper Image have disappeared, their brand names live on. Consumers might be confused by the new products or even feel deceived by the practice. Includes comments from WUSTL economics professor David Levine and WUSTL intellectual property law professor Charles McManis.

References:

1. April 14, 2009 — Brand Names Live After Stores Close in the The New York Times

and 4 others.

The news that President-elect Obama may include more than $300 billion in tax cuts as part of an economic recovery package was preceded by a lobbying push by businesses, which argued that providing tax relief may be a better way of reviving the economy than simply directing money to pay for road and bridge construction. Includes comments by WUSTL economics professor Steven Fazzari.

References:

1. Jan. 5, 2009 — Business welcomes talk of tax breaks in stimulus in the TheHill.com (DC) online

Experts disagree on how to fix the economy. Advisers to President-elect Barack Obama are assembling a huge plan to stimulate the economy. Some experts doubt this is a good idea. David Kestenbaum talks with some experts, including WUSTL economics professor Steve Fazzari.

References:

1. Jan. 2, 2009 — Economists Duke It Out over Stimulus Plan in the NPR Morning Edition

The next president has yet to offer details of his economic stimulus plan. Its size and scope, and how he'll address housing and the auto industry, are up for debate. WUSTL economics professor Steven Fazzari comments.

References:

1. Dec. 1, 2008 — A wealth of ideas for Obama's stimulus program in the Los Angeles Times

The Center for a New American Security, a small think tank here with generally middle-of-the-road policy views, is rapidly emerging as a top farm team for the incoming Obama administration. Includes comments by WUSTL economics professor Murray Weidenbaum, who wrote a book on Washington think tanks.

References:

1. Nov. 16, 2008 — Obama Dips Into Think Tank for Talent in the The Wall Street Journal online

With markets doing, well, better, what's going on with the rest of the economy? Another way of asking that question: Are we in a recession? Kai Rysdall brings up the dreaded "R" word with WUSTL economist Steve Fazzari.

References:

1. Oct. 14, 2008 — For real recovery, credit's just a start in the NPR Marketplace

WUSTL's Steven Fazzari, economics professor, comments on rising consumer indebtedness and it's role in the economic slowdown. Fazzari sees fundamental changes in the economy that are reducing the effectiveness of consumer spending as an economic driver.

References:

1. April 1, 2008 — Consumer Debt, Not Housing Bubble, May Be Root of Economic Woes in the ConsumerAffairs.com

The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, has appointed as president James Bullard, an 18-year veteran of the bank's research staff and an adjunct faculty memeber at WUSTL.

References:

1. March 26, 2008 — Fed Bank Appoints Bullard as President in the The Wall Street Journal

Article refers to the theory of WUSTL economist Douglass North and his view that stable, predictable laws encourage investment and growth.

References:

1. March 15, 2008 — Order in the jungle - Economics and the rule of law in the The Economist

David Nicklaus writes about WUSTL researcher Charles Courtemanche's study on gas prices and obesity.

References:

1. Sept. 14, 2007 — WUSTL researcher sees link between gas prices and waistlines in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

and 82 others.

Americans are accustomed to seeing gasoline prices drop in the months of September and October, but that may not happen this year, according to some analysts.
What effect does expensive gasoline have on ordinary Americans? Researchers at WUSTL say they have found that when gasoline prices go up, obesity rates in the United States go down.
In addition, higher energy costs leave Americans with less cash to spend at restaurants and at the grocery store.

References:

1. Sept. 13, 2007 — Oil Prices Retreat After Reaching New Highs in the Voice of America

The recent market turmoil is rocking investors around the globe. But it is raising the stock of one person: a little-known economist named Hyman Minsky, whose views have suddenly become very popular.
Minsky, who taught economics at WUSTL and died more than a decade ago, spent much of his career advancing the idea that financial systems are inherently susceptible to bouts of speculation that, if they last long enough, end in crises. At a time when many economists were coming to believe in the efficiency of markets, Mr. Minsky was considered somewhat of a radical for his stress on their tendency toward excess and upheaval.
Former WUSTL economics professor Laurence Meyer and current economics professor Steven Fazzari comment.

References:

1. Aug. 18, 2007 — In time of tumult, obscure economist gains currency in the The Wall Street Journal

WHEN it comes to economic decisions, there are always trade-offs. Gain one thing and you lose something else. This is particularly true in health care, a market in which a scarce good is ridiculously expensive, but needed by everybody.
WUSTL economist Charles Courtemanche looks at the economic points in Michael Moore's movie 'Sicko.'

References:

1. July 7, 2007 — What's Lacking in 'Sicko' in the The New York Times

and 3 others.

WUSTL psychology professor Len Green comments on compulsive behavior and on lab experiments on people, rats and pigeons.
Economics graduate student Patrick McAlvanah, who also works in Green's lab, comments.
The research has relevance to addictions. A body of research already shows that addicts tend to be impulsive. Green is conducting experiments iin this area.

References:

1. Feb. 3, 2007 — Level of impulsivity varies, but is present in everyone in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch

and 14 others.

Hoover Institution research fellow David Henderson writes about the work of Edmund Phelps, this year's Nobel laureate in economics. Phelps collaborated with Robert Pollak on his capital formation research. Pollak is now an economics professor at WUSTL.

References:

1. Oct. 12, 2006 — Commentary: Laureate Phelps in the The Wall Street Journal

Hoover Institution research fellow David Henderson writes about the work of Edmund Phelps, this year's Nobel laureate in economics. Phelps collaborated with Robert Pollak on his capital formation research. Pollak is now an economics professor at WUSTL.

References:

1. Oct. 12, 2006 — Commentary: Laureate Phelps in the The Wall Street Journal

With each passing year the unpredictability of film revenue is supported by more and more academic research. Charles Moul, an assistant professor of economics in Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis says: "There are two schools of thought. According to one, you can't know the appeal of a film until you've completed it, but once you have the movie you can run focus groups and determine whether it is a hit or a dog. According to the other school, you can't tell even then. Either way, it doesn't bode well for your ability to make $80-million green-lighting decisions that are more than just guesses."

References:

1. July 2, 2006 — CHAOTIC in the Los Angeles Times

An increasing number of state governments, nonprofit groups, foundations and private companies have been running pilot programs to induce poor and working-class Americans to save. The results, they say, are surprising: When participants get the right incentives and financial counseling, many open savings accounts, arrange for payroll deductions, and begin accumulating assets.
The savings programs have their roots in the work of WUSTL professor and social worker Michael Sherraden. His 1991 book, "Assets and the Poor," argued that governments and charitable groups should move beyond traditional welfare's aim to provide the poor with income to meet immediate needs. The broader goal, he wrote, should be to help the poor save money, which can provide them a stepping stone to escaping poverty.

References:

1. Jan. 11, 2006 — New programs spur working poor to begin saving in the Wall Street Journal

Story on the San Francisco Solano study, a provocative research project that examines if land ownership lifts people out of poverty. The study was conducted by two Argentine universities and Harvard Business School. The researchers found that landownership status seemed to make no difference in employment or income. But it did seem to affect the way residents spent their money, and their aspirations and expectations. WUSTL Nobel Prize-winning economist Douglass North, a specialist in property rights, comments.

References:

1. — Barrio Study Links Land Ownership to a Better Life in the Wall Street Journal