On December 14, economist Michael Mandel pointed to data showing that the age of the public capital stock has grown significantly over time.
In a December 13 commentary, University of Massachusetts economist Nancy Folbre argued that the decline of manufacturing and the rise of services have increased the demand for women in the labor force and reduced the demand for men.
Also on December 13, the Employee Benefit Research Institute published a study of job tenure. Among the findings: tenure is rising for women, falling for men.
On December 9, McKinsey published a study on future worldwide investment and saving trends. It projects a steady rise in interest rates as investment rises, increasing the demand for capital.
Also on December 9, the Federal Reserve released its latest flow of funds report. It shows that the net worth of households remains flat and is $10 trillion below its 2007 level. Corporations continue to hoard cash and are sitting on $1.4 trillion in financial assets.
In a December 7 report, the Census Bureau announced that women-owned businesses accounted for 28.7 percent of all businesses in 2007.
Also on December 7, the Bureau of Labor Statistics published the latest data on job openings and turnover. It finds continued slow but steady growth in the number of job openings available.
On December 2, the Brookings Institution and the Center for American Progress published a paper examining factors affecting the labor market in the 21st century. These include the long-term impact of the recent recession, the decline of unionization, technological change, globalization et al.
Also on December 2, the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas published an analysis of economic indicators that might signal the possibility of a double-dip recession. Currently, none of them indicate such a possibility.
On December 1, the Harvard Business School posted a working paper that blamed economists for the recent crisis because so many of them shifted their attention from market failure to government failure.
Bruce Bartlett is an American historian and columnist who focuses on the intersection between politics and economics. He blogs daily and writes a weekly column at The Fiscal Times. Bartlett has written for Forbes Magazine and Creators Syndicate, and his work is informed by many years in government, including as a senior policy analyst in the Reagan White House. He is the author of seven books including the New York Times best-seller, Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006).