A June 3 Allstate/National Journal poll found that a declining percentage of Americans believe they have as much opportunity get ahead as their parents did, and an even lower percentage believe their children will do as well as they have done.
In a June 1 commentary, economist Michael Mandel explained that businesses need to better understand the sources of productivity growth.
On June 1, the McKinsey Quarterly published a symposium on ideas for stimulating economic growth. Among the contributors were Nobel Prize winning economists Michael Spence and Edmund Phelps.
On May 31, the Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond published its annual report. The lead essay examined the problem of long-term unemployment.
On May 25, the Congressional Budget Office released its latest report on the economic impact of the Recovery Act.
Also on May 25, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development published a working paper on the impact on consumption of changes in wealth. It finds that changes in financial wealth have about the same impact on consumption in the U.S., Japan and Europe. But changes in housing wealth have a much larger impact on consumption in the U.S.
On May 20, the Bureau of Labor Statistics published a report on the decline of entrepreneurship based on business establishment data.
On May 19, the Center for Economic and Policy Research published a study examining the labor market policies of Denmark and Germany and what lessons they may have for the U.S.
On May 19, Pew released a new study which found that despite recent economic setbacks, people are still relatively optimistic about the future.
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, Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006).