News
CNN Money | Strong job gains at end of 2013
Private sector hiring gained momentum in December, according to a report by payroll processing firm ADP.
National Journal | Senate Republicans Flip the Script on Unemployment
Senate Republicans, tired of playing by the Democratic script, are planning to flip the story line on their opponents—and they want to use the bill extending unemployment insurance to do it.
CNN Money | Euro zone unemployment at 12%, while U.S. improving
New reports out of the U.S. and Europe Wednesday show a stark divergence between unemployment trends in America and the euro zone.
Econ Comments & Analysis
Real Clear Markets | Extended Unemployment Benefits: Not What the Labor Market Needs
For more than five years, the federal government has provided extended unemployment benefits to workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and remained out of work beyond the standard 26 weeks of unemployment benefits.
NBER | The Causal Effect of Unemployment Duration on Wages: Evidence from Unemployment Insurance Extensions
This paper provides estimates of the causal effect of unemployment duration on wages. The paper shows that if the path of reemployment wages throughout the unemployment spell does not shift in response to unemployment insurance (UI) extensions this implies reservation wages do not bind.
Blogs
Library fo Economics | Hayekian arguments for basic income
Matt Zwolinski has an interesting article which attempts to answer the question "Why Did Hayek Support a Basic Income?". His answer is that Hayek did so because such a minimum endowment of economic means grants people the essential freedom to say "no"--thus making up for "real" freedom of contract.
Economist | Skills that pay the bills
How well are your skills rewarded? There is surprisingly little research on that question, and what does exist is pretty much entirely focused on America. A new paper* from the OECD, a rich-country think-tank, tries to fill this gap.
WSJ | Vital Signs: Private Employers Hit the Gas Pedal
Businesses added workers at a fast pace in December and across the entire fourth quarter, a positive sign for consumer spending and the economy as a whole.
