Cash for Clunkers

Link

This could be the dumbest economic policy in my lifetime. It might have prompted more sales in the summer of 2009. However, most of these sales were not to people who are buying an "extra" car. It just prompted them to move up their car purchase, or they were going to buy one anyway. Therefore, all of the people who purchased a vehicle likely would have purchased one anyway in the next year or two.

Further, this decreased the number of used cars in the market. That forced the price higher. Many individuals who we would think of as the "working poor" rely on "clunkers" for transportation. Making their life more difficult by raising the price of vehicles isn't good policy, if you care at all about the poor.

Oh, and for this policy, all we had to do was pay $24,000 per "clunker".

Sowell's "The Housing Boom and Bust"

The Housing Boom and Bust

Earlier I posted book recommendations and I recommended books by Thomas Sowell. Currently I am reading Sowell's new book - "The Housing Boom and Bust" - and it is also great. Sowell is truly gifted at organizing relevant material in a concise and meaningful way.

It really gives a detailed explanation of all the factors that went into the boom - including some truly horrible government policies. Warning - It is tough to read this book without getting angry at elected officials of both parties.

Listen to my radio interview

Here is a link to a radio interview I did for the "On the Mark" show on WKOK radio.

The show is 90 minutes - I come on at about minute 34 or so - and am on for the rest of the broadcast.

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=NGI80ORB

I am quoted in an article

From the Los Angeles Business Journal

http://www.labusinessjournal.com/article.asp?aID=140749

Upcoming radio appearance:

Tuesday, September 22nd
AM 1070 WKOK
The "On the Mark" program from 9:00-10:00 AM.

You can listen live online at http://www.wqkx.com/1070_WKOK/WKOK_HOME.htm

What economics books should a non-economist read?

Economics Books for Non-Economists

Students (and sometimes non-students) will often ask for recommendations on books to read. Here are a few books I recommend for those who want to learn more about economics:

1. Anything by Thomas Sowell. He writes clearly, his assertions are well-backed by research, and his books are stunningly insightful. If you don't know where to start, try "Economic Facts and Fallacies", or "The Quest for Cosmic Justice". I am currently reading "Black Rednecks and White Liberals". What I have learned in the first 20 pages was worth the price of the book many times over. One note - Sowell isn't light reading - but it is well worth the time and effort.

2. Freakonomics. This is a fun-to-read book that discusses how Steven Levitt (and others) have used economic methods and thinking to examine many different issues. Freakonomics 2 (superfreakonomics is coming out this week). I will certainly be purchasing it ASAP. I am hoping it is as entertaining ast he first.

3. Free to Choose. Milton Friedman's classic about capitalism and the economy is now 30 years old, but it still seems relevant.

Some other good economics books include: Nudge, What it Means to be a Libertarian, and Discover your Inner Economist: Use Incentives to Fall in Love, Survive Your Next Meeting, and Motivate Your Dentist.

Some non-economics books I like and that have some academic value:

- Malcolm Gladwell books (The Tipping Point, Blink, and Outliers). His books are well-researched and thought provoking. He generalizes his conclusions to much, but other than that these books are terrific.

- Gang Leader for a Day. A fascinating book about a sociology doctoral student who does research with a street gang. While not an economics/business book, it is interesting to see how a gang operates and the incentives/disincentives the gang leaders provide their employees.

Daily Item article on Employment in the Valley

Region's jobless rate improves

By Tricia Pursell

The Daily Item

June 02, 2009 06:36 am— Regional unemployment improved in April, but was still worse than the state and national averages, according to the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry.

"We have been hurt very hard with manufacturing losses here," said Matthew Rousu, assistant professor of economics at Susquehanna University in Selinsgrove. "There are some sectors of the economy that haven't been hit as hard."

Snyder County's unemployment rate for April was 8.7 percent, an improvement from 9.1 percent in March -- a difference of 100 jobs.

In Northumberland County, the April rate was 9.6 percent, compared to 9.7 percent in March, and in Union County, the April rate was 8.8 percent compared to 9.4 percent in March.

Montour County bucked the trend. Its jobless rate got worse, going from 6.3 percent in March to 6.8 percent in April.

The state unemployment rate is 7.6 percent, and the national jobless rate is 8.6 percent.

April was the most recent month for which seasonally adjusted figures were available.

The seasonally adjusted rate, according to Scott Meckley, with the Center for Workforce Information & Analysis, is used to check trends without the typical factors of job gain and loss at certain times of the year, such as construction declining in the winter and retail employment spiking over the holidays.

The unemployment rate numbers are not going to fluctuate too dramatically, Rousu said. They are numbers that move slowly beyond the overall economic condition of the nation. Little by little, the rates may drop, but "there are some areas that are still going to experience pain," he said.

A survey of economists that was published last week showed they all thought the recession would be over within nine months, Rousu said.

"Some are even thinking it's over," he said. "However, the unemployment rate is a lagging indicator. Even when the economy gets better, the unemployment rate is not going to improve as quickly as the economy improves.

"The reason is likely because employers err on the side of caution. "Firms are just trying to survive," he said. "It takes longer to catch up once the economy recovers."

When the most recent recession ended in 2001, the highest unemployment rate did not come until the middle of 2003, Rousu said.