In the News
Youngkin wants tutors for many students. Where will they come from?
September 29, 2023 | The Washington Post | Matthew Kraft
Virginia educators say that it will be difficult to find enough tutors to implement Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s new plan to boost test scores for elementary and middle school students.
Education, Growth, and Religion
September 26, 2023 | Arise News | Oded Galor
Dayo Sobowale argues that religion has a way of interfering with states’ capacity for sustainable growth.
They moved to Vermont for climate safety. Then came floods.
September 19, 2023 | The Christian Science Monitor | Elizabeth Fussell
In the past few years, Vermont has earned high rankings for its relatively low climate risk. A 2020 ProPublica report classified four Vermont counties as part of the top 10 across the country that are least likely to suffer from climate change effects like wildfires, extreme heat, and sea level rise.
Can Teachers and Parents Get Better at Talking to One Another?
September 15, 2023 | The New Yorker | Matthew Kraft
Families are more anxious than ever to find out what happens in school. But there may be value in a measure of not-knowing and not-telling.
Big Tech and Its Discontents
September 12, 2023 | Psychology Today | Louis Putterman
Does technology still have what it takes to make life better?
There are almost 4 million more open roles than job seekers in the U.S. Here’s why some economists think the immigration and labor crises are related
September 5, 2023 | CNBC | Dany Bahar
The U.S. had more than 9 million open roles in June, and while that’s down from the peak of 12 million in March 2022, it’s still among the highest number of openings we’ve had since before 2000.
Declining birth rates and falling enrollments prompt school consolidation concerns
August 30, 2023 | WJAR Providence | John Papay
Concerns over school closures in Rhode Island are being sped up by a rapid drop in public school students. The state has 17,000 fewer students enrolled in public schools than it did in 1999.
Drivers on the 405 Freeway in O.C. could pay $10 tolls, get extra lanes. Would it help with traffic?
August 23, 2023 | Los Angeles Times | Matthew Turner
Critics of freeway expansion projects cite the need to combat climate change and air pollution, the legacy of displacing and polluting communities of color, and research that shows that expanding freeways doesn’t alleviate traffic congestion.
The roots of cultural diversity
August 18, 2023 | VoxEU CEPR | Oded Galor
Societal diversity fosters creativity and cultural cross-pollination, but can also hinder social cohension. This column uses data on oral traditions and folkloric motifs across the world to examine the impact of the prehistoric migration of humans out of Africa on cultural diversity.
A digital ‘atlas’ of the refugee imprint in Greece
August 15, 2023 | Kathimerini | Stelios Michalopoulos
Is the trauma of displacement enduring? What is its impact – on the economy, on electoral behavior, on art – even decades later? How is a society affected when it suddenly needs to take in a large number of refugees?