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Tag Archives: economics
Current Economic Situation: GDP, Income, and Inflation
I’m struck (again) by the fact that how you view the world is affected by your news sources. Last week, the Commerce Department released its advance estimate of second quarter 2021 gross domestic product (GDP). Whether you think the economy is experiencing “some of its strongest ever quarters of economic growth” or “could soon be on the verge of economic disaster” depends where you read the story. The numbers and press release from the Commerce Department are probably somewhere in between those two narratives. All the press agree… Read More →
Current Economic Situation, 3/7/2021
Texas Governor Greg Abbott marked Texas Independence Day March 2 by announcing the state would remove the statewide mask requirement and allow businesses to return to 100% occupancy on March 10. It is true that TX DSHS reports fewer COVID cases than earlier in 2021, but only about 1.8 percent of Texans are vaccinated. Removing the mask mandate has generated a fair amount of comment, while increasing the occupancy of businesses and other facilities has been far less controversial. The mask mandate is not really an economic issue,… Read More →
Current Economic Situation, COVID-19, 8/21/2020
Five months into the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic and rapid-onset recession, schools across much of Texas and the U.S. are opening to both on-campus and online education with social distancing and heightened cleaning procedures. As Americans began to resume more normal activity patterns in June and July, coronavirus cases surged, forcing a retreat to homes and numerous cancellations of fairs and other statewide and local celebrations. My kids’ school moved the start date up and then pushed it back. They started school this week with temperature checks and masks…. Read More →
ERS releases 2016 Rural Development at a Glance
USDA ERS released its 2016 Rural Development at a Glance publication this month. As always, interesting points to ponder. This table with counties coded by dominant industry is interesting and shows the diversity of industry among Texas rural counties. We like to think of Texas as a fairly rural state, but Census data shows that only 15.3% of Texans live in rural areas v. 19.3% across the entire U.S. In fact, Texas ranks as the 36th most rural state by that measure (alternatively, the… Read More →
Farmer Hayek: Do cities make us more productive?
Levi Russell over at Farmer Hayek picks up the issue of agglomeration economies today, encouraging further thought on a Burgh Diaspora post on the same topic. Interesting discussion, and I’ve added my thoughts to the Farmer Hayek comments. Always thought-provoking over at Farmer Hayek, and always fun when they delve into regional economics and politics.
Farmer Hayek on CON Laws and Rural Health Care
A colleague recently reported on the effects of Certificate of Need (CON) laws on the number of rural hospitals and on quality of care: Farmer Hayek on Regulation and Rural Hospitals Farmer Hayek on CON Laws and Rural Health Care Quality I hear a lot about the presence and quality of rural hospitals, and these Farmer Hayek posts present a couple of interesting perspectives related to one aspect of health care regulation.