Author: EconLearner
SACRAMENTO, CA – JULY 21: California Public Employees Retirement System (Photo by Max … [+] Whittaker/Getty Images)Getty Images A new CalPERS proposal I will “more than double climate-focused investment to $100 billion by 2030” and “consider selling shares in companies with poor energy transition plans.” The rationale for implementing this strategy is, apparently, that the investment giant already knows how to deal with the complex problem of global climate change, and that companies that do not address climate change will have a worse financial performance. Both claims are demonstrably false. Tesla exemplifies the risks and rewards of investing in a…
Insured Americans have been ripped off for years. Fortunately, Americans in two states have new resources to protect themselves. New state laws Tennessee (valid from July 1) and Texas (valid September 1) Now give insured Americans in individual, small business plans the ability to save money when paying cash for more affordable services while still receiving a credit discount. Tennessee extended this offer to public employees as well. These reforms break down the barriers that prevent patients from accessing the most affordable care while laying the foundation for a true market in government health care systems. Cash prices in NashvilleCicero…
Nuclear power has been on shaky ground across the United States for the past decade, but recent federal and state policies have come to its rescue. Nuclear plants have been reliable workhorses for the past half century, producing large amounts of electricity without polluting the atmosphere. However, the rapid rise of low-cost renewables and the intermittent availability of low-cost natural gas have squeezed the profit margins of nuclear plants, forcing dozens to consider an early shutdown. Nuclear power station after sunset. Dusk landscape with large chimneys.getty Several states have stepped in to keep their nuclear plants online, citing the benefits…
Redwan Hussein (L), representative of the Ethiopian government, and Getachew Reda (R); … [+] A representative of the Tigray People’s Liberation Front (TPLF), shakes hands for a peace agreement between the two sides during a press conference on the African Union-led negotiations to resolve the conflict in Ethiopia at the offices of the Department of International Relations and (DIRCO) in Pretoria on November 2, 2022. (Photo: PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images In October 2023, as the UN Human Rights Council concluded its autumn session, the International Committee of Experts on Human Rights in Ethiopia (the Committee of…
As is now known, former President Trump is currently on trial in New York. The charges are that he fraudulently inflated the value of his assets to secure better lending terms from banks and insurance companies. What a laugh. And the last one is not a partisan remark. If readers are in doubt, feel free to Google GOOG “John Tamney” with “Donald Trump” reading comments about him going back to at least 2009. Some were positive, some were middle of the road, but the vast majority were negative. Back to the lawsuit against Trump, it’s funny on the face of…
getty Trust in higher education falls with it college enrollment. Many prospective students are no longer confident that a traditional college degree will equip them with the skills needed to succeed in the job market. There is a demand for alternative solutions: a American Compass Survey found that, by a 57-43 margin, parents would rather have their own children participate in a three-year apprenticeship than attend college on a full scholarship. Politicians of both parties talk about expanding apprenticeships. But Ryan Craig has a plan to do just that. Craig’s new book, “Apprentice Nation: How Alternative Higher Education Will Create…
Afghan refugees gather in a makeshift camp upon their arrival from Pakistan, near … [+] The Afghanistan-Pakistan Torkham border in Nangarhar province on November 2, 2023. Thousands of Afghans have fled Pakistan this month since its government ordered 1.7 million people to leave or face arrest and deportation, officials said on November 2 . (Photo by Wakil KOHSAR / AFP ) (Photo by WAKIL KOHSAR/AFP via Getty Images)AFP via Getty Images In October 2023, the Pakistani government announced that it would arrest and deport hundreds of thousands of unregistered foreign nationals and undocumented immigrants. The deadline was set for November…
This is the conclusion of his recent research Hetana AharKellogg assistant professor of marketing.Achar wanted to understand whether our desire to protect our self-image would make us less likely to take healthy actions if the relevant health problems were directly linked to stigmatized behaviors.Take cervical cancer for example. “Regular cervical cancer screening is a healthy, beneficial practice,” she says. “But having multiple sexual partners, a risk factor for cervical cancer, is stigmatized in many societies. In such societies, some people may put their health at risk to avoid being associated with something that others think is ‘bad’.”Achar et al Leah…
But Dranovprofessor of strategy, admits that when he lectures on innovation, he has the nagging feeling that something important is missing from what he presents: innovation not of drugs but of medical procedures.”I always think about the fact that everything we seem to know about medical innovation, at least from academic research, comes from drugs and biologics, with maybe only a little from medical devices,” he says. “And yet, when you look at some of the most important medical innovations, they are innovations in new medicine procedures”—such as open-heart surgery, joint replacement surgery, kidney dialysis, and various mental health treatments.Although…
They are all products made by companies that have been prosecuted for price fixing by the US Department of Justice. In reality, industry players operated as a cartel, colluding to set high prices.While the idea of a cartel may bring to mind shadowy groups that distribute illegal products, the concept is also relevant to everyday business. “It’s not always sophisticated criminals and dark alleys,” he says Amanda Stark, associate professor of strategy at the Kellogg School. “And, in this case, they’re very bad at it.” However, it is still a crime with a large negative impact on consumers, who are…