A Pillar of Economics Admits That It Was Wrong

In a new report, the World Bank thinks better of its old free-market absolutism.

The Atlantic
A Pillar of Economics Admits That It Was Wrong

In a new report, the World Bank thinks better of its old free-market absolutism.

The Atlantic

@azonenberg @gsuberland
I managed to pay £3.85 for a single can of coke in a Toby Carvery in Middlesbrough 😳 (this is probably because they want the punter to pay an extra 50p or so for their unlimited soft-drink refills; for example a normal pot of tea is still £1.85... Still, menu first *then* order drinks 🤦 )

Would love to see a spreadsheet of lifetime income/outgoings of one of those fancy coffee (starbucks/costa) vending machines. I reckon if there's a way to deliver a takeaway coffee cheaper, in a period of economic contraction, it's some kind of automat.

#coffee #economics #microeconomics #vending #automation #robotics

Sales of electric vehicles have plummeted since the end of September, when federal tax credits worth up to $7,500 ended. The Trump administration has cut subsidies and loans for clean energy projects, while seeking to eliminate regulations that encouraged automakers to sell low-emission vehicles.
#economics #cleantechnology #cars #sustainability #Ford #Trump #subsidies #microeconomics
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/12/business/energy-environment/ford-trump-electric-vehicles-kentucky.html
Laid-Off Battery Plant Workers Pin Blame on Ford, not Trump, for Lost Jobs

Ford Motor shut down a battery factory and laid off 1,600 workers after President Trump and Republicans gutted government support for electric vehicles.

The New York Times
There is a big hole in the seductively simple argument that Mr. Trump’s policy will push employers to hire Americans: For many jobs, the cheaper and more likely replacement is a robot. And the jobs that can't be done by robots? Many will simply leave the country.
#labor #employment #immigration #jobs #economics #microeconomics #Trump #policy #politics
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/09/opinion/immigration-farming-trump-robots-labor.html
Opinion | What Replaces Deported Immigrant Workers? Not Americans.

There is a hole in the argument that American workers will replace immigrants. For many jobs, the cheaper and more likely replacement is a robot.

The New York Times

📈 Think like an economist.
Microeconomics — 18th Ed.
Understand choices.

DM for info.

#EconLife #Microeconomics #StudentEconomist #DigitalLearning

“Our projection is that we will be finishing in the 5,500 total units sold range for 2025, making it the worst year on record since Altus — and the predecessors to Altus — started keeping records back in 1981,” Sherwood said.
#housing #ontario #toronto #Canada #economics #microeconomics #costofliving #polycrises #recession
https://www.thestar.com/real-estate/condo-industry-expects-worst-year-on-record-with-only-165-new-condos-selling-in-toronto/article_e2d368b2-78db-4bcd-8617-2143e5db7306.html
Condo industry expects worst year on record — with only 165 new condos selling in Toronto area last month

BILD expects to end the year with around 5,500 sales for new homes, the lowest since record-keeping began.

Toronto Star

Johnson asserted an assumption, that people will volunteer and expand people engaged in their communities. It reflects his lack of understanding of #MicroEconomics.

The bill was written so that people had the option to earn the equivalent of the Federal Minimum Wage ($7.25/hr) x 80 hours a month, or $580 a month. IOW, you don't need to volunteer or work 80 hrs a month.

Would you rather volunteer for 80 hours for $0 or work parttime for just enough to earn $580 to keep your #Medicaid?

📰 Communal Savings Games in a Bangkok Slum (A free, 23-page article from 1978)

Tags: #Asia #Microeconomics #Bangkok
https://buddhistuniversity.net/content/articles/communal-savings-games-in-a-bangkok-slum_angel-et-al

Sharing the Risk of Being Poor: Communal Savings Games in a Bangkok Slum

How rotating savings and credit associations (ROSCAs) work in Bangkok slums.

The Open Buddhist University