Aart Gerritsen (Max Planck) and Bas Jacobs (Tilburg): Is a Minimum Wage an Appropriate Instrument for Redistribution? From TPM, Dylan Scott on what the recent CBO Obamacare dust-up tells us about the state of the American work ethic; and why do so many conservatives think the American work ethic can't survive without extra-economic threats and extortion? Jonathan Chait on how Obamacare became the new welfare (and more: “Bailouts are bad, but it beats giving health care to poor people”.) CBO finds Obamacare lets Americans quit jobs they don't want, which Rightbloggers, naturally, oppose. Union rule despised by right-wingers now roaring back to life. New research reveals that unemployment is especially hellish in the U.S. — because unemployed Americans blame themselves for their plight. Why are US corporate profits so high? Because wages are so low. Robert Reich on how it is fear why workers in red states vote against their economic self-interest. Eduardo Porter on how confronting an old problem may require a New Deal. Should the government pay you to be alive? It sounds radical, but the “guaranteed basic income” almost became law in the United States — and it’s having a revival now, with some surprising supporters. Paul Krugman on writing off the unemployed. John Quiggin on work beyond Ross Douthat. Eric Lipton on how the campaign against increasing the minimum wage illustrates how interest groups — conservative and liberal — are working in opaque ways to shape hot-button political debates. Ylan Q. Mui on why the unemployment rate doesn’t matter anymore. Why do you care how much other people work? If we’re going to debate the meaning, importance, dignity, and existence of work, we should be a lot more careful what we mean by the concept.
