Not exactly a light news cycle, #TCFBest this week covers the gamut: drones, voting rights and the small task of fixing everything. New Republic covers flawed drone reporting, Matthew Yglesias has a plan to save the world (or at least the United States) and PBS shows how employment affects voter turnout.
The Drone Blowback
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch each released a report on U.S. drone activity in Pakistan and Yemen, respectively, coming on the heels of the U.N.’s drone report a week prior. The on-the-ground reporting represented in the reports showcases the horrific after-effects of drone strikes. New Republic takes a closer look at the reports with caution, claiming neither group really has a representative sample from which to draw. New Republic also questions its own authority in reporting on drone effects. Verdict’s out on the real drone situation. In the meantime, heads up. Continue the discussion at New Republic. #longreads
Working Nine-to-Five, But Not Voting?
PBS News Hour’s blog “The Business Desk” released an article on the effects of employment on voting based on a paper from two NBER researchers — the results show voter turnout might be more important than overall sentiment in any given election. The paper examined the question, “How do changes in the labor market affect turnout?” and found “higher local wages and employment are associated with lower voter turnout at the senatorial, congressional, gubernatorial and state legislative levels.” As PBS points out, though counterintuitive, these findings have policy implications and should be important to economists. Cast your vote at “The Business Desk.”
Fixing Everything in Five Steps
Slate’s economics and business correspondent Matthew Yglesias is no stranger to prescriptions for a better economy. This time, Yglesias purports to solve every economic woe in a pre-vacation post at Slate’s “Moneybox” blog. In this piece, Yglesias recommends five easy steps: “short-term unemployment,” “tax reform for real,” “upzone everywhere,” “target higher population growth through immigration” and “innovate with prizes, not monopolies.” Sure, no problem! If you can count to five, head over to Slate to read the rest of Yglesias’ suggestions.
Follow us @tcfdotorg and submit your #TCFBest faves all week long.
Tags: slate, pbs news hour, economic policy, voter rights, foreign policy, voting, matthew yglesias, pbs, slate moneybox, new republic, economy reform, amnesty international, immigration, drone, #tcfbest, human rights watch
#TCF Best: October 25, 2013
Not exactly a light news cycle, #TCFBest this week covers the gamut: drones, voting rights and the small task of fixing everything. New Republic covers flawed drone reporting, Matthew Yglesias has a plan to save the world (or at least the United States) and PBS shows how employment affects voter turnout.
The Drone Blowback
Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch each released a report on U.S. drone activity in Pakistan and Yemen, respectively, coming on the heels of the U.N.’s drone report a week prior. The on-the-ground reporting represented in the reports showcases the horrific after-effects of drone strikes. New Republic takes a closer look at the reports with caution, claiming neither group really has a representative sample from which to draw. New Republic also questions its own authority in reporting on drone effects. Verdict’s out on the real drone situation. In the meantime, heads up. Continue the discussion at New Republic. #longreads
Working Nine-to-Five, But Not Voting?
PBS News Hour’s blog “The Business Desk” released an article on the effects of employment on voting based on a paper from two NBER researchers — the results show voter turnout might be more important than overall sentiment in any given election. The paper examined the question, “How do changes in the labor market affect turnout?” and found “higher local wages and employment are associated with lower voter turnout at the senatorial, congressional, gubernatorial and state legislative levels.” As PBS points out, though counterintuitive, these findings have policy implications and should be important to economists. Cast your vote at “The Business Desk.”
Fixing Everything in Five Steps
Slate’s economics and business correspondent Matthew Yglesias is no stranger to prescriptions for a better economy. This time, Yglesias purports to solve every economic woe in a pre-vacation post at Slate’s “Moneybox” blog. In this piece, Yglesias recommends five easy steps: “short-term unemployment,” “tax reform for real,” “upzone everywhere,” “target higher population growth through immigration” and “innovate with prizes, not monopolies.” Sure, no problem! If you can count to five, head over to Slate to read the rest of Yglesias’ suggestions.
Follow us @tcfdotorg and submit your #TCFBest faves all week long.
Tags: slate, pbs news hour, economic policy, voter rights, foreign policy, voting, matthew yglesias, pbs, slate moneybox, new republic, economy reform, amnesty international, immigration, drone, #tcfbest, human rights watch