Economic growth and productivity growth across the nations of the European Union has been lagging the US economy. What are the reasons and what might be done? A group of essays in the June 2025 issue of Finance & Development offers some insights. A common theme is that EU economic integration has not proceeded as

Conversable Economist

11.09.2025

US Income Inequality Before Taxes and (Many) Transfers: Census Data - Conversable Economist

Each year, the US Census Bureau publishes three overview reports to update the annual data on income, poverty rates, and health insurance. Here, I focus on some figures from Income in the United States: 2024, by Melissa Kollar and Zach Scherer (September 2025, P60-286). Here's a figure showing several measures of pre-tax income inequality. It's

Conversable Economist

12.09.2025

Predistribution, Not Redistribution, in the Nordic Countries - Conversable Economist

Maybe it's just because I live in Minnesota, a state where the differences between immigrants from Sweden, Norway, and Finland are still apparent in the names of towns and the surnames of people. But when I run into people who would prefer that the US distribution of income be more equal, they often point to

Conversable Economist

13.09.2025

Better Permitting and More Building: Possible? - Conversable Economist

It seems natural enough, at least based on US experience, to believe that building and permitting are in a natural opposition: that is, stronger permitting means less building. Zachary Liscow has been looking for a way out of this opposition. He spells out some of his thoughts in "Reforming Permitting to Build Infrastructure" (Hutchins Center

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EU Productivity and Lack of Integration - Conversable Economist

US Income Inequality Before Taxes and (Many) Transfers: Census Data - Conversable Economist

Predistribution, Not Redistribution, in the Nordic Countries - Conversable Economist

Better Permitting and More Building: Possible? - Conversable Economist

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