Noah Smith
Fudged numbers won’t make the U.S. grow faster
The Soviet Union had a reputation for presenting fake economic statistics to the world, in order to avoid having its dysfunctional system look embarrassing...
People actually use food stamps to buy more food
For years, opponents of food stamps -- or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, as it’s now called -- have claimed that the program is...
The dream of cheap, clean nuclear power is over
For much of my life, I loved the idea of nuclear power. The science was so cool, futuristic and complicated, the power plants so...
The U.S. needs more colleges
The idea of free college, one of the pillars of Bernie Sanders' unsuccessful presidential bid, hasn't been discarded in the wake of the 2016...
Boosting wages for U.S. workers is really hard to do
For most people, two things are paramount for their economic well-being -- jobs and wages. A lot of discussion goes into how to raise...
Investors pick wrong managers
For almost two decades now, the average hedge fund has delivered a lackluster return. Actively managed mutual funds generally fail to beat the market...
Build a better safety net
In 2012, economist Daron Acemoglu wrote a paper with James Robinson and Thierry Verdier claiming to explain why Scandinavian countries are less innovative than...
Keeping the internet free might get very expensive
Modern economics has little room for parasites. In the vast majority of models, there are only buyers and sellers -- there’s no one who...
Economics has a blind spot
Traditionally, economists think of themselves as policy advisers. Politicians and their appointees make the laws, levy the taxes, set the regulations, make spending decisions...
Don’t assume robots will be our future co-workers
Of all the economic questions being debated today, the most frightening one is “Will the robots take our jobs?” This nightmare scenario comes in...
