75 years after its passage, the Employment Act still shapes federal economic policy
Two Minnesotans, economist Walter Heller and Sen. Hubert Humphrey, helped determine the way the law is applied today.
Louis D. Johnston
Louis Johnston writes Macro, Micro, Minnesota for MinnPost, reporting on economic developments in the news and what those developments mean to Minnesota. He is Professor of Economics at College of Saint Benedict | Saint John’s University.
What’s up with unemployment in Minnesota? The view from the May numbers
In May, Minnesota’s unemployment rate rose from 8.7 percent of the labor force to 9.9 percent of the labor force. Let’s look at what that means.
Rebuilding Lake Street: Lessons from Plymouth Avenue in 1967
After much of Plymouth Avenue was destroyed by an uprising in 1967, one Minnesota corporation committed to investing in north Minneapolis.
For unemployment during the COVID-19 pandemic, Minnesota is below average
With its diversified economy, Minnesota’s economy has once again proven to be more resilient in the face of recession than the national economy as a whole.
What ‘Econ 101’ arguments misunderstand about taxes
Yes, it’s possible to oppose Trump’s tariffs and support raising Minnesota’s gas tax.
Paper, plastic, neither, both? Assessing a grocery-bag fee in Minneapolis
A grocery bag fee probably would reduce their use — but that has some side effects.
Vice President Pence is in Minnesota Thursday to promote the administration’s income redistribution policies. (He might not frame it that way.)
Talking tariffs.
Deaths of despair hit home
Mental illness doesn’t discriminate. It afflicts every group, regardless of education, race, gender, or region.
1973: The year Minnesota became above average (and stayed there)
Minnesota grew faster than the national average during the 1950s and 1960s and passed the national average in per-person income in 1973, when Gov. Wendell Anderson appeared on TIME’s cover.
The U.S. economy has changed a lot over the last two centuries. The contribution immigrants make to it hasn’t
Current political debates about immigration rarely place the issues at hand into a broader, historical context.
Low soybean prices are bad for Minnesota’s soybean farmers. But that doesn’t mean they’re bad for Minnesota’s economy overall
Trade policy will always create winners and losers. The key is to mitigate the harms to the losers.
President Trump went on a media tour boasting about the economic effects of his tax cut. If only the real data backed him up
Trump and economic adviser Larry Kudlow want to draw us over to Bizarro World.
One potential problem with the Fed’s vote to raise interest rates: The Fed might not know how the economy works
The Fed bases its decision on one theory of the relationship between unemployment and inflation. But that theory may be wrong.
Why ‘simple economics’ is often wrong, and other book recommendations for the econ lover in your life
Reads on economic misunderstandings, the sources of Western prosperity, and slavery in the modern world.
Why protectionist trade policies would hurt northern Minnesota, not help it
Advocates for tariffs need to answer two important questions.
In latest jobs numbers, a vindication for Minnesota’s policy choices
With better employment growth and a slightly lower decline in wages, Minnesota outperformed its neighbors in the upper Midwest.
That Center of the American Experiment report on the Minnesota economy? It’s politics, not economics
Minnesota’s slower growth has an explanation in economic theory — and it’s got nothing to do with taxes or regulation.
What Americans should demand from Trump and Clinton on economic policy
We should require from all of our candidates: specific goals with mainstream, realistic economic policies to meet them.
No, broadband and garbage collection aren’t public goods. Here’s why they might require regulation anyway
Market failures aren’t just limited to things like national defense.
What is ‘Brexit’ and why should Minnesotans care?
The UK votes in a week on whether or not to remain in the European Union.
