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UMass Economics

James K. Boyce, emeritus professor of economics, writes that to meet climate goals, it’s necessary not just to promote energy efficiency but also to curtail the supply of fossil fuels.

James K. Boyce, emeritus professor of economics, writes that to meet climate goals, it’s necessary not just to promote energy efficiency but also to curtail the supply of fossil fuels. He says curbing the supply of fossil fuels will raise their price, effectively putting a price on carbon emissions. (Institute for New Economic Thinking, 7/22/19)

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UMass Economics

A new study co-authored by Lawrence P. King, economics, finds that falling incomes and rising incarceration rates at the county level in the U.S. are linked to an increase in drug-related deaths.

A new study co-authored by Lawrence P. King, economics, finds that falling incomes and rising incarceration rates at the county level in the U.S. are linked to an increase in drug-related deaths. The researchers looked at data at the county level from 1983 to 2014. “It’s a strong argument for the medicalization of hard drugs as opposed to criminalization, which actually makes a lot of sense, given that the definition that we use of addiction is continued obsessive-compulsive use of drugs despite the negative consequences,” King says. (WICZ-TV 40 [Binghamton, N.Y.], 7/22/19)

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UMass Economics

James K. Boyce, emeritus professor of economics, writes a column where he talks about how creating a “carbon dividend” process for reducing carbon emissions would be both good economics and would be politically popular.

James K. Boyce, emeritus professor of economics, writes a column where he talks about how creating a “carbon dividend” process for reducing carbon emissions would be both good economics and would be politically popular. The idea is to tax carbon and share the resulting revenue with all Americans, similar to how Alaska shares revenue from the oil industry. (Politico, 7/23/19)