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UMass Economics

Gerald C. Friedman’s 2013 report for the Physicians for a National Health Program that calls for an expansion of Medicare to cover all Americans is cited by a columnist arguing against the current Republican health care bill

Gerald C. Friedman, economics, the author of a 2013 report for the Physicians for a National Health Program that calls for an expansion of Medicare to cover all Americans that would generate huge savings in health care costs, is cited by a columnist arguing against the current Republican health care bill before the U.S. House. (Idaho Statesman, 3/21/17)

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UMass Economics

Robert N. Pollin is interviewed about how proposed cuts to the federal budget suggested by the Trump administration will have a negative impact on efforts to deal with climate change

Robert N. Pollin, Distinguished Professor in Economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, is interviewed about how proposed cuts to the federal budget suggested by the administration of President Donald J. Trump will have a negative impact on efforts to deal with climate change. Pollin also says the proposed budget cuts will harm most of the non-defense parts of the federal government. (The Real News Network, 3/22/17)

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UMass Economics

UMass Amherst Economics Department formally opens Crotty Hall, first net-zero building on campus, at ribbon-cutting ceremony on March 22

The UMass Amherst department of economics formally opened Crotty Hall at a ceremony on March 22. The 16,800-square-foot academic building houses 35 offices and four conference rooms. Designed by architect Sigrid Miller Pollin of the architecture department and built with a $10 million gift from an anonymous donor, the building is designed to produce as much energy as it consumes and is the first net-zero building on campus. (Energy Manager Today, 3/24/17; News Office release)

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UMass Economics

Gerald C. Friedman says that while it is unclear whether the Republican health care bill will pass the U.S. House, it is clear that it’s intended to shift costs for the Medicaid program that benefits the poor

Gerald C. Friedman, economics, says while it is unclear whether the Republican health care reform bill will pass the U.S. House, it is clear that it is intended to shift costs for the Medicaid program that benefits the poor. (WWLP-TV 22, 3/23/17)

 

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UMass Economics

James K. Boyce co-authors an op-ed arguing that the Republican health care bill before Congress will shorten the lives of people who lose their health insurance

James K. Boyce, economics and the Political Economy Research Institute, is co-author of an op-ed that argues that the Republican health care bill before Congress will not only shift income to wealthy people, it will also shorten the lives of people who lose their health insurance. (Dollars & Sense, March 2017)

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UMass Economics

Forbes economic columnist writing about negative impact of rise in UK’s national living wage notes Arin Dube’s argument that minimum wage should be set at 50 percent of median wage in any market area

An economic columnist writing about the negative impact a rise in the national living wage in the U.K. is having notes that Arindrajit Dube, economics, argues that a minimum wage should be set at 50 percent of the median wage in any market area. The national living wage in the U.K. is 60 percent of the median wage. (Forbes, 3/20/17)

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UMass Economics

Robert Pollin says it’s good news that global CO2 emissions remained flat for third year in a row even as global economy grew

Robert N. Pollin, Distinguished Professor in economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute, says it is good news that global CO2 emissions remained flat for the third year in a row even as the global economy grew. “It shows that if you switch technologies, you can continue to grow…but it will not get us very far down the line because we need much more dramatic cuts in emissions,” Pollin says. (Marketplace, 3/17/17)

 

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UMass Economics

Gerald C. Friedman comments on plan presented by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to repeal the ACA

Gerald Friedman, economics, comments on the plan presented by Speaker of the House Paul Ryan to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Friedman, an expert on the economics of health care, finds numerous serious flaws with the Ryan proposal, is quoted as saying that the plan does not offer “meaningful access through meaningful insurance,” and ultimately declares “I can’t figure this thing out.” His past research on the economic viability of single-payer plans is also referenced in a separate syndicated opinion piece. (Republican, 3/16/17; The Market Oracle, Dissident Voice, 3/15/17)

 

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UMass Economics

UMass Econ PhD grad Mark Paul and Professor James K. Boyce pen article “A Matter of Life and Death” regarding the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act

From A Matter of Life and Death:
“This week Republicans in Congress introduced a bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Since then, debate in Washington has centered on the costs of the Republicans’ plan. But while money will move around if this plan is passed, it is really about life and death.
The core of the Republican plan is an end to a tax on investment income, a tax that has been used for the last seven years to pay for health insurance for about 20 million Americans (one in 12 of us).
No health insurance program — public or private — is perfect. But people who have health insurance are more likely to get the preventive care, screenings and medical care they need.” READ MORE….

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UMass Economics

Economics PhD student Rebecca Ray co-author of “China and Sustainable Development in Latin America: The Social and Environmental Dimension,” a book which documents the social and environmental impact of the China-led commodity boom in the region

“Over the last decade, Latin American countries have enacted some of the most ambitious environmental and social protections in the world. But these hard-won protections faced their first serious test in the recent China-led commodities boom, as growth exploded in intrinsically-risky sectors like mining and oil.”  Read more…