Recession? Check. So Where’s the Crime?
Violent crime in New York has decreased steadily even as the recession has deepened, further disproving the conventional notion that crime increases in recessions. Read More »
The Financial Meltdown Now and Then
In the first installment of a three-part series, economic historian Price Fishback showed just how different the basic macroeconomic facts are in the current financial situation versus during the Great Depression.
In the second of three blog posts, Fishback turns to a discussion of the recent financial meltdown compared to the one that accompanied the Great Depression. For everyone still scratching their heads about what happened to the financial sector this fall, Fishback offers one of the clearest descriptions I’ve seen yet. He then discusses the similarities and differences of the financial collapse that began in 1929. Read More »
The Lure of Legal Drugs
In 2001 Portugal, facing one of the most serious drug problems in Europe, decided to decriminalize drug possession, including marijuana, cocaine, and heroin. People caught with small quantities of drugs were no longer sent to prison; they were sent to rehab. Since then, drug use in the country has plummeted, along with the HIV infection rate from addicts sharing dirty needles. Read More »
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