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![]() Tyler CowenBloomberg |
I write about artificial intelligence a lot, and lately I have begun to think of myself as writing for AI as well. If you are a writer — and if...
One of the longest, most technical and, as it turns out, most inconsequential public-policy debates of the 21st century was about net neutrality. Now...
Breakthroughs in AI are so common these days it is hard to separate the truly important from the merely incidental. But one recent development is...
New York City’s congestion pricing plan is now in place, and some very early returns are in. However imperfectly — the tolls have been in effect...
President-elect Donald Trump is said to be interested in the privatization of the US Postal Service, a prospect that also appeals to his DOGE...
One of the most reliable observations any opinion writer can make, myself included, is that the pace of change has accelerated. But in the last few...
The NBA seems to be having some trouble. This season’s TV ratings are either down precipitously or struggling to hold even, a shift too dramatic to...
I write this from Kerala, on the southwest coast of India, on one of the last days of my eighth trip to this country. I’ve been to most of its...
Arbitrage is one of the most fundamental principles of economics, and that holds for the tax system as well. People will go to great lengths —...
I am (mostly) bullish on crypto and (usually) skeptical of higher taxes, especially on capital gains. So why do I think it would be wrong to make...
When Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump agree on something, it’s a sign that trouble is afoot. And last week, the senator from Vermont said that he...
Donald Trump’s return to the White House means that one of his signature issues will soon return to the center of Washington’s economic policy...
The decline of the American system of higher education has many causes, several of which I have catalogued over the years, but one of the most...
One of the only things growing faster than progress in AI applications is speculation about AI’s effect on the economy. I don’t have all the...
Who is or was Satoshi Nakamoto, the creator of Bitcoin? A recent HBO documentary names Peter Todd, with the possible assistance of Adam Back....
In his interview this week with John Micklethwait, editor-in-chief of Bloomberg News, former President Donald Trump offered a somewhat unusual...
In an age of accelerating progress in artificial intelligence, everyone is debating AI’s implications for the labor market or national security....
With North Carolina still reeling from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton landing in Florida, it is natural to ask: What is the...
The various bestselling books on income inequality cite a variety of driving factors. Robert Kuttner blames global capitalism. Paul Krugman pins it...
Donald Trump likes to talk about tariffs. He has proposed a 100% import tax on on goods and services from countries that shun the dollar, 60% if...
GLP-1 weight-loss drugs alleviate obesity as well as provide other health benefits. Yet they are also the focus of controversy, with the chief...
“Buy American” sounds like such a good idea. The phrase itself evokes the benefits of commerce, and of America selling things, while renewed...
In the long-running popular series about what’s wrong with economics, there is a new entry: Our profession is too insular. “Economists generally...
As it turns out, a US sovereign wealth fund is not just another crazy idea from Donald Trump. It is a crazy idea supported by hedge fund...
Economists have had a lot of criticisms over the years, as well as some praise, for the concept of a wealth tax in the US. But one of its biggest...
There are two radically different visions of our AI future, and they depend on the cost of energy. In one scenario, low energy prices lead to a lot...
Efficiency, economically speaking, generally refers to improvements: higher production, superior service, faster innovation. But there is another...
“What happened in 1971?” It is one of the most important and debated questions in US economic history, and new research suggests that the answer...
Elon Musk has hinted that he would take a job in a Trump administration, posting on X that he would be “willing to serve” in the “Department of...
Working in ever larger teams, often enabled by technology, is a fundamental feature of contemporary life. And yet the broader social and economic...
The question of whether Europe should have more air conditioning is of primary concern to Europeans, of course. But this is peak summer tourism...
Depending on where you live and how you want to use it, it is pretty easy to get marijuana in the US. At first medical marijuana, which has...
Ranked choice voting is on many state and local ballots this year, so it’s worth considering how it works in practice. Or, as we economists like to...
Which financial assets a central bank should buy and sell is hardly a novel question. Historically, the US Federal Reserve has focused on...
With Donald Trump and JD Vance at the top of the Republican ticket, the party seems to be returning to its protectionist roots. Some members of the...
Like it or not, the world is going to fall far short of meeting its current goals for reducing carbon emissions. Given that reality, which policies...
In recent years, progress in protecting the welfare of animals has been mostly stuck. The percentage of vegetarians or vegans in the US has been...
Donald Trump’s 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act was the biggest corporate tax cut in US history. How did it affect the economy? The question has taken on...
At first glance, the policy sounds absurd, especially to many Americans: In Sweden, grandparents are now eligible for government subsidies to...