Keystone Confusion
Obama's rejection of the pipeline will result in jobs lost and worse environmental results
On the Newsstand:Jobs
Capturing the Demographic Dividend
The challenges of providing opportunities for the world's growing youth population
Paul Schied Wonders If Anyone Think This Is a Good Idea?
Paul Schied starts a discussion on what he sees as a stunningly impractical provision of the president’s jobs plan, and questions whether unemployment discrimination suits will have the desired effect. Read the full article at the Harvard Political Review.
Does Anyone Think This Is a Good Idea?
One provision of the president's jobs plan seems stunningly impractical.
Brett Rosenberg on Obama, the Media, and the Jobs Speech
In an irreverent take on Obama’s job speech, Brett Rosenberg of the Crimson argues that the media both overreacted and showed the changing public perception of the president. Even with the sensationalistic coverage of the speech’s scheduling problems, the media does at least point to the reduced respect for the president. Read the full article at the Crimson.
Big Brother, Can I Borrow Some Sugar?
The Federal government has gone too far in regulating the sugar industry, indirectly worsening the quality of food products like soft drinks.
An Admissions Lottery?
In today’s Crimson, Dylan Matthews has a provocative column arguing that Harvard ought to randomize its admissions process. Dylan claims that Harvard’s current admissions system entrenches existing inequalities—including inequalities of talent. Talent, Dylan thinks, is pretty much beyond our control. Channeling John Rawls, Dylan assumes that success in life shouldn’t be “contingent” on “arbitrary factors” like genetic gifts, parental vigilance, ... Read More
Serfs Up! Unpaid Interns and the Culture of Dependence
I’m posting the column that was scheduled to run in this week’s Harvard Independent… until the issue was canceled. This is an elaboration of my views on the unpaid internship debate, which has been a hot topic on the HPRgument lately. See Max’s initial post and my response. Serfs Up! – Unpaid Interns and the Culture of Dependence The Obama ... Read More
Why do Harvard kids head to Wall Street? Because they want to, that’s why
Ezra Klein has a balanced, sympathetic interview with an anonymous Harvard grad (history and political philosophy, my kind of guy/girl) who worked for Goldman Sachs after being recruited at Harvard. The key paragraph, the one that allows Ezra to suggest that the Ivy-Wall St. pipeline is not all about following the money, is this one: Investment banking was never something ... Read More
Weighing In: Are Interns Slaves?
In dueling editorials, two sets of Crimson editors opined today on the federal crack-down on unpaid internships. I’m with the pro-payment crowd, but I think that both the sides made the same conceptual error by assuming that this is a straightforward case of equality versus opportunity. The majority view was that, even though stricter regulation “might result in fewer internship ... Read More
Jobs Bill, Cloture, Kabuki
So the Senate passed a jobs bill today by a vote of 70-28. In policy terms, this isn’t big news. The CBO estimates the bill will cost some $15 billion, a fortune to you and I, but a pittance in Washington terms. In any case, the moneys allocated pale in comparison to the $500-600 billion worth of stimulus which has ... Read More
Green Jobs, Jobs, Jobs
An excellent op-ed in the Crimson today by Hemi Gandhi criticizes Harvard and its students for having a somewhat superficial commitment to green energy. The criticisms of Harvard are, on the whole, more compelling. If the Environmental Science and Public Policy is really so narrowly focused, as Gandhi says, then it’s not the students who are at fault for its ... Read More
The State of the Union – LIVEBLOG
Follow us as we watch President Obama’s State of the Union! Summary: Obama’s State of the Union Address was reminiscent of his victory speech on the day he was elected. He appealed to voters on all parts of the political spectrum by focusing on issues that are at the forefront of the minds of most Americans. Obama touched on nearly ... Read More
