The hottest Economic Impact Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top World Politics Topics
The Works in Progress Newsletter β€’ 7 implied HN points β€’ 06 Mar 24
  1. Institutional changes can be designed to buy in established interests using gains from reform which may avoid prolonged and violent conflicts for reform.
  2. The development of liberal institutions for long-term economic growth can present challenges for countries with existing poor institutions as seen in the Western Europe, East Asia, and North America regions.
  3. Instituting successful and lasting institutional reforms requires careful management of suboptimal institutions to effect change quickly and avoid backlash, as demonstrated by the agricultural reforms in Tsarist Russia under Pyotr Stolypin.
Stark Realities with Brian McGlinchey β€’ 166 implied HN points β€’ 01 Mar 23
  1. A national sales tax could replace multiple taxes like income and payroll, simplifying the tax system.
  2. A federal sales tax would make the cost of the government more transparent to citizens.
  3. Replacing income tax with a sales tax could change how Americans view programs like Social Security and Medicare.
Extropic Thoughts β€’ 117 implied HN points β€’ 02 Jun 23
  1. Having more people is not inherently bad; each new person brings potential for creativity and productivity.
  2. Limiting lifespan extension to control population growth is ethically irresponsible and ineffective; focusing on reducing birth rates is a better approach.
  3. Global population growth is projected to slow and eventually decline due to various factors, including declining fertility rates and aging populations.
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The Permanent Problem β€’ 4 HN points β€’ 10 Jan 24
  1. There is a global trend of declining fertility rates, leading to population shrinkage in many countries.
  2. The decline in fertility rates is a fundamental issue affecting society's ability to innovate, be productive, and flourish.
  3. The author suggests that the current capitalist system is failing globally as an engine of social progress, and alternative social arrangements are needed.
Arpitrage β€’ 2 HN points β€’ 13 Feb 24
  1. Investment taxes play a crucial role in addressing the housing crisis by impacting housing affordability.
  2. Tax laws in the 1980s, especially changes in depreciation schedules, significantly influenced commercial real estate production.
  3. Adjusting accounting rules, like shortening depreciation schedules or allowing full expensing, could encourage a construction boom and potentially reduce rents.
California Thoughts β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 23 Jun 23
  1. American Compass proposes a global tariff to eliminate the trade deficit, but this can have negative effects on the economy.
  2. Trade balances and currency exchanges work to maintain balance in the economy, with imports and exports affecting standards of living.
  3. Implementing tariffs can lead to declines in domestic output and productivity, unemployment, and higher inequality without significant impact on the trade balance.
Anxiety Addiction & Ascension β€’ 39 implied HN points β€’ 05 Jul 22
  1. Brian Deese's statement about fuel prices being a sacrifice for the Liberal World Order highlights the disconnect between the ruling class and regular working people
  2. The concept of Liberal World Order is being used to justify sacrifices made by the public for the benefit of the powerful elite
  3. The narrative of the Liberal World Order is being employed to divert attention from underlying issues like inflation and wealth inequality
Joshua Gans' Newsletter β€’ 119 implied HN points β€’ 18 Dec 20
  1. The CDL Rapid Screening Consortium, led by Creative Destruction Lab and 12 companies, is implementing rapid antigen screens to enable daily screening to identify and isolate infectious individuals and protect others.
  2. The consortium aims to make rapid screening a part of daily life in Canada, with workers and visitors being frequently screened, helping to minimize exposure and bring economies back to normality.
  3. The initiative addresses the challenge of scaling pandemic management efforts, focusing on ongoing, regular screening to ensure a safer environment and eventually bringing back normalcy to daily life.
Exasperated Infrastructures β€’ 12 implied HN points β€’ 12 May 23
  1. Traffic engineers should include the cost of traffic violence in their project calculations to prioritize safety.
  2. Calculating the cost of lost productivity from motor vehicle incidents reveals the substantial economic impact of traffic violence.
  3. Factoring in the value of a human life can help in justifying safety improvements and preventing unnecessary tragedies.
Joshua Gans' Newsletter β€’ 39 implied HN points β€’ 04 Aug 20
  1. Tailored policies based on locality-specific data are crucial for effective Covid-19 management in different cities.
  2. Different US cities have unique network structures affecting the impact of various policies like work from home or essential work.
  3. Understanding city network structures and demographics can help predict policy outcomes, and this data remains relatively stable over time.
Madhur’s Writings β€’ 3 HN points β€’ 16 Feb 23
  1. The shift to remote work due to Covid has negatively impacted small businesses in downtown areas.
  2. Tech layoffs and remote work culture are contributing to the decline of social aspects and liveliness in big cities.
  3. Analogies to the Rust Belt area show how remote work could lead to population decline and decline in city vibrancy.
Machine Economy Press β€’ 2 implied HN points β€’ 03 May 23
  1. The World Economic Forum predicts that nearly 25% of jobs will be disrupted in the next five years due to AI and other factors.
  2. Employers expect to create 69 million new jobs by 2027 while eliminating 83 million positions, resulting in a net loss of 14 million jobs.
  3. Up to 26 million jobs in record-keeping and administrative positions are expected to be eliminated as companies adopt AI technologies in the next five years.
Joshua Gans' Newsletter β€’ 19 implied HN points β€’ 14 Aug 20
  1. The Covid-19 pandemic may accelerate the move towards a paperless office, as people adapt to working digitally and without physical paperwork.
  2. Despite the decline in paper use, demand for wood pulp products, such as cardboard boxes for online deliveries, remains strong.
  3. The pandemic has forced organizations to transition away from paper processes, leading to a potential long-term shift towards digital alternatives.
Joshua Gans' Newsletter β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 26 Jun 21
  1. Living with Covid as endemic means acknowledging variance in outbreaks and economic disruption.
  2. Continued outbreaks will disrupt plans and economic activity, leading to supply constraints and potential inflation in the near future.
  3. Investing in systems like rapid screening can help minimize disruptions, but adoption must happen before serious outbreaks occur.
Joshua Gans' Newsletter β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 12 Mar 21
  1. Reflecting on the past year, the author shares personal experiences of adjusting to the pandemic and transitioning to remote work.
  2. The author discusses their journey of writing books and starting a newsletter focused on COVID-19's economic aspects, sharing insights and predictions for the future.
  3. Predictions for the next year include expectations around vaccination progress, the future of COVID-19, potential health care shifts, and reflections on post-pandemic changes in work and society.
Informer β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 24 Sep 23
  1. YIMBYs advocate for expanding US housing supply, but removing private housing development restrictions may not be the solution.
  2. There is a significant shift on the Left towards supporting pro-density public policy for affordable housing.
  3. Economists like Ed Glaeser and Matt Yglesias argue that restrictive land-use policies hinder affordable housing in big cities.
Joshua Gans' Newsletter β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 28 Oct 20
  1. Vaccines and treatments for the pandemic take time to distribute and may not be perfect when they become available
  2. People's social distancing behavior changes when a vaccine is on the horizon, impacting economic activity
  3. The impact of a vaccine versus a treatment on social distancing behavior and economic activity can differ significantly
Joshua Gans' Newsletter β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 26 Oct 20
  1. Government actions have limited impact on the overall course of the pandemic, with people and their behaviors playing a significant role.
  2. Advocates of 'letting it rip' to achieve herd immunity quickly overlook the potential long-term health costs and economic impacts of such a strategy.
  3. Voluntary social distancing and population density have been crucial factors in influencing the spread of the virus, showing that personal behavior plays a key role in controlling the outbreak.
Joshua Gans' Newsletter β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 12 Jul 20
  1. Many are pinning hopes on a COVID-19 vaccine to end the pandemic, but the distribution process may lead to a prolonged economic downturn.
  2. The arrival of a vaccine could bring about changes in social distancing behaviors, leading to negative impacts on consumer activities and businesses.
  3. While a vaccine may be beneficial in the long run, in the short term, it could pose challenges for the economy, requiring preparation for the potential consequences.
Fight to Repair β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 19 Jan 21
  1. The economic argument for repair highlights significant savings for Americans, with potential benefits of around $300 per household per year, totaling $36.6 billion annually.
  2. Access to robust repair options can reduce the cost of owning electronics by almost a quarter (22%) for the average American family.
  3. Legislators should consider the economic impact of promoting a repair economy, which not only benefits consumers, but also creates jobs and supports the local economy.
Joshua Gans' Newsletter β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 14 Mar 20
  1. In dealing with Covid-19, there is a need to balance between minimizing short-term costs and minimizing medium-term costs, which presents a conflict.
  2. Flattening the curve is not enough to combat the pandemic effectively and can be very costly due to its impact on the health care system capacity.
  3. To address the limitations of flattening the curve, there is a critical need for a dramatic, immediate increase in healthcare capacity like what was done in Wuhan, calling for a war-like mindset.
The Snap Forward β€’ 0 implied HN points β€’ 19 Feb 24
  1. Climate change is leading to massive human migration as people seek safety and opportunity in a planet facing crisis.
  2. The book 'On the Move' by Abrahm Lustgarten discusses the systemic threats caused by climate change and the impacts of displacement on millions of Americans.
  3. The implications of climate migration extend beyond America, affecting one in three people globally by 2070 and leading to economic, demographic, and societal transitions that must be addressed.