Commentary

The unhappiness of the US working class

The US is in crisis. The political divisions are crippling; income and opportunities are as unequally shared as they have ever been; and society is divided in terms of the different lives, hopes, and dreams that the rich and the poor have. The starkest marker of this crisis of societal ill-being is the rising rate of mortality due to premature deaths (suicide, opioids, and alcohol poisoning, among others) primarily among less educated whites. The trend of rising rather than falling mortality rates among an important demographic group is unique to the US among rich countries.

Refugee resettlement in the EU

The need for burden-sharing between destination countries remains a priority but it should be applied in the context of a resettlement program rather than as a response to “spontaneous” arrivals.

Public versus private job placement services

Many countries have chosen to contract out at least part of their placement services to private providers.

Environmental regulations and business decisions

How costly are environmental regulations, and how do their costs compare with their benefits?