Stories by Mark Weisbrot
Mark Weisbrot is Co-Director and co-founder of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. He received his Ph.D. in economics from the University of Michigan. He is co-author, with Dean Baker, of Social Security: The Phony Crisis (University of Chicago Press, 2000), and has written numerous research papers on economic policy. He is also president of Just Foreign Policy.
This Labor Day, most U.S. workers are worse off than they were at this time last year.
Posted on Sep 6, 2004, Source: AlterNet
Establishment types are trumpeting America's role as global police force. Too bad the U.S. just can't afford the job.
Posted on Aug 2, 2004, Source: AlterNet
In the past, the Fed has choked off growth and even triggered recessions in order to fight inflation increases. Is Alan Greenspan's conspicuous lack of concern about inflation all about election-year politics?
Posted on Mar 24, 2004, Source: AlterNet
Unions, the folks that brought us the weekend, are fighting for their basic right to exist.
Posted on Dec 9, 2003, Source: AlterNet
Republicans say there's an economic recovery -- but for most people, it still feels like a recession.
Posted on Dec 4, 2003, Source: AlterNet
While American labor has continued producing more goods and services, the vast majority of employees have barely shared at all in the fruits of their increasing productivity.
Posted on Aug 28, 2003, Source: AlterNet
The president's rhetoric hides the ugly fact that the U.S. is actually doing more to hurt Africa than help it.
Posted on Jul 11, 2003, Source: AlterNet
With the Democrats toeing the Bush administration line at home, European nations like France and Germany are the last best hope for peace.
Posted on Feb 11, 2003, Source: AlterNet
Economists are laughing at Bush's "economic stimulus" package -- but then again, this tax cut isn't really meant to help the economy any more than the last one was.
Posted on Jan 8, 2003, Source: AlterNet
If history is any guide, overt funding from Washington will turn out to be the tip of the iceberg--as it was in Haiti, Nicaragua and Chile.
Posted on Dec 18, 2002, Source: AlterNet
The new Homeland Security Bill is a lavish gift-wrapped present to corporations and special interests.
Posted on Nov 21, 2002, Source: AlterNet
Having succeeded in using Iraq to win the elections, the Bush administration is moving on to phase two of their master plan: making war inevitable.
Posted on Nov 18, 2002, Source: AlterNet
With the pharmaceutical monopoly spinning out of control while more and more people do without life-saving medication, why not make pharmaceutical research and production a public sector activity?
Posted on Oct 31, 2002, Source: AlterNet
As the debate over war on Iraq rages on, the facts on who it affects -- economically as well as socially -- are being overlooked.
Posted on Sep 12, 2002, Source: AlterNet
Global economic growth has taken a hit in the last two decades, endangering the lives and health of hundreds of millions of people in developing countries.
Posted on Aug 5, 2002, Source: AlterNet
The eroding value of the stock market signals a change for the better. Realistic prices will usher a return to economic and social progress.
Posted on Jul 24, 2002, Source: AlterNet
G-8 leaders need to pay attention to the plight of less afffluent nations who have experienced devastating economic failure over the past 20 years.
Posted on Jun 27, 2002, Source: AlterNet
There has never been an accounting of how much of the FBI's resources are devoted to policing the constitutionally protected activities of our citizens. The time is now.
Posted on Jun 6, 2002, Source: AlterNet
There are signs that Ari Fleischer's magic and President Bush's teflon coating may finally be fading.
Posted on May 22, 2002, Source: AlterNet
The latest projections show that the federal budget deficit could be twice as high in the coming year as previously thought. But for an even more glaring example of spending beyond our means, check out the U.S. trade deficit.
Posted on May 7, 2002, Source: AlterNet
Argentina's new president has a plan to revive its collapsed economy. But International Monetary Fund's demand for austerity programs may ruin the nation's chances for recovery.
Posted on Feb 14, 2002, Source: AlterNet
Of the two world forums that happened this weekend, the Economic one was deemed "practical" and the Social one "idealogical." But a closer look shows the economic elites to be the stubborn ideologues, and the social entreprenuers to be the realistic pragmatists.
Posted on Feb 4, 2002, Source: AlterNet
Since Vietnam, politicians and generals have been extremely reluctant to risk American casualties. In the war on terrorism, that reluctance is still strong.
Posted on Jan 25, 2002, Source: AlterNet
One of the leading political figures embroiled in the Enron scandal is being handed a "Get Out of Jail Free" card, and he doesn't deserve it. That is Robert Rubin, President Clinton's former Treasury Secretary.
Posted on Jan 17, 2002, Source: AlterNet
Republicans think the best way to stimulate the economy is to grant more and more tax cuts. While Democrats say existing tax cuts have made government powerless against recession.
Posted on Jan 10, 2002, Source: AlterNet
Argentina's economic meltdown might seem far away from American borders, but our greedy support of short-sighted IMF policies is largely to blame.
Posted on Jan 2, 2002, Source: AlterNet
Enron's demise leaves us with another huge, ostentatious symbol of the once-vaunted "New Economy" going belly up, and the inevitable year-end question: what lessons will be learned?
Posted on Dec 20, 2001, Source: AlterNet
Lack of progress at the WTO meeting just concluded in Doha, Qatar can be chalked up to a powerful new force: developing countries are beginning to defend their interests.
Posted on Nov 16, 2001, Source: AlterNet
Bayer, the German pharmaceutical giant, has finally reached agreement with the U.S. over the price to sell its antibiotic Cipro. That means the U.S. government will protect Bayer's patent and continue to force developing countries to buy drugs at non-generic prices.
Posted on Oct 26, 2001, Source: AlterNet
By using the tragey of 9-11 to steamroll "fast track" legislation through Congress, the Bush administration is acting like an ambulance-chasing lawyer.
Posted on Oct 4, 2001, Source: AlterNet
America has a terrible history of imposing its will through force and violence, throughout the globe. This must change to prevent further terrorism against Americans.
Posted on Sep 24, 2001, Source: AlterNet
Both parties need to rethink the shaky economics of using the mythical Social Security "lockbox" to pay off the national debt.
Posted on Aug 27, 2001, Source: AlterNet
Over the last 20 years, income per person grew by a mere 7 percent in Latin America. This compares to 75 percent for the previous two decades (1960-1980), when national governments exercised much more control over their economic policies.
Posted on Aug 15, 2001, Source: AlterNet
A defining feature of the alleged new economy -- "the productivity revolution" -- may have been as much a mirage as the dot-com bubble.
Posted on Jun 12, 2001, Source: AlterNet
The recent "Economic Human Rights Bus Tour" pointed out that basic needs such as food, shelter and health care are fundamental rights that should not be swept aside with shifts in the political winds.
Posted on Jun 5, 2001, Source: AlterNet
Looking at Bush's ridiculous new energy proposal, it's never been easier to "follow the money" of kickbacks to campaign contributions.
Posted on May 22, 2001, Source: AlterNet
Though American leaders remain wedded to the idea of the US ruling the world, lucrative business deals are much tastier than a new Cold War with China.
Posted on Apr 17, 2001, Source: AlterNet
43% of George Bush's $1.6 trillion tax cut would wind up in the hands of the richest 1% of taxpayers. Most Americans, no matter how much they hate paying taxes, do not believe that the richest people should be first in line when it comes to getting tax relief.
Posted on Feb 13, 2001, Source: AlterNet
As the new millennium opens for real this time, here are some New Year's resolutions for Congress that would actually help the people of the United States and the world.
Posted on Jan 2, 2001, Source: AlterNet
Seattle showed that effective grassroots activism can shake even mighty financial institutions like the WTO. One year later, they still haven't recovered from the shock.
Posted on Nov 28, 2000, Source: AlterNet
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