Author: Chris Liotta

Feb 17, 2017

You Decide: Is Farming a High-Tech Industry

The productivity of farmers soared over the past century. The productivity of farms jumped an amazing 140 percent between 1910 and 1950. This is what technology does, but are the productivity gains in farming over? 

Feb 13, 2017

Economic Perspective: Tradeoffs in Work Schedules

Historically, the 9-to-5 work schedule was the norm. However, with evolving technology and new job markets is that still the case? NC State University economist Mike Walden presents a few studies to find out what current workers think. 

Feb 9, 2017

Eye on the (Butterfly) Future

Ph.D. student Elsita Kiekebusch is studying how climate change affects a butterfly population, in hopes of aiding conservation. 

Feb 6, 2017

Economic Perspective: The Pace of Automation

The rate at which automation replaces human labor in the work force has been a constantly discussed topic in economics. Yet, economists can't seem to agree on the potential rate at which the jobs will be switched out over time. Mike Walden discusses the potential trends, and what outcomes they could have for the workforce. 

Feb 3, 2017

You Decide: How Can We Get to Four Percent Growth?

One of the major goals of the new administration is to increase the rate of economic growth in the country. The objective is to move from the two percent annual growth rate of recent years to four percent. A strong case can be made that improving economic growth is the challenge of our time. NC State University economist Mike Walden lays out the details for you to decide if we can get there. 

Jan 30, 2017

Economic Perspective: Gains from Education

As the cost of higher education continues to rise, some people are wondering if the gains of higher education still payoff in the long run. NC State University economist Mike Walden presents the numbers on what gains have been shown to follow pursuing post-high school education. 

Jan 23, 2017

Economic Perspective: The Cost of Regulations

A recent study released looked to quantify the cost of regulations in the United States since 1980. What were the results and what do they mean? NC State University economist Mike Walden discusses the main points of the study. 

Jan 20, 2017

You Decide: Do Economists Ever Agree?

Economists have a reputation for being disagreeable. Some have argued an individual economist even has trouble agreeing with her or himself. Recently Dr. Mike Walden had a chance to test the level of agreement among economists taking part in a panel. So what did economists agree about? 

Jan 9, 2017

Economic Perspective: Are the Kids Leaving Home?

The societal changes we’ve seen in recent years is the increase of young adults choosing to live with their parents after they have finished school. Now that the job market has been improving, is the number of young adults living at home with their parents still significant? 

Jan 6, 2017

You Decide: How to Solve Our Economic Growth Mystery?

Like the nation and most states, North Carolina’s economy has made progress since the end of the Great Recession. However, compared to recent recoveries from recessions, the pace of North Carolina’s current economic progress has been relatively slow. Usually, North Carolina's economic recoveries are stronger than the national recoveries. What could be the cause of this?