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Homeowning versus renting

Economic Perspective

Nov 28, 2012

Where we shine

A major new survey of business leaders was recently released. Among the questions asked were a series about pluses and minuses of doing business in the United States compared to other nations. N.C. State University economist Mike Walden sums up what the leaders said. 

Nov 27, 2012

Worldwide income inequality

There’s been much discussion in the United States about the increase in income inequality. This means that incomes at the top of income distribution have grown faster than incomes at the bottom of the distribution. Is this an issue confined to our country? N.C. State University economist Mike Walden answers. 

Nov 26, 2012

Energy independence

For more than 40 years, the United States has had the goal of becoming energy independent. But for most of those years, the U.S. has gone the other way and become more energy dependent on other countries. Has the tide finally been shifting? N.C. State University economist Mike Walden responds. 

Nov 26, 2012

YOU DECIDE: Should 'tax expenditures' be part of a budget deal?

Can something called “tax expenditures” be the silver bullet to avoid a fiscal cliff and put the federal government on a better financial footing? Mike Walden explains. 

Nov 23, 2012

Helping the needy

With the recession being so deep and the recovery being rather mild, one might expect that a variety of federal and state programs that help the needy would have experienced a big jump in their expenditures in the past few years. And the data, says N.C. State University economist Mike Walden, confirm this. 

Nov 22, 2012

Restructuring manufacturing

Although manufacturing in the United States and in North Carolina has shrunk from what it once was, it still accounts for almost 25 percent of total economic output in our state. But there is a great deal of worry about the future of manufacturing and whether any will remain domestically. N.C. State University’s Mike Walden explains the trends that economists see. 

Nov 21, 2012

North Carolina’s job picture

As we get closer to the end of the year, it’s a good time to take stock of the job situation. N.C. State University economist Mike Walden takes a look at the latest North Carolina jobs report and what it shows for the past year. 

Nov 20, 2012

Can we predict the economic future?

Mary Walden asks her husband, N.C. State University economist Mike Walden, “After all that time you spent in school and for the last 35 years teaching about the economy, why can’t you predict it?” 

Nov 19, 2012

Can two live as cheaply as one?

When Mary Walden graduated from college and took her first full-time job, she lived with a roommate. Both were young teachers with little money, and they thought they could share many of the expenses and cut our total living costs almost in half. She asks her husband, N.C. State University economist Mike Walden, whether this strategy still works today. 

Nov 16, 2012

Homeowning versus renting

The decision to buy a home versus rent is one of the biggest a person will make. It wasn’t so long ago that nearly everyone wanted to own a home, but after the housing crash, people haven’t been so sure. N.C. State University economist Mike Walden offers advice.