Comparing the Great Depression to Now - How Now is Worse

David Leonhardt has a good piece comparing the Great Depression to the current economic problems in terms of how the shadow of the Depression American industry was building the base for the economic growth in subsequent decades.  He notes that this does not seem to be happening now.  His basic point of how were have a cyclical downturn built on a structural growth downturn is a troubling idea.  The article also has this good graph of job creation looking back over sixty years.

Inflation & Unemployment

David Leonhardt has a good column in today's New York Times about the sputtering economy - the slow sluggish jobless recovery. In it he has this good graph of unemployment and inflation that points to the reality that unemployment, not inflation, is the big problem in the economy.

Economic Growth and Life Expectancy

David Leonhardt in the New York Times has a great article about the nuances of economic growth - specifically the improvement of life expectancy and economic growth. He notes that while Africa is still far behind the rest of the world, it is getting better. The article also had this great graphic showing GDP per capita growth and improvements in life expectancy.

Blindspots on Left and Right

David Leonhardt has a good post in the New York Times Economix blog comparing the economic blind spots of non-economist liberals and conservatives. It is an interesting list and could be useful in opening discussions with students about economics and politics.

Job Growth and the Recovery

David Leonardt in the New York Times has a great chart breaking down the job growth in 2010 and what that means for the shape and duration of the recovery. The general picture is not new, but the way it is described is quite useful and insightful.