Lessons for the U.S. from Canadian reforms

For the first monthly Economic Club of Phoenix luncheon of the 2016-2017 season, the keynote speaker was Jason Clemens, executive vice president of the Fraser Institute. He shared about Canada's pre-reform days and its 1990s era of restructuring, as well as the country's reform results.

Headwinds for the next president

Dennis Hoffman, speaking at the Economic Club of Phoenix first monthly luncheon of the 2016-2017 season, said the headwinds for the next president: Aging baby boomers are one cause for the declining labor force participation rates.

Employees donate more to their CEOs' preferred political candidates

Do you feel coerced by your CEO into making political choices on election day that you would not make otherwise? It's not uncommon for chief executive officers to affect how their employees vote.

U.S. workers put in many more hours than Europeans do

The 9-to-5 workday is longer in the United States, and this study gets closer to why Americans spend so much time in the office.

As disincentives to work, higher taxes affect women more

In 2004, Nobel Laureate and W. P. Carey Professor of Economics Ed Prescott started the debate about why Europeans, as a whole, work so much less than Americans. His answer: Europe’s higher taxes dull the incentive to work. Alex Bick, also an economics professor at the W. P.

Wages are imperfect window into health of U.S. labor market

Up until recently the U.S. labor market has been viewed as on the uptick, especially after research conducted by the U.S. Federal Reserve cemented the idea.

Arizona's jobless rate climbs fourth month in a row

Arizona's unemployment rate rose in July for the fourth consecutive month, which dampens news that the state's longer-term job growth remains relatively better than the nation's.

Test your Arizona economic IQ

For 10 years, guests at the annual Economic Outlook Luncheon, sponsored by the Economic Club of Phoenix, are challenged by research economist Lee McPheters to answer a set of questions about the background issues driving the Arizona economy. Here's your chance to do the same.

This is the boom: Economists deliver 2016 outlook

For anyone who fondly remembers Arizona’s boom times, economists have a new message: Even though 2016 might well shape up as the state’s best year in 10 years, it’s time to get used to rates of much slower growth.

Teamwork: In-house economists make analysts more accurate

In periods of economic downturn, analysts’ forecasts are generally more optimistic than conditions warrant. On the other hand, analysts are very accurate reflecting positive signs.