Research

Bottom five: Weakest large labor markets in July

The Phoenix area was the nation's weakest large labor market in July, according to figures recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

2010 economic forecast: Don't hold your breath

"The recession probably ended in June, if we had to pick a date," according to Jan Hatzius, Chief U.S. Economist at Goldman Sachs. But that doesn't mean it's time to break out the champagne.

Self-ownership, abortion and a Brave New World

"The idea of ownership," said W. P. Carey Economics Professor William Boyes, "is that we can do anything we want with what we own as long as it does not harm anyone else or violate anyone else's property rights." By that definition, our common concept of ownership might often be called

Western region accounts for 5 of 10 weakest state labor markets

For the first time in the recession, all 50 states lost jobs over the year in September, reports Lee McPheters, editor of Economy@W. P. Carey. Before the latest figures were released, North Dakota had continued to add jobs year over year, albeit at a slowing pace.

Arizona Town Hall calls for bold action to solve the state's fiscal crisis

Last week about 140 of Arizona's leaders gathered at the Grand Canyon for the 95th Arizona Town Hall — designed to bring Arizonans together for three days of discussion, culminating in a plenary session where participants adopt a final report of findings and recommendations.

Trying to lose weight? Look around the table, not just on it

Your dining companions are likely to influence how much you eat, or don’t eat, at lunch. Professor of Marketing Andrea Morales discovered that the amount of food your table mate orders may affect your own eating decisions.

Friend or foe: Does the minimum wage hurt the workers it's intended to help?

William Boyes understands why his students feel the way they do about the federal minimum wage — why they seem to universally believe that the minimum wage is a good thing. It's a good thing for them; a good thing for workers across the country; a good thing for the economy as a whole.

Eminent domain: Drawing the line on property rights

When the city of New London, Connecticut, moved to take homes in the modest Fort Trumball neighborhood by eminent domain, a group of residents resisted in court. Led by Susette Kelo, the residents eventually lost their case at the Supreme Court.

Phoenix housing market showing signs of recovery, but still has issues

It's Indian Summer in the Phoenix real estate market: Like a replay of the traditional high sales months, resale activity increased in October -- from 9,070 sales in September to 9,955.

GDP is up ... but employment recovery may be years away

Economists, Wall Street, and the general public were pleased with the advance report on third quarter Gross Domestic Product (GDP) from the U.S Bureau of Economic Analysis. The consensus expectation as posted on Briefing.com was an annualized increase of 3.2 percent.