Archives: May 2009

A Question about Healthcare

Posted by: Michael Mandel on May 27, Categories: Innovation

Sorry I've been delinquent here...I've been focused on a big story, and I don't seem to have enough bandwidth to do a good job blogging at the same time. But...

A Pleasant Piece of News

Posted by: Michael Mandel on May 13, Categories: Journalism

I just wanted to let the readers of this blog know that I'm a finalist for the Loeb Award for Business and Financial Journalism in the commentary category. And I...

A Bad Time to Be A Professional

Posted by: Michael Mandel on May 13, Categories: Labor Market

If you're an engineer, a networking/IT/software worker, or a 'creative' type, you have the right to feel terrible. The stretch since Lehman went bankrupt has been absolutely horrible for most...

Male Unemployment Rates At Or Near Post-War Highs

Posted by: Michael Mandel on May 08, Categories: Labor Market

Overall, this morning's labor report was not fun reading. Overall, the unemployment rate rose to 8.9%, and the number of jobs dropped by 539K. Manufacturing jobs dropped by 149K, somewhat...

Why I don't believe today's productivity stats

Posted by: Michael Mandel on May 07, Categories: Growth

Today the BLS put out a report saying that nonfarm productivity rose by 1.8% over the past year, and at an 0.8% rate in the first quarter of 2009. To...

The Wrong Approach to Multinational Taxation

Posted by: Michael Mandel on May 06, Categories: Taxation

Obama wants to raise taxes on U.S.-based multinationals. I think that if he wants to create jobs, he's making a big mistake. Take a look here. ....to the degree that...

What Corning Can Teach Us About Innovation

Posted by: Michael Mandel on May 05, Categories: Innovation

I just put up a new piece with an interview with Wendell Weeks, CEO of Corning. Corning is an innovation-driven company which almost died in the tech bust, but seems...

Starting Successful New Companies In Recessions

Posted by: Michael Mandel on May 03, Categories: Growth

First, my apologies for disappearing for a bit. I was travelling, and then got otherwise distracted. People have hypothesized that it's easier to start companies during downturns, because labor, rent,...