Cosmetology schools and crushing student loans
I’m sure some of you are asking yourself “what does cosmetology schools have to do with crushing student loans?”. The preeminent story––which we are told over and over again by the media and way too many of our business and political leaders––about student loans is that it is students who get four-year degrees in non […]
Warren Evans on attacking poverty
Wayne County Executive Warren Evans’ column for The PuLSE Institute entitled Michigan needs long-term poverty policy is worth reading. Both in its call for making attacking poverty a priority and for taking on the conventional wisdom about the causes of poverty. Evans writes: Misconceptions about poverty and the poor continue to nurture flawed policies. The […]
A strong economy not benefiting far too many Michigan households
Despite warning signs at the end of the year, 2018 was a very good year for the Michigan and the nation’s economy. But the strong economy––characterized by low unemployment and strong growth––was accompanied by 40 percent of Michigan households not able to pay for basic necessities. A majority of whom have a working adult. This […]
What Michigan needs to learn from Amazon HQ2
As we all now know Amazon picked New York City and the northern Virginia inner ring suburbs of Washington D.C. for their HQ2. Both characterized by high concentrations of those with four-year degrees or more and extensive transit systems. As we have written before No talent, no transit, no Amazon. There are three key lessons that […]
Ford and Detroit alarm bells
Recent bond reports from Moody’s on Ford and the city of Detroit should be setting off alarm bells. Both reports paint a picture of the Michigan economy far different that the celebratory tone of most Michigan policy makers and business leaders. (You can find a Detroit Free Press article, entitled Ford investment rating cut to […]
GM needs rock climbing engineers
A recent Detroit Free Press article entitled GM’s job cuts shift to a new kind of worker needed is worth checking out. It is a pretty dramatic example of the reality that––even for those with STEM degrees (in this case engineers)––the foundation skills for all are what we call rock climbing skills, not job-specific skills. The […]
Community colleges need to be redesigned
At least rhetorically––not so much when it comes to funding––there is a lot of support on a bi-partisan basis for community colleges. They are seen as critical to preparing workers for the skilled trades and other mid-skill jobs. Occupations employers claim where there is more demand than supply. To be effective institutions of better matching […]
Baseball statistics and standardized tests
After reading the title of this post, I’m sure many of you are asking “What does baseball statistics have to do with standardized tests?” The subtitle of Keith Law’s book Smart Baseball provides a clue to the answer: The story behind the old stats that are ruining the game, the new ones that are running […]
Michigan is a low-prosperity state in a strong economy
2017 per capita income data for states has been published. What the data make clear for Michigan is that we are now structurally a low-prosperity state. No matter whether the state’s and the nation’s economy is growing or declining Michigan’s per capita income––in a strong economy with an even stronger domestic auto industry––is 11 percent […]
The bachelors degree premium detailed
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ report The Financial Returns from College across Generations: Large but Unequal details the bachelors degree premium irrespective of race or parents education. And that premium is substantial for all. The data come from Federal Reserve’s 2016 Survey of Consumer Finances which surveyed a nationally representative sample of 6,248 […]