Policy
What Work Does Generative AI Do?
Essays SEP 8, 2026
By: Alexander Bick, Adam Blandin, David Deming, Tyler Schumacher
AI, Tech & Energy
Labor, Wages & Worker Power
Browse All Resources
Essays
JAN 13, 2017
Weekend reading: “Thawing out from #ASSA2017” edition
By: Nick Bunker
Abstract
This is a weekly post we publish on Fridays with links to articles that touch on economic inequality and growth. The first section is a round-up of what Equitable Growth published this week and the second is the work we’re highlighting from elsewhere. We won’t be the first to share these articles, but we hope by taking a look back at the whole week, we can put them in context.
Equitable Growth round-up
The annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations was this past weekend in Chicago. Here are the highlights of presentations Equitable Growth staff saw during the first, second and final days of the meeting.
Among the highlights was a new paper by several economists on the decline in labor’s share of income. The research points to rising concentration of businesses and the rise of “superstar firms” as a major contributor to the decline in the labor share of income.
The continued existence of the Affordable Care Act is an open question these days. Kavya Vaghul looks at the potential distributional effects if the health care law is repealed.
Links from around the web
Claudia Sahm reflects on the 2017 meeting of the ASSA and comes up with three stories from the conference about economists and economics research. [claudiasahm (opens in a new tab)]
Milton Friedman famously suggested that a people’s consumption responds more to changes in their permanent income than to temporary changes in income. Noah Smith argues that hypothesis is dead wrong. [bloomberg view (opens in a new tab)]
Riffing on Robert Shiller’s American Economic Association Presidential address, Martin Sandbu writes about the importance of narratives for understanding not just economics but also how those narratives affect the economy. [free lunch (opens in a new tab)]
Is the zero lower bound a technical problem that can be solved by policymakers, an intractable problem for modern macroeconomics, or not a special case at all? J.W. Mason raises these questions. [slackwire (opens in a new tab)]
Guy Rolnik interviews Sandra Black, a member of President Obama’s Council of Economic Advisers, on the influence of labor market monopsony, or the ability of employers to set wages. [pro-market (opens in a new tab)]
Friday figure
Figure from “U.S labor market tightness, hiring, and the decline in job switching” by Nick Bunker
Related
Policy
What happens to U.S. workers without access to Unemployment Insurance amid economic downturns or disruptions related to AI?
Essays SEP 2, 2026
By: Megan Rivera
AI, Tech & Energy
Economic Equity & Opportunity
Labor, Wages & Worker Power
Macroeconomics & Economic Measurement
Policy
Economic research shows immigration is good for U.S. workers, the economy, and affordability
Essays AUG 31, 2026
By: Christopher Bangert-Drowns
Economic Equity & Opportunity
Household Economic Security
Labor, Wages & Worker Power
Your Direct Line to Cutting-Edge Research
Get updates on our latest research, event announcements, and policy insights delivered straight to your inbox. Stay connected with the leading voices on equitable growth.