If you are looking for COVID-19 data there are two good resources. The first is the Our World in Data Cornonavirus page by Max Roser, Hannah Ritchie, and Esteban Ortiz-Ospina. They have a number of interactive graphs, such as the one copied here where you can select countries to view, …
Read More »What does it mean to “flatten the curve”?
The New York Times article How Much Worse the Coronavirus Could Get, in Charts by Nicholas Kristof and Stuart A. Thompson (3/13/2020) has a great interactive set of graphs that illustrate the importance of flattening the curve. The graphs start with the one copied here. What’s at stake in this …
Read More »How have counties grown since the great recession?
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth article New measure of county-level GDP gives insight into local-level U.S. economic growth by Raksha Kopparam (12/16/2019) provides the map copied here. Making GDP a more useful metric may require peeling it apart and looking at the data more closely. On December 12, the …
Read More »How did minimum wage increases impact wage growth?
This graph from the EPI post Low-wage workers saw the biggest wage growth in sates that increased their minimum wage between 2018 and 2019 by Elise Gould (3/4/2020) answers part of the question. It is worth noting that: Strong wage growth at the 10th percentile is not simply due to …
Read More »How do U.S. adults view the economy?
The Pew report Views of Nation’s Economy Remain Positive, Sharply Divided by Partisanship (2/7/2020) provides the answer: Currently, 81% of Republicans and Republican-leaning independents say the economy is excellent or good. These views have changed only modestly over the past two years. But between November 2016 (just before Trump’s victory …
Read More »Who ranks countries by levels of perceived corruption?
Transparency International has a yearly corruption perceptions index. The graph here is for 2019 (high score – lighter colors – clean, low score – darker colors – corrupt). The Corruption Perceptions Index ranks 180 countries and territories by their perceived levels of public sector corruption, according to experts and business …
Read More »How has child mortality changed?
The article in Nature, Mapping 123 million neonatal, infant, and child deaths between 2000 and 2017, by Burstein et. el (10/16/2019), provides a detailed analysis of under 5 child mortality (U5mr). The goal of mortality-reduction efforts is ultimately to prevent premature deaths, and not just to reduce mortality rates. Across …
Read More »What are American’s view on economic inequality?
The PEW article Most Americans Say There Is Too Much Economic Inequality in the U.S., but Fewer Than Half Call it a Top Priority by Juliana Menasce Horowitz, Ruth Igielnik, and Rakesh Kochhar (1/9/2020) is a thorough review of income and wealth inequality, as well as American’s views of inequality. …
Read More »What are EPI’s top charts of 2019?
To find the top charts of 2019 according to EPI see their Top charts of 2019 post. The graph here is #5 on their list. The figure shows that the real value of the federal minimum wage has dropped 17% since 2009 and 31% since 1968. A full-time worker earning …
Read More »What has improved (and not) between rich and poor countries?
The St. Louis Fed post, Healthier Countries, if Not Wealthier Countries by Guillaume Vandenbroucke (12/26/2019) notes The income gap between rich and poor countries doesn’t seem to be closing. In fact, it seems to be getting wider. However, the gaps between these groups of countries when it comes to health …
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