The Conversation - What economists want now

+ why extremists wear costumes ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌

President Joe Biden identified the sputtering U.S. economy as one of several crises he hopes to address in his first days in office. For starters, he has outlined $1.9 trillion in new relief, including money for schools to reopen, rental assistance, aid for state and local governments and $1,400 checks for eligible Americans.

But before you can figure out what the economy needs to restore it to full health, you first have to diagnose what is wrong. So we asked four economists to describe the key problems facing the U.S. economy and what Biden and Congress can do to fix them.

Also today:

Bryan Keogh

Senior Editor, Economy + Business

Biden has made fixing the economy one of his top priorities. AP Photo/Evan Vucci

What does the economy need now? 4 suggestions for Biden’s coronavirus relief bill

Steven Pressman, Colorado State University; Melanie G. Long, The College of Wooster; R. Andrew Butters, Indiana University; Veronika Dolar, SUNY Old Westbury

Biden proposed $1.9 trillion in new coronavirus relief spending to help with the economic fallout of COVID-19. Four economists have a few ideas for him.

Environment + Energy
Biden has pledged to advance environmental justice – here’s how the EPA can start David Konisky, Indiana University The US environmental justice movement dates back to the early 1980s, but federal support for it has been weak and inconsistent. Here are four things Biden's EPA can do to improve that record.

Economy + Business

Yes, customers do like it when waiters and hairdressers wear a mask – especially if it’s black

Cihan Cobanoglu, University of South Florida; Faizan Ali, University of South Florida; Khuraman Shahtakhtinskaya, University of South Florida; Luana Nanu, Auburn University

The positive reaction to service workers wearing masks varied by region, with those in the West on the high end and people in the Midwest at the low end.

Health

Your corner pharmacy – joining the front lines of the COVID-19 fight

Sarah Lynch, Binghamton University, State University of New York; Danielle Mayer, Thomas Jefferson University

Two pharmacists involved in COVID-19 vaccine preparation explain the role pharmacists are poised to play in expanding vaccine access.
Rural health care is in crisis – here are 5 innovative ways Biden can help it transform

Lauren Hughes, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus; Sameer Vohra, Southern Illinois University

Changing how rural hospitals are paid is one way to shake up the system.

Politics + Society

Why retired generals, like new Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, rarely lead the Pentagon

Dwight Stirling, University of Southern California

President Joe Biden's nomination of a recently retired general to lead the Pentagon required an exception to federal law.
Capitol mob wasn’t just angry men – there were angry women as well

Jakana Thomas, Michigan State University

To distill the violent insurrection at the US Capitol into a tale of angry male rage is to overlook the threat that women in the mob posed.

Arts + Culture
Strange costumes of Capitol rioters echo the early days of the Ku Klux Klan – before the white sheets Kenneth Ladenburg, Arizona State University For many extremist groups, a primary goal is to spread their ideology. Costumes and uniforms – even ridiculous ones – are a form of spectacle that can garner attention and interest.

Education
How history textbooks will deal with the US Capitol attack Wendy Wall, Binghamton University, State University of New York; Christian K. Anderson, University of South Carolina; Daisy Martin, University of California, Santa Cruz The whole world saw the Jan. 6 attack on the US Capitol. How will the textbooks read by America's students describe what took place?

Science + Technology
Why does it take longer to fly from east to west on an airplane? Skip Bailey, University of Nebraska Omaha When planes fly from east to west, they are flying against a river of air called a jet stream. These air currents can make your flight longer or shorter, depending on which way you are going.

Trending on site

A healthy microbiome builds a strong immune system that could help defeat COVID-19

Ana Maldonado-Contreras, University of Massachusetts Medical School

The microbes in your gut influence how your immune system reacts to bacteria and viruses. A severe immune reaction is deadly; a small one lets the virus win. The right balance may depend on your diet.
How self-proclaimed ‘prophets’ from a growing Christian movement provided religious motivation for the Jan. 6 events at the US Capitol

Brad Christerson, Biola University

A scholar of religion explains a growing Christian movement that believes Trump was part of God's plan to bring heaven to Earth.
Kratom: What science is discovering about the risks and benefits of a controversial herb

Christopher R. McCurdy, University of Florida

Kratom, which has been linked to many deaths in the US, has been grown in Southeast Asia for centuries. There, people drink a tea made from the herb, with no ill effects. Why the difference?

The Conversation - What economists want now

What does the economy need now? 4 suggestions for Biden’s coronavirus relief bill

Environment + Energy

Biden has pledged to advance environmental justice – here’s how the EPA can start

Economy + Business

Yes, customers do like it when waiters and hairdressers wear a mask – especially if it’s black

Health

Your corner pharmacy – joining the front lines of the COVID-19 fight

Rural health care is in crisis – here are 5 innovative ways Biden can help it transform

Politics + Society

Why retired generals, like new Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, rarely lead the Pentagon

Capitol mob wasn’t just angry men – there were angry women as well

Arts + Culture

Strange costumes of Capitol rioters echo the early days of the Ku Klux Klan – before the white sheets

Education

How history textbooks will deal with the US Capitol attack

Science + Technology

Why does it take longer to fly from east to west on an airplane?

Trending on site

A healthy microbiome builds a strong immune system that could help defeat COVID-19

How self-proclaimed ‘prophets’ from a growing Christian movement provided religious motivation for the Jan. 6 events at the US Capitol

Kratom: What science is discovering about the risks and benefits of a controversial herb

Older messages

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Why the founders might object to Biden's new defense secretary

Is US democracy dead? Russia sure thinks so

Healing America: How Biden can bridge the rural-urban divide

The Atlanta church that shaped MLK and civil rights

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