Defense is a regrettable expenditure. Like law enforcement and insurance, defense spending may be necessary but intrinsically it does not make us feel better off in the same way as, for example, housing, transportation services, and education. Thus the reductions in East- West tensions that...

During the 1980s, the New England economy prospered relative to the nation as a whole, with lower unemployment rates, more rapidly rising real estate prices, and lower rates of business failures. As the economic tide turned against New England at the end of the decade, the rate of business...

During the recent recession in New England, the number of unincorporated self-employed individuals grew while all the other major classes of workers shrank. A shift into self-employment represents one part of a set of changes in the mix of workers and jobs that reflects the nature of the...

Despite steady growth in the United States economy over the past eight years, several regions of the country have suffered severe economic slumps. Oil-producing and agricultural states in particular have experienced economic conditions that usually occur only during national recessions. Lack of...

When the New England economy first started to slow in 1988, a few prescient individuals would occasionally raise the possibility of the region going the way of Texas, which was suffering a serious economic downturn and a real estate bust at the time. Such an outcome seemed most unlikely for New...

After a long period of vigorous growth--a period in which New England grew faster than the rest of the United States--employment in New England leveled off in 1989. This slowdown represents both a cyclical adjustment and a disturbing erosion in New England’s competitive position. ; To help...