What should #macromom write about in 2022? I am looking for your advice.
I began writing here regularly six months ago, and it's time to chart my path for the new year. You are my audience and your opinion matters most to me!
Thank you for reading Stay-At-Home Macro (SAHM)!!
I value this opportunity to share my expertise with you. You might not always agree with me. (I spend much of the day arguing with myself about economics.) I do appreciate you considering my views. You help encourage more voices in economics.
Going into 2022, I would love your feedback. What should I focus on? More of the same? Something more? Something less?
To help you, I have some stats from this year.
My main topic areas since mid-August 2021
Federal Reserve (9 posts)
Fiscal policy (8 posts)
Inflation (6 posts)
Economics profession (5 posts)
Covid (2 posts)
Miscellaneous (2 posts)
My top 5 posts by views
Number 1 (10,661 clicks)
Number 2 (10,130 clicks)
Number 3 (6,830)
Number 4 (6,816)
Number 5 (6,816)
Now it’s your turn: what should I write about?
I have many things to share about the economy and economic policy. So much data, so much research, so much to say. That said, time is our most precious resource. I want to use yours and mine well.
Feedback of any kind is welcome. I can’t guarantee that I will cover all the topics. I try hard to respect the limits of my expertise, though I do push myself to learn about new areas. I am committed to staying in my lane. I am an economic policy expert and know the economics profession well. Politics is not my thing. Trading is not my thing.
At times, if there is a pressing issue in which I am not an expert, I will bring on a guest, as I did with Julie Raifman, a public health professor, to speak about Covid.
Thank you in advance for your feedback. Leave them in the comments or email me stayathomemacro@gmail.com.
I teach a course in macro-economics to High School Juniors and Seniors. I introduced them to this newsletter as well as other resources to stay informed on contemporary economic analysis and debates. And today in class I asked them what kinds of topics they'd like to see addressed. Here are some of their replies:
PANDEMIC AND THE ECONOMY
How have technological advancements during the pandemic affected the economy? How has the pandemic affected technological advancements?
How can the country prevent another decline in the economy given another outbreak in the future?
How did/do vaccine mandates affect unemployment?
Will the expanded unemployment benefits that were implemented during the pandemic have any long-term economic effects?
In what ways have generous stimulus checks during the pandemic affected both the unemployment rate and labor force participation rate? Did the unemployment benefits discourage workers from seeking better employment?
How do you think the Omicron variant will affect the economy and will it be easier to bounce back from this outbreak?
How has the recent outbreak compared to the original pandemic back in March-April of 2020 from an economic perspective?
How will the country fully recover from COVID and continue to do well with the new variants?
What impact is the anti-vaccine movement going to likely have on the economy?
How will the long term-effects of the pandemic affect the future of the economy and how will the economy respond to any possible future pandemics?
INFLATION
How has increased consumerism affected inflation?
What is unusual or different about the current bout of inflation compared to previous periods of high inflation?
How is inflation going to change in the next few years?
INTERNATIONAL COMPARISONS
How have different countries' economies been affected due to Covid compared to America?
How do other countries' economic recoveries compare to that of the US?
TAXES
Should we increase taxes on billionaires? Would this help create a more solid middle class?
WOMEN IN ECONOMICS
How does the gender balance in Economics affect women’s eagerness to study in the field?
What other changes are being made now to make it more accessible/comfortable for women in an economic setting?
What challenges do women face in the field of Economics? How can these challenges be overcome?
CAREERS IN ECONOMICS
How are the career opportunities of someone who specializes in macroeconomics different from someone who specializes in microeconomics?
In what ways does being open about one's mental health affect someone professionally?
BANKRUPTCY
I’d like to learn more about bankruptcy. Why is it that very wealthy people are able to declare bankruptcy but still do fine financially?
ECONOMIC NEWS
With so many conflicting opinions about the state of the economy, how can we make sure we are accurately understanding the state of the economy?
What piece of misinformation or conspiracy theory has proven itself particularly damning in influencing how Americans view the state of the economy?
OTHER
Where do you think we should draw the line between data driven analysis and common sense?
What do you think is the largest misconception about the economy and/or economics?
I don't know if they would take too much time or too much effort but I'd really like to see some book reviews, book clubs, maybe some more educational stuff in general or self teaching resources.