Rhode Island Economy

Knowledge of the approaching precipice in Rhode Island — or rather, the precipice that Rhode Island is approaching — has moved off the commentary pages in the Providence Journal. Here’s Lifebeat section columnist Mark Patinkin today: “Fascinating, Spock. It seems this planet has organized itself into the perfectly self-destructive organism.” “Indeed, sir. As one example,…

I’m sure I’ve written something similar to this ProJo editorial before (I know the link is here somewhere….) What a state like Rhode Island must do to prevent being hammered by the decisions of one company is to focus less on attracting individual firms and sectors and more on creating an overall climate for companies,…

Under the headline “Hiring plans looking up in Providence area“: More than 4 of every 10 Providence-area employers plan to maintain their current staffing, while few plan to cut their payrolls in the fourth quarter, according to the latest Manpower Employment Outlook Survey. The study showed that from next month to December, 43 percent plan…

As an add-on to my recent column about the effects of occupational licensing on competition, I wanted to note an article from Sunday’s Projo that doesn’t appear to be available online: Pharmacists, barbers, electricians, elevator mechanics, massage therapists, travel agents, landscape architects, acupuncturists, fire alarm installers, auctioneers. All those occupations, and lots more, are licensed…

A Projo editorial from Monday, quoting a press release from General Treasurer Frank Caprio, quoting all three major bond rating agencies, serves reminder that the rest of the country understands that Rhode Island’s current financial quagmire is occurring at a time when the national economy is booming, increasing the difficulty of investment in RI… Standard…

In an attempt to understand the “unusual” something (as Andrew put it) that led to simultaneous drops in Rhode Island’s poverty rate and median household income, I’ve spent some time sifting through the U.S. Census Bureau’s recently released data from its annual American Community Survey. The first resulting chart gives a pretty clear indication of…

Poverty appears to be down, both in the United States as a whole, and in Rhode Island in particular. According to the annual figures released this week by the Census Bureau, the national poverty rate fell from 12.6% to 12.3% and the Rhode Island poverty rate fell from to 12.1% to 10.5% between 2005 and…

House/building painting isn’t a very difficult job. I don’t say this disparagingly; working in construction, I’m certainly aware of aspects of the professional painter’s job that require skill and patience that I myself often lack (or have little interest in developing). That painting tasks exist for which one is well advised to hire an experienced…

Suppose you had a variety of tasks, none of them highly specialized, for which you wished to hire workers. Of the several people whom you interview, one declares that he can do everything himself, provided you sign a contract to that effect. Now, do you expect him to offer an hourly rate that is: Substantially…