Women in the labor force

A World Bank working paper co-authored by my friend Liza Perova finds a strong link between the provision of child care and mothers' access to the labor market. While the overall conclusion is positive, there are a few factors limiting the benefits of the policies, such as the fact that women end up doing more uncompensated work around the house and often don't end up increasing their income very much.

And I just became aware of this heartbreaking 2018 study of an experiment that involved sending out resumes to a variety of jobs. It turns out that GPA helps men get interviews, but the relationship for women is less clear: it seems employers prefer females who are B students to those who are A students. 

Even well into the 21st Century gender continues to limit job access! Wow.

Trade, smoke, and climate change

 Not even going to try to pretend these are related, but all interesting to me! 

* China's rapid industrialization and manufacturing boom around the year 2000 is being blamed for economic stagnation in many small and medium-sized communities across the US. As lots of domestic manufacturing jobs were lost, people tied to mortgages in these towns were hung out to dry. More forward-thinking government programs to retrain folks might have made a big difference.

* The toll of air pollution continues to climb as more and more studies show that small particles damage people's lungs, leading to asthma, disability, and 4 million premature deaths a year. Most deaths are in developed countries and near factories. 

* Carbon sequestration is one way to combat climate change. If carbon can be trapped underground (or underwater) then it's not in the atmosphere. Cattle ranching can sequester carbon, though I'm not sure that will overcome the bad rap that beef production currently gets as far as climate.

Diet, COVID, and sustainability

Kinda related, kinda not. First, this Politico piece talks about the role that obesity is playing in increasing the injury and death toll associated with COVID. The below map shows obesity rates by state, and the article discusses how the Federal Government spends more money on treating diabetes than the entire USDA budget. UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson, who had a come-to-Jesus moment after his obesity was linked to the intensity of his own bout of COVID, has begun to see the role that government policy plays in determining diet.

Also investigating the ramifications for diet is this article, which investigates the affordability of a variety of alternative diets, all of which are supposedly healthier and more sustainable than current diets. While costs are higher in developing countries, a lot of money can be saved in the US and in other rich countries while health and sustainability are likewise encouraged.

Too bad this is not a priority!