Women’s Evolving Careers Helped Shrink the Gender Pay Gap
Leukhina, Oksana; Smaldone, Amy (2023-05-16)
The narrowing of the gender pay gap since the 1970s appears to be linked to women increasing their labor force attachment and shifting to higher-paying occupations.
On the Economy

How the Big Mac Index Relates to Overall Consumer Inflation
Ravikumar, B.; Smaldone, Amy (2024-04-11)
Big Mac inflation appears to track CPI inflation, but its path can diverge from overall U.S. inflation because of price deviations relative to other items in the consumer basket.
On the Economy

Journal Article
Local Governments in the U.S.: A Breakdown by Number and Type
Smaldone, Amy; Wright, Mark L. J. (2024-03-14)
An analysis examines state variations in how the number and types of local governments in the U.S. have evolved since the 1940s.
The Regional Economist

The End of Rapid Population Growth
Smaldone, Amy; Wright, Mark L. J. (2023-03-06)
The world’s population had been doubling every 47 years to reach 8 billion today. But it is expected to peak at 10.5 billion before declining by century’s end.
On the Economy

Convergence or Divergence? A Look at GDP Growth across Richer and Poorer Countries
Ravikumar, B.; Chinagorom-Abiakalam, Dawn; Smaldone, Amy (2024-08-19)
An analysis suggests the divergence in GDP growth per capita among richer and poorer countries has reversed since 2000, implying the latter are now catching up.
On the Economy

Economic Development and the Evolution of Mortality
Ravikumar, B.; Smaldone, Amy (2023-10-02)
Since 1960, the gap in GDP per capita between rich and poor countries has remained wide. Yet the gap in death rates has practically vanished during that period.
On the Economy

Has Better Nutrition Driven Down Mortality Rates?
Ravikumar, B.; Smaldone, Amy (2024-02-20)
One popular theory has attributed the decline in death rates to improved nutrition. But an analysis of caloric intake worldwide suggests that there isn’t a strong relationship.
On the Economy

Are Developing Countries Facing a Possible Debt Crisis?
Wright, Mark L. J.; Smaldone, Amy (2023-09-05)
An analysis looks at whether developing countries are facing pressures similar to those in the 1980s, when higher interest rates helped trigger a wave of defaults in sovereign debt.
On the Economy