Author Archives: Laura Hertzfeld

Focus on Afghanistan

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In the lead up to the Afghan presidential election, there’s been a growing number of stories about whether the vote will be fair, as well coverage about how the ongoing U.S. involvement in conflicts abroad affects our own economy.

When it comes to the impact the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq are having on the U.S. economy, Paul Solman at The NewsHour’s Business Desk astutely argues both sides of the coin:

“The wars have certainly hurt the economy of the moment by running up both oil prices and the deficit. A higher deficit arguably drove long-term interest rates higher than they otherwise would have gone. … But once the economy tanked, military spending was a source of consumption at a time when both families and businesses had cut back drastically. Who’s to say the economic crisis mightn’t have been worse without our current wars?”

But will those investments continue? World Focus takes a closer look at the U.S.’ continuing involvement in Afghanistan.

NewsTrust.net has been asking readers to analyze coverage of Afghanistan and pick out the most trustworthy reports from the region, in coordination with Thirteen/WNET‘s WorldFocus.

For more news from Afghanistan, you can follow the coverage from Kabul with NPR Morning Edition host Renee Montagne, who’s been in Afghanistan for weeks following the election story.

Has the weak economy created opportunities for women?

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From increased sales of steamy romance novels to booming health and fitness sectors, lines of work where women tend to dominate are taking the lead in the current economic climate.

The Weekly Standard’s Christopher Caldwell in Time Magazine this week goes so far to say that of the economic climate faster than men, in The Pink Recovery: Why Women are Doing Better. He notes that fewer women have been laid off than men overall, and that when the nation does recover, the workforce could look different as a result:

“What constitutes “women’s work” today? Well, health care, for one; 81% of the workers are female. According to the report Obama cited, 20,000 health-care jobs were gained in July, while 76,000 construction jobs and 52,000 manufacturing positions were lost.”

But are women seeing more opportunity in other areas as well? BusinessWeek recently reported that women may be nearing a majority in the workforce for the first time in history.

Success stories like this piece on a woman boss at a trucking company in the UK from PRI’s The World seem to indicate that despite job losses and a tough economic climate, women are seeing a chance to take the lead. This story uses Hillary Clinton’s recent tour through Africa as a jumping off point to discuss how the role of women has changed in recent years:

“Are women managers different than male ones, with a different approach to problems? It is said that women are more outcome-orientated while men confront. If that’s true, how should a woman leader behave in a traditionally male environment — like a trucking company?”

Forward-thinking companies are helping women get ahead by using technology to create a better work-life balance. Back in June, BBC Washington correspondent Katty Kay, co-author of Womenomics, spoke with Tavis Smiley about how these ‘soft’ types of changes will help companies be more successful in the long run.

A look around the country

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Every Friday, we’ll be taking a look at what’s happening around the country by featuring stations that are covering economic stories with both local and national relevance. From foreclosures in Ohio to healthcare in Minnesota, the issues affecting Americans are similar across the U.S, but the ways communities are coping with change varies greatly.

Mortgages are at the center of everyone’s thoughts on the economy, and Emily McCord of WYSO in Yellow Springs, Ohio reports on the struggle one family in Dayton faces to pay back their loans.
Foreclosures Affect Those Who Can Afford Mortgages

Scrutiny over earnings has reached a fever pitch, and things that may have slipped through the cracks in the past are now front and center. As Elaine Baumgartel at KUNM in Albuquerque, NM reports, public workers who are earning both a pension and salary are getting grief for “double dipping.”
Concerns over Double Dipping Remain

One way to combat relationship woes that come with financial stress? Talking it out, as Tina Antolini at WFCR in Amherst, Mass., finds.
Mediation and the Recession

Minnesota Public Radio has a whole social network dedicated to covering the local economy. This week’s top story, not surprisingly, is healthcare. Check out the map of Minnesota plotting the uninsured by county.

For a broader view, Patchwork Nation looks at voices from across the country on healthcare in the various types of communities the map follows, from evangelical epicenters to military bastions.

Is there a story you’ve seen locally that hasn’t hit the national press? Share it here.

Greener grass across the pond

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Everyone seems to have France on the brain lately, but today it wasn’t just because of the Julia Child craze that’s sweeping the nation — the recession was declared over in France and neighboring Germany. While it doesn’t seem that Europe’s good fortune is coming to the States anytime soon, the economy stateside may not be all doom and gloom.

“History shows the deeper the recession, the stronger the bounce. And some people are now wondering what’s different this time around. Why should this time be any different? Even coming out of the Great Depression the U.S. economy did grow quite substantially,” Marketplace senior correspondent Bob Moon reported.

But even with growth in certain sectors, Nightly Business Report put a reality check on any reported comebacks in the job market here in the U.S.

“Just to stay even with the new workers entering the job market every year, the economy needs to produce about 130,000 jobs a month. We’re losing more than 300,000 jobs. To begin whittling down the unemployment rate, you need job growth of around 300,000 jobs a month.”

There’s little consolation for the hard numbers, but maybe the proof is literally in the pudding. If finance follows flavor, this USA Today story suggests that French cooking may be on its way out in the U.S. Is it just a little bitterness over the slow-to-follow-suit economic recovery, or is the economy really making duck a l’orange take a back seat to a good burger?

Healthcare reform and the rise of the uninsured

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The healthcare crisis is reaching a fever pitch, as more and more Americans find themselves without coverage, Patchwork Nation reported today:

“When Patchwork Nation analyzed the numbers, we found that the percentage of uninsured people grew across 11 of our 12 community types in that year. And between 2000 and 2006, all 12 types saw larger increases.”

Patchwork Nation director Dante Chinni spoke with Online NewsHour’s Anna Shoup about how these figures relate to other trends in the economy, and what these new numbers say about the debate over healthcare reform legislation.