Backgrounder: Rob Shapiro on the Economy

Our long time collaborator Dr. Rob Shapiro has been busy this year.  We've put together this compendium of his most important economic analyses for you to review.  Rob has been a bit ahead of the curve (again) in calling the improvements in the US economy a true recovery, and was among the first to document that the era of flat wages and incomes has gratefully come to an end. (Updated Wednesday 4/26/17)

Trump's Tax Plan is Aimed At the 2018 and 2020 Elections, Not U.S. Competitiveness, Rob Shapiro, Sonecon, 4/26/17. Trump's claims that damage from higher deficits will be minor compared to the benefits for US competitiveness, economic efficiency, and tax fairness are nonsense, and the real agenda here is the 2018 and 2020 elections.

Trump puts foreign investment first by supporting the Republican tax plan, Rob Shapiro, 3/28/17. Rob Shapiro weighs in on the very real problems of the House GOP’s proposed border adjustment tax. This thoughtful piece is well worth a read, and this bad idea should be shelved for far more constructive ones in the days ahead.

Republican Presidents and Inequality, Rob Shapiro, Sonecon, 12/8/16. A review of the data suggests that a great deal of the inequality we've seen develop in the US economy has happened during GOP Presidents and their far less people oriented policies.  

What Hillary's Campaign Missed, Rob Shapiro, Sonecon, 11/15/16. Last week’s election should be dubbed the revenge of the neglected. The outcome would have been different if Hillary’s strategists had taken to heart James Carville’s famous quip in 1992, “It’s the economy, stupid.”

Why the good economy could be a problem for the next president, Jim Tankersley, The Washington Post, 10/26/16.

Obama's Expansion Is Finally Paying Off, Robert J. Shapiro, Sonecon, 10/13/16. American businesses have created net new jobs on a scale recalling the job creation rates of the 1980s and 1990s. In addition, the incomes of most American households grew again at rates that matched or exceeded the average for the 1980s and 1990s.

On Economic Growth, Hillary Delivers and Trump Pretends, Robert J. Shapiro, Sonecon, 9/26/16. To prepare for the first presidential debate, Rob decided to think through Donald Trump’s promise to deliver 4% annual economic growth.

The Economic Outlook for the Election and Beyond, and How Who Wins Could Change It, Robert J. Shapiro, Sonecon, 9/7/16. Clinton’s economic and social policy proposals include the three essential elements to boost productivity.

Sorry Donald – The Incomes of Minority Households Grow More under Democrats than under Republicans, Robert J. Shapiro, Sonecon, 8/29/16. Donald Trump says that Democrats have failed American minorities, so let’s test his claim by the most basic economic criteria.

Rising Incomes Are a Key to Winning in 2016 – But Not Enough, Robert J. Shapiro, Sonecon, 6/2/16. Since 2013, the household incomes of most Americans have risen steadily and substantially.

Whatever Some Candidates Tell You, the Incomes of Most Americans Have Been Rising, Robert J. Shapiro, Sonecon, 4/4/16. After a decade when most Americans saw their incomes decline, a majority of U.S. households racked up healthy income gains in 2013 and 2014.

Donald Trump’s Chutzpah: His Tax Plan Doubles on Inequality and Gives His Own Company a Huge Tax Windfall, Robert J. Shapiro, Sonecon, 3/3/16. Trump has been very precise about not only his plans for undocumented immigrants and Obamacare, but also his approach to taxes.

The Surprising Good News about American Incomes, Robert J. Shapiro, Sonecon, 10/26/15. For the first time since the 1990s and 1980s, household incomes rose substantially in 2014, and did so across all demographic groups.