Getting Used to Life in the Slow Lane: A Discussion of the Economic Situation with Bruce Yandle

The United States economy is like a congested highway, capable of producing a lot more traffic and movement of people when the economy is growing and all lanes are open. But lately we have been locked in slow gear and the economy is operating as if the third lane has been closed. What are the traffic forecasters expecting for 2016? Is the third lane of the economy finally going to open or are we just going to have to get used to slow economic growth?

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University invites you to join us for a Capitol Hill Campus presentation based on the March 2016 Economic Situation Report produced by Dr. Bruce Yandle, Distinguished Adjunct Professor of Economics. Dr. Yandle is a frequent speaker on Capitol Hill and the developer of the “Bootleggers and Baptists” political model, in which the opposite moral positions of the Bootlegger and the Baptists converge behind laws regulating the sale of alcohol.

Covering key elements of the situation report, Dr. Yandle’s economic update will explore topics such as:

• Economic growth – The U.S. economy is experiencing slow growth and manufacturing is in the basement. Will there be a 2016 recession?
• Employment and wages – The economy is generating more new jobs, most of them higher paying jobs, than there are workers to fill them. Will wages begin to rise?
• Economic prosperity – As always, economic prosperity is uneven when we look across the 50 states.  Where are people moving?  And where are they leaving?
• Regulation – The slowing economy continues to be entangled with regulation, mostly command-and-control regulation.  What's so attractive about that form of regulation? Dr. Yandle will give a Public Choice interpretation of regulation.  

This educational discussion is planned in accordance with House Committee on Ethics’ exception for Educational Events and is open to all congressional and federal agency staff. Food will be provided. Please contact Jen Campbell with any dietary restrictions. Due to space constraints, please no interns.  

Questions? Please contact Jen Campbell at jcampbell@mercatus.gmu.edu.

The Mercatus Center at George Mason University is the world's premier university source for market-oriented ideas—bridging the gap between academic ideas and real-world problems. From spending, to regulation, to health care, to cronyism, Mercatus scholars conduct research on a number of topics and produce a variety of products to be used by media and policymakers to connect academic learning with real-world practice.