NPR Topics: Economy

Small Colorado Town Calls For Immigration Reform

The town council in Yuma, Colo., recently passed a unanimous resolution asking Congress and the president to resolve the immigration system. Businesses in Yuma are worried they could lose their wor...

Farmers Hurt By Collapse Of Carbon Credits Market

With the cap-and-trade legislation aimed at curbing global warming stalled in Congress, there's an almost-complete collapse of the market for carbon credits. That means profits are drying up for pe...

Greenspan On The Housing Bubble: Not My Fault

The former Fed chairman says he didn't create the housing bubble and couldn't have prevented the economic calamity that followed the bubble's collapse.

Facing Tough Times, Detroit To Close 44 Schools

Detroit is expected to shut the doors of 44 of its 172 public schools as the district struggles with declining enrollment and a budget deficit of $219 million. Host Michel Martin speaks with Robert...

Leading Indicators Up Slightly

The private Conference Board says its leading economic index rose 0.1 percent in February. Ataman Ozyildirim, a Conference Board economist, said "the leading economic index points to moderately imp...

Consumer Prices Stayed Pat In February

A rise in food prices last month was offset by a drop in gasoline and other energy costs. The Labor Department's report indicates there is little sign of inflation, which enables the Federal Reserv...

First-Time Unemployment Claims Dip

The Labor Department says the number of newly laid-off workers requesting jobless benefits fell 5,000 last week to a seasonally adjusted 457,000. That nearly matched analysts' estimates of 455,000.

Global Reality Challenges IMF's Free Market Gospel

In a notable turnaround, the International Monetary Fund recently acknowledged that some developing countries might benefit from controls on capital inflows. IMF research found that countries with ...

Boomerang Kids Drive Rise Of Extended Family Living

A new study finds that the number of people in multigenerational households grew by 2.6 million between 2007 and 2008. The trend is fueled by young adults, but older adults are also slightly more l...

Forget Taxing Marijuana; The Real Money's In Cocaine

A Harvard economist estimates how much revenue each state would raise by legalizing and taxing illicit drugs.