Copper, nickel, and cobalt mining is a controversial topic in Minnesota, but is it more controversial than child labor? Like it or not, we all use these metals for nearly…
Previous Happenings include An Immigrants’ Cabaret, an evening of music, movement and poetry; Enacting the Dream, an opportunity to reflect on the lived realities of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals…
I had the pleasure of being on the Plugged In podcast, hosted by the Institute for Energy Research, last week. On the show, I talk about why closing down existing…
You may not have heard about Prop 12, the latest crackpot measure approved by voters in California, given the wild fires and mass shooting dominating the news from the Golden…
Guest column from attorney Peter A. Swanson: On Monday, the Hennepin County Bar Association is sponsoring a Continuing Legal Education seminar called "Attorneys of Color PLUS: Maneuvering Barriers to the Successful Practice…
It’s a common refrain for energy policy: it is cheaper to generate electricity from natural gas than coal. In some respects this is true, but power plant efficiency and fuel…
There is no problem with big businesses per se. If they have grown and stayed big by producing goods and services that consumers want to purchase, they are to be…
Companies throughout Australia are reconsidering whether they will indeed bring manufacturing jobs back from China after experiencing enormous increases in electricity prices as a result of the closure of an…
The following article was written by Josh Bloom of the American Council for Science and Health. I don’t know which is more astounding. The screwball health claims made about common products…
A round-up of the last week’s economic news stories in Minnesota.
Moderate Republican candidates seem to think they can use energy and environmental issues as a bargaining chip to placate the electorate into giving them their vote, whether that is supporting…
In the same way that Marvin Hagler was made a better boxer by sparring in the gym with a quality opponent like Buster Drayton, there are few things better for…
Like most manufacturers, the Uponor company in Apple Valley is confronting a skilled labor shortage. In October, the company—which is engaged in plastic pipe manufacturing—tackled this challenge in an exciting…
Fracking shows what a technological disruption in the energy truly looks like, a rapid adoption of new technology that lowers prices for consumers regardless of the hurdles placed in front…
It turns out that labor demand curves do slope downwards after all.
It turns out there was no blue wave or red wave, and the purple haze that settled over the country in the wake of the midterm elections gives me reasons…
Today sees a public hearing on a proposed $15 minimum wage in Saint Paul. Reports suggest that the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association (MLBA) has enough votes on the City Council to exempt…
We often hear from so-called progressives that we must fight income inequality and move toward renewable energy, but the problem is these two goals are incompatible with each other. This is…
The Minneapolis Fed’s most recent Beige Book report on current business conditions shows that Minnesota's labor market - like that nationwide - is a seller's market right now. That's a good thing…
One issue won’t be on the ballot in the Twin Cities suburb of Andover. It’s the mega-bucks proposed expansion to the city’s community center. The nearly $19 million price tag has stirred…
Rising interest in skilled technical positions shows efforts to counter the image of manufacturing, construction and similar fields as dirty and dangerous work environments are succeeding. But it is important…
Last week's blockbuster jobs report showed that sound economic policy can enable strong growth and reveal the bankruptcy of notions of stagnation.
MPR recently ran a piece describing the issue of mining may have on the upcoming elections. The story cites our research, and then goes on to describe the positions politicians…
Steve Kalina, a veteran of more than two decades in manufacturing, is the still-new executive director of the Minnesota Precision Manufacturing Association, having started in August. He’s also (I’m guessing…