From The Browser, an interview with Robert Barro on the lessons of the Great Depression (and more). When an economy is just coming out of recession, its weaknesses are always more obvious than its potential strengths. If the economy's stagnant, why are stocks up?: The answer is disturbing. The Dow is too high: What’s holding up the stock market? (It’s not the economy.) What Jane Jacobs can teach us about the economy: Late urban champion's notions about decline and imports newly resonant during this recession. US savings bind: Save money to rescue the economy, spend money to rescue the economy. Will the Great Recession finally end our misguided obsession with gross domestic product? (and more) A look at ten odd economic indicators: Hot waitresses, men's underwear, blacked-out football games, and more. Much ado about multipliers: Why do economists disagree so much on whether fiscal stimulus works? It is worth stepping back and asking: What would the world economy look like today if policymakers had acceded to the populist demand of no support to the bankers? From Vanity Fair, as friends, colleagues, and Larry Summers himself try to explain his reputation for arrogance, bullying, and insensitivity, William Cohan learns about his more private battles, and why many believe he’s still the M.V.P. in any financial crisis. At the intersection of high finance and news, the New York Times’ past and its future, and with a new best-selling book about the Wall Street crisis, Andrew Ross Sorkin has thrived by understanding the psyches of big players under attack.
