The U.S. might benefit from replacing physical cash with central bank digital currency, but first the Fed must resolve several policy and implementation issues.

Although the Fifth District’s black population tends to have higher employment and educational attainment compared to the nation’s, there are still significant disparities relative to whites.

Northwestern University economist on firms' investment decisions, intangible capital, and the college premium

The Richmond Fed is working to understand how economic outcomes vary across different regions and different groups of people

"Kit homes" from Sears and others were an affordable housing option

How war debts, states' rights, and a dinner table bargain created Washington, D.C.

A new financing model for distressed communities offers both promise and pitfalls.

The Fifth District's automotive entrepreneurs eventually lost out to the forces of agglomeration

The Fed has developed a new reference rate to replace the troubled LIBOR. Will banks make the switch?

In 2018, the unemployment rate was at historic lows. Were employers having trouble hiring because there weren't enough workers, or because they had the wrong skills?

Jargon Alert

What role do producers’ costs play in determining inflation?

Cities and states are experimenting with a new financing model to support social and environmental programs.

Americans pay a lot for prescription drugs. Does that mean we pay too much?

There are large differences across school districts in enrollment and attendance at high-resource colleges and universities.

Are fears of a "bubble" in auto lending overstated?

Is there still an economic case for government-supported broadcasting?

The Spanish flu pandemic of 1918-1919 was a major social and economic shock

Princeton University economist on pollution, tort reform, and the effect of recessions on fertility

The absence of "boomerang buyers" in the housing market could have implications for near-term economic growth in the United States.

Poor and minority children disproportionately suffered the ravages of lead paint poisoning

Life expectancy varies considerably across demographic groups.

How Congress holds monetary policymakers accountable

Scrambling for Economists: The Ph.D. Job Search

Why trade growth has slowed down — and what it might mean for the global economy

Research Spotlight

Around the Fed

The Profession

What's a Life Worth?

The institution of marriage is solid -- but only for certain groups. Economics helps explain why

A secret meeting at a secluded resort led to a new central banking system

Book Review

Legal changes have opened the door to new kinds of political spending. What does the money buy?

Money Talks sidebar

Harvard University economist on the history of women's employment, mapping the gender wage gap, and for-profit colleges

Why do kids drop out of high school, and what can be done to help them finish?

The Profession

Upfront

The widening income gap is a serious problem in the United States — or is it?

Research Spotlight

Preservation programs pay farmers to forgo development

One North Carolina city sought a different way of breaking up drug markets without contributing to the higher incarceration rate of black men

Minorities are less likely to climb the economic ladder than whites. Access to high-quality early childhood education plays an important role.