Hi Josh! I think you talk about an important matter that concerns economic development. As you stated, GDP does help measure the growth of the economy. However, GDP limits the understanding of the economy. One example you stated that GDP doesn't measure is the amount of inequality within the economy. Not accounting for potential widening inequality simply because the rising GDP can be detrimental to the citizens of the economy. Despite this, a research associate Robert Barro "shows that the overall relationship between income inequality and growth and investment is weak" (NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH, 1999). Based on this, you make a great point that GDP does not measure social well-being. And when leaders are looking at what needs to be done to help society, GDP probably should not be the measure to go by. NATIONAL BUREAU OF ECONOMIC RESEARCH. (1999). Inequality and growth. NBER. Retrieved October 14, 2022, from https://www.nber.org/digest/aug99/inequality-and-growth#:~:text=High%20levels%20of%20inequality%20reduce,NBER%20Research%20Associate%20Robert%20Barro.

Hi Logan, I think you made an interesting point by stating that "correctional facilities will potentially lose funding due to decreased incarceration rates". Do you think this would be a good or bad thing? Considering the impact that incarceration can have on a person, as well as the impact on their family, I would consider a less populated prison to be essentially good. I mainly say this would be good because people aren't able to work if they are incarcerated. And on top of this, it could have the potential to lessen stress for families as well. So maybe less funding won't be as bad if fewer people are inprisoned. Gifford, Elizabeth. (2019). How Incarceration Affects the Health of Communities and FamiliesNorth Carolina Medical Journal, 80 (6) 372-375; DOI: 10.18043/ncm.80.6.372

Hi Timothy, You pointed out that the policy "introduced an annual cap on the number of barrels manufactured and sold to consumers on-premise, after which, the brewer must contract with a distributor." My question to you is, what were the main persuading concepts for the decision-making process? Or in other words, why did some favor or disapprove of the policy? Also, it was interesting to read that the unintended consequence essentially taxed the brewers, considering the annual cap of barrels only limits them from selling. I wonder how much more profitable manufacturers could be without the limitations of selling on-premise.

Ashley Taylor ECON 290: Political Economy Dr. Bajah October 3rd, 2022 Policy: American Rescue Plan Concept Questions: 1. Is there a voting aspect to this policy? If not directly, it may be indirectly (maybe there was not a vote about the actual policy, but the decision-makers were voted on) The decision-making process for the American Rescue Plan follows the legislation process. So yes, the American Rescue Plan did have a voting aspect to the decision-making process. I mentioned in my milestone two that both the house and the senate have to vote on the policy before it even gets sent to the president to sign or veto (U.S. House of Representatives). 2. What were the elections like? Are the decision-makers truly representative of the group (even if there was not an election) Based on when the house and the senate voted on the decision for the policy, I would say the process was quite fast for a multilayered system (U.S. House of Representatives, 2022). This is important because, considering the circumstances of the economic atmosphere, the speed of the decision was crucial to maintain not only health standards for the virus but also to maintain living standards in a time of economic distress. 3. What are the compromises being made? Is there resistance to the policy? How stable is the policy? Could it be changed with just a few votes? • The U.S. Citizens’ health and living standards were what the American Rescue Plan was compromising. The entirety of the policy aims at supporting those in need of assistance at a time of distress. So really, the compromise is how much assistance the U.S. citizens needed. • As mentioned before, the legislative system is what determined the outcome of this policy. It could have easily been vetoed by the president or changed by the judicial system. So yes, the American Rescue Plan could have been changed in just a matter of votes. 4. Do some involved seem to have a disproportionate influence on the outcome? If so, who and why? The decision-making process of the American Rescue Plan does not have a disproportionate influence because the policy gets passed through the different levels of the judicial system. Each party involved in deciding on the policy can agree or disagree with the presented policy. Though you could argue that the party who started the process has more say because they are the ones that initiated the policy. But I think giving the power to say no puts the power in the hands of each party. Sources U.S. House of Representatives (2022). The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (H.R. 1319). House Budget Committee Democrats. Retrieved from https://budget.house.gov/american-rescue-plan-act-2021-hr-1319 U.S. House of Representatives. (n.d.). The Legislative Process. The legislative process. Retrieved from https://www.house.gov/the-house-explained/the-legislative-process#:~:text=First%2C%20a%20representative%20sponsors%20a,bill%20moves%20to%20the%20Senate. United States Government. (2021). American Rescue Plan. Retrieved from The White House. ,https://www.whitehouse.gov/american-rescue-plan/

Hi Josh! You stated that students would be more interested in taking out loans due to the forgiveness plan. I think this is a great point to mention because anyone can potentially be "forgiven" for up to $10,000. And I would say this is detrimental because loans are supposed to be given out to those in need of cash now that do not have it. The real concern would be how high taxes will get due to the amount of school debt the government promises to forgive. Another good point you made was the idea of productivity decreasing. I think you are right about this. The "relief" of debt has a cost somewhere. It may not be a direct cost, but in the long run, I think it will encourage the Great Resignation movement. It is quite alarming to see how much people do not want to increase productivity within the country. Sources FASFA. (2022). The Biden-Harris Administration's Student Debt Relief Plan Explained. Federal Student Aid. Retrieved September 11, 2022, from https://studentaid.gov/debt-relief-announcement/ The White House. (2022). FACT SHEET: President Biden Announces Student Loan Relief for Borrowers Who Need It Most. Retrieved from: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/08/24/fact-sheet-president-biden-announces-student-loan-relief-for-borrowers-who-need-it-most

You make an excellent point that the economy is amidst a recession. Another key variable to consider when discussing economic activity is the labor market. As of August 2022, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics states that the total number of unemployed people is 6 million (2022). Not all of this is because of the pandemic. Other factors of unemployment come from the Great Resignation movement. This movement is where people are moving towards more of a work-life balance (Segal, 2022). The challenge of this move is that it makes institutions think about how they will maintain their relationships with employees. As values continue to shift it will be interesting to see how the work atmosphere changes. Sources U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (2022). U.S. labor market shows improvement in 2021, but the COVID-19 pandemic continues to weigh on the Economy : Monthly Labor Review. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved September 11, 2022, from https://www.bls.gov/opub/mlr/2022/article/us-labor-market-shows-improvement-in-2021-but-the-covid-19-pandemic-continues-to-weigh-on-the-economy.htm Segal, E. (2022). How companies can respond to the rising tide of the great resignation. Forbes. Retrieved September 11, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/edwardsegal/2022/01/12/how-companies-can-respond-to-the-rising-tide-of-the-great-resignation/?sh=707863d73d54

This topic is a tough one to talk about because we are talking about life. But I say this conversation of prochoice and antichoice is a back and forth argument because there is no common ground. And I do not think there ever will be considering it is people's beliefs or morals. Though despite this, I am interested to see how other states begin to go about the decision in the future. We have seen the debate arise in many states now that we do have places that want it banned. I wonder how much this policy will influence future policies.

Hi Macgregor, I particularly liked your post because it made me a bit frustrated because it shows how people in office can mislead the citizens of the United States. The topic shines light on how individuals use authority. I also was sparked by your topic because, considering how inflation has been sense COVID-19, I am curious to see how his policy actually unfolds. More specifically I wonder how the people will respond if it brings catastrophic results to the economy.

Ashley Taylor Political Economy Dr. Jeff Bajah September 4th, 2022 U.S. COVID-19 Fiscal Response Milestone 1 For my topic, I decided to choose the united states fiscal policy that was used in response to COVID-19. Introduction: The fiscal policy in response to COVID-19 happened in 3 waves, each aiming to support the economy to stay afloat in a time of uncertainty. The government gave out stimulus to many different groups including businesses and families. So the fiscal policy for COVID-19 aimed to help income and consumption (Dean, P., 2022). Despite the fiscal spending helping those laid off, there were also some downfalls. Shortages, inflation, and long-term debt are the consequences of this fiscal policy(Dean, P., 2022). However, the federal fiscal response was necessary for the economy's health. Restaurants, movie theaters, theme parks, schools, etc. were all closed down. And as we all know, COVID-19 caused a lot of economic and health distress. We were in the middle of fighting a new virus while trying to keep the economy running. This meant that businesses shutting down due to health concerns raised a number of problems. One of those problems was that people lost their jobs because everyone was forced to stay quarantined. In fact, it was over 23 million unemployed U.S. workers (Dean, P., 2022). Why is it relevant? Understanding how the government fiscal policy affects the economy is important to understand because it affects the overall health of the economy. Government spending can affect our spending because taxes can be raised to pay off debt. In particuarly COVID-19 was a good example of how the government uses spending to maintain the health of the economy during a crisis. Geographical Location: United States Concept Questions: 1. What are the relevant rules guiding the policy? I do not know 2. Are those rules effectively enforced? I do not know 3. Is there a romance – reality disconnect in the policy? In other words, do people seem to expect a much more “public spirited” outcome than is realistic? No there is not a romance 4. What is the collective action the policy is suppose to accomplish? Or is there one? Is the policy designed to favor some over others? Be sure to distinguish between actual results and rhetoric The collective action is to make sure the economy does not crash due to the virus shutting down institutions because of health concerns. The policy helped those in financial distress. 5. Is there a special interests involved? Who? Are they successful? I do not think there is Sources Dean, P. (2022). The unprecedented federal fiscal policy response to the COVID-19 ... The Unprecedented Federal Fiscal Policy Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on State Budgets. Retrieved September 5, 2022, from https://gardner.utah.edu/wp-content/uploads/Fiscal-Stimulus-May2022.pdf?x71849

Hi Brenna, I like how you spoke about the impact of trade during the pandemic and how the company adapts to reach more customers by creating downloadable apps for their games in order to reach customers. Adjusting to the fact that people are stuck at home concerned for their health is the best way the company can help adapt to newer times as the world adjust to the effects of the pandemic. That includes finding new ways to reach customers as well new ways of presenting and selling products in order to still suffice the needs and wants of the customers in the market. Cowen, T., & Tabarrok, A. (2020). Modern Principles of Economics (5th Edition). Macmillan Higher Education. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781319329464

Hi Derek, I really enjoyed reading your post. It showed you had a well understanding of both policies in the United States and Japans. I think you did an excellent job emphasizing the importance of understanding the policies in the different environments. Considering that different cultures have different values and way of living understanding how the different countries adapts to the market is important. You also made a great emphasis on the actions of the United States during COVID-19. I found an article that stated, “Congress has not provided us with the funding we need to continue the COVID-19 response and minimize the pandemic’s impact to the Nation and our economy.” (The United States Government, 2022, para. 1). Which I thought was interesting to ponder upon when thinking about how the economy will move forward. Sources The United States Government. (2022). Fact sheet: Consequences of lack of funding for efforts to combat COVID-19 if Congress does not act. The White House. Retrieved April 23, 2022, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/15/fact-sheet-consequences-of-lack-of-funding-for-efforts-to-combat-covid-19-if-congress-does-not-act/

Milestone 3 Ashley Taylor Macroeconomics Dr.Jeff Bajah April 24th, 2022 Fiscal Policy & COVID-19 in United States A fiscal policy is a type of government policy that uses taxes, spending, and borrowing in order to even out booms and busts within markets to influence business fluctuations(Cowen, T., & Tabarrok, A, 2020, pg. 805). During COVID-19 the United States government limited face to face interaction putting many businesses at distress just to stay open(United States Congress, 2021, pg. 2). The governments action to help with this recession in the economy was to try to support the umemployed, as well as, help small businesses stay afloat (United States Congress, 2021, pg. 2). Despite the support the government has been trying to give the economy in the last couple years, it is still recovering from the pandemic. Overall the goal of the fiscal policy is to help the economy return to full employment in order for the economy to operate at its full potential. Fiscal policy can work because the boost from government spending or tax cuts should enable the economy to slowly build the gdp back up(Cowen, T., & Tabarrok, A, 2020, pg. 805).However, we have seen slow progress in the progression within the United States. And with more cases of COVID-19 the potential risk that the economy may not bounce back from the recession anytime soon is likely. Especially considering that the government can no longer provide supplies for resources. Effects on the Pharmaceuticals Wholesaling Industry With the economy opening businesses back up, the pharmaceuticals wholesaling industry is expected to grow at a low rate(Moses, J., 2020, Industry Performance). However, “Congress has not provided us with the funding we need to continue the COVID-19 response and minimize the pandemic’s impact to the Nation and our economy.” (The United States Government, 2022, para. 1). So that’s crucial to this industry because it could impact the industry in a negative way. It could possibly lead to lose of jobs because the demand of vaccines will go down. In fact, “The federal government does not have adequate resources to purchase enough booster vaccine doses for all Americans, if additional doses are needed” (The United States Government, 2022, para. 4). This could create cynical unemployment for the industry. Fiscal policy Effects on McKesson Corporation This is important for McKesson Corporation because they play a crucial role in the pandemic because they are one of the nations largest drug and medical distibutors(Moses, J., 2020). In the recent years with COVID-19 many stimulus checks were distributed to many households (United States Congress, 2021, pg. 2). This could have been good for McKesson Corporation if those individuals chose to spend the money on prescriptions and other medical supplies. However, if they are not spending the money in some way in order to counteract the falling aggregate demand the stimulus checks would not have boosted the economy. It would have only supported those individuals and businesses. Which is probably why we have not seen the United states economy back to normal, on top of the concern for their health. Sources Cowen, T., & Tabarrok, A. (2020). Modern Principles of Economics (5th Edition). Macmillan Higher Education. https://mbsdirect.vitalsource.com/books/9781319329464 Moses, J. (2020). Pharmaceuticals Wholesaling. IBISWorld. Retrieved April 24, 2022, from https://www.ibisworld.com/united-states/ The United States Government. (2022). Fact sheet: Consequences of lack of funding for efforts to combat COVID-19 if Congress does not act. The White House. Retrieved April 23, 2022, from https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/statements-releases/2022/03/15/fact-sheet-consequences-of-lack-of-funding-for-efforts-to-combat-covid-19-if-congress-does-not-act/ United States Congress. (2021). Fiscal policy and recovery from the covid 19 ... - congress. Congressional Research Service. Retrieved April 24, 2022, from https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/r/r46460

McKesson Corporation Company Overview McKesson Corporation is a global company that provides pharmaceuticals and medical distribution services and information technology solutions for the US, Canada, and 13 European countries(MarketLine, 2022). McKesson's has four business segments within the business. The four segments are US pharmaceuticals, international pharmaceuticals, Medical-Surgical solutions, and prescription technology solutions (MarketLine, 2022). The highest product in demand for McKesson's Corporation in 2021 was the US Pharmaceutical segment. This part of their business segment has 33 distribution centers (MarketLine, 2022). "In FY2021, the US Pharmaceutical segment reported revenues US$189,274 million, which accounted for 79.5% of the company's revenue" (Marketline, 2022, pg 4). Which is more than half of their revenue. The company receives 15.1% of its revenue from the international pharmaceutical segment (MarketLine, 2022). GDP & Covid The company's home country is the United States. The United States currently has a GDP of 20.9 trillion with $63,416 per capita (Heritage Foundation, 2022). If we compare the GDP from the last two years to the current year GDP, we will see that there has not been much economic growth since the pandemic. Despite the struggles that many companies had during the pandemic, McKesson Corporation was lucky enough to provide a product that had high demand. Considering the circumstances, McKesson Corporation's revenue should have increased due to the need for vaccines and other health supplies. It is crucial to understand GDP because it helps businesses potentially predict growth in their industries. At first, COVID-19 had a negative impact on demand for McKesson Corporation. This is because the pandemic slowed down traffic in pharmacies and Dr.s offices. However, the more we have been finding solutions to the virus, McKesson's demand for products has begun to increase due to the need for vaccines, COVID-19 testing, and pharmacies opening back up (MarketLine,2022). Comparative Advantage In general, McKesson is one of the top businesses in its competitive industry. The comparative advantage McKesson has over its leading competitors is that they are global. Both Cardinal health and AmerisourceBergen are only based within the US. So McKesson has the advantage of having connections outside of the United States. McKesson technology solutions for the pharmaceutical industry could also become an essential part of their operations. Giving companies strategic ways to operate more effectively and productively to ensure patient safety and care can help build trust with customers. The efficiency and accuracy of the pharmacies are crucial to maintaining proper pharmaceutical therapies for the patients. The only thing that could immensely harm McKesson Corporation is that they rely heavily on a few of their customers for profits. One of their customers, CVS specifically, gives them 21% of their yearly revenue, which would mean the loss of CVS as a customer would hurt McKesson significantly. Sources Congressional Research Service (2021). Introduction to U.S. Economy: Business Investment. https://crsreports.congress.gov Heritage Foundation. (2022). United States. United States Economy: Population, GDP, Unemployment, Inflation, Spending. Retrieved March 28, 2022, from https://www.heritage.org/index/country/unitedstates MarketLine. (2022). McKesson Corporation MarketLine Company Profile. www.marketline.com

People it has impacted most: The second motivation for the U.S. to participate in a bilateral agreement with Korea is market access. An example of this would be seen in the agriculture industry. "Attaining comprehensive market access for U.S. agricultural products to South Korea's large market and finding a way to resolve South Korea's continued restrictions on U.S. beef purchases (imposed to protect human health following the late 2003 discovery of mad cow disease in the U.S. cattle herd) were the two primary objectives pursued by U.S. agricultural negotiators"(Congressional Research Service, 2014). The cow disease made selling beef to Korea extremely expensive due to safety concerns for their citizens. So the bilateral agreement has opened an opportunity for the people "affected by the cow disease taxes; Now allowing them to sell beef to Korea with fewer taxes. This gives these people a huge incentive to trade in Korea's market once the tariff is eliminated. Solving disputes: When problems arise between the two countriesKorea's," the trade agreement was specific to make a third party involved (unless otherwise directed by the participating parties)."The U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement established a number of committees and working groups to discuss and resolve issues that may arise" (Office of the United States Trade Representative).In order to resolve any problems that may arise between the U.S. and Korea, the "KORUS FTA requires the two countries to establish a joint committee chaired by the USTR and the Minister of Foreign Trade or their designees to supervise the implementation of the agreement" (Congressional Research Service, 2014). Unintended Consequences: The frequency of trade essentially is going to increase between two countries with a bilateral trade agreement. With tariffs being lifted it allows more access to those who may not have participated in the market due to those taxes. The volume of trade after the KORUS agreement began to increase. However,""a number of critics have pointed to the U.S.- South Korea bilateral trade deficit which grew rapidly following the implementation of the agreement" (Katheryn N. Russ, Deborah L. Swenson, 2019). This is the biggest critic people have because it means Korea is buying more than selling. Their argument is that the trade agreement is not showing many benefits for the U.S. However, "since 2016, the bilateral deficit has declined by nearly $9 billion to $7.4 billion in 2019" (Williams, B., Canis, B., & Manyin, M, 2021, pg. 2). The trade deficit is something that they should keep an eye on but because of the progress we have seen in recent years, it should not be something that dictates the relationship. Communicating about how to resolve the problem of the trade deficit is the best thing to do from here. References Williams, B., Canis, B., & Manyin, M. (2021). U.S.-South Korea (korus) FTA. Congressional Research Service. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://sgp.fas.org/crs/row/IF10733.pdf. Congressional Research Service. (2014). The U.S.-South Korea Free Trade Agreement (Korus FTA): Provisions and implementation. EveryCRSReport.com. Retrieved October 4, 2021, from https://www.everycrsreport.com/reports/RL34330.html. U.S. Department of Commerce. (n.d.). U.S. – Korea free trade agreement. International Trade Administration | Trade.gov. Retrieved October 4, 2021, from https://www.trade.gov/us-korea-free-trade-agreement. Katheryn N. Russ, Deborah L. Swenson. (2019). Trade Diversion and Trade Deficits: The Case of the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement, Journal of the Japanese and International Economies, Volume 52, Pages 22-31, ISSN 0889-1583,https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjie.2019.02.001. (https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0889158318301394). Office of the United States Trade Representative. (n.d.). Korus committees and Working Groups. United States Trade Representative. Retrieved October 5, 2021, from https://ustr.gov/countries-regions/japan-korea-apec/korea/korus-committees-and-working-groups.