conflicts of interest

Trump Education Secretary Nominee Is Indirectly Invested In Student Loan Company

Trump Education Secretary Nominee Is Indirectly Invested In Student Loan Company

It’s generally unwise for someone who works in government to have a personal investment in companies that could be affected by policies that he or she oversees, and that turns out to be the case for Betsy DeVos, President-Elect Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Education. Her investment in a company that refinances student loans is relatively small and indirect, but it exists, and is a potential conflict of interest. [More]

Should Economists Have A Code Of Ethics? They're About To Vote On It

Should Economists Have A Code Of Ethics? They're About To Vote On It

Most professions, like lawyers, doctors, scientists, and sociologists adopted a code of ethics long ago but that could change soon for one of the lone holdouts, the curmudgeonly economists. Their big conference kicks off today in Denver. On the agenda is whether they should adopt such a code. A little movie called Inside Job might have something to do with it. [More]

The Inmates Get Thinner And The Sheriff's Bank Account Gets Fatter

The Inmates Get Thinner And The Sheriff's Bank Account Gets Fatter

Here’s a grim economics lesson: In Alabama, there’s a law that allows the Sheriff to keep any money that’s left over after feeding the prisoners in the county jail. Can you guess what the result of this conflict of interest might be?

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FTC head said she won’t recuse herself from the review of Google’s acquisition of the DoubleClick online advertising firm, despite petitions by some consumer groups alleging conflict of interest. [AP]