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Compared to 1975, though, women are far more engaged in the broader labor force. Back then, if you were a woman and you wanted to work, you could be a nurse or

Compared to 1975, though, women are far more engaged in the broader labor force. Back then, if you were a woman and you wanted to work, you could be a nurse or you could be a teacher, and that was about it. Yet teaching and nursing are skilled professions--your school district pays teachers quite a bit more these days in order to attract good teachers. There used to be more good teachers, so teacher costs were lower. So, too, with nurses. I don't expect that labor force engagement by women is the sole factor in "cost disease", but I bet it's one factor of several. There are a lot of teachers in small towns in poor states making below-average money to offset the above-average costs in your [Animal name] [Nature feature] Chicago suburb.

tptacek 10y ago
My point doesn't hinge on Buffalo Grove teachers making 150k per year, although the trend towards suburban school districts paying this much (which was not the case 20 years ago) does offset some of Alexander's claims about teachers. Even in rural school districts, teachers likely have a pretty reasonable deal: a reliably middle-class (for whatever region) salary, lots of time off, and a defined-benefit pension plan.
- jonstewart 10y ago
  In rural school districts, teachers probably are getting a relatively better deal than other residents (compared to 1975), simply because of the hollowing out of the rural economy in the last 40 years. Still, in the article, when he's discussing healthcare and education, labor force engagement was going off in my head like big flashing lights. I doubt cost disease has a single root cause, but I suspect this is part of it. I also suspect that defined-benefit pensions play a big role, especially when coupled with increased life expectancy. Corps and unions mutually agreed to kick the can way far down the road in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. I also suspect that regulatory capture and wealth disparity play big roles, too.

tptacek 10y ago

My point doesn't hinge on Buffalo Grove teachers making 150k per year, although the trend towards suburban school districts paying this much (which was not the case 20 years ago) does offset some of Alexander's claims about teachers. Even in rural school districts, teachers likely have a pretty reasonable deal: a reliably middle-class (for whatever region) salary, lots of time off, and a defined-benefit pension plan.

jonstewart 10y ago
In rural school districts, teachers probably are getting a relatively better deal than other residents (compared to 1975), simply because of the hollowing out of the rural economy in the last 40 years. Still, in the article, when he's discussing healthcare and education, labor force engagement was going off in my head like big flashing lights. I doubt cost disease has a single root cause, but I suspect this is part of it. I also suspect that defined-benefit pensions play a big role, especially when coupled with increased life expectancy. Corps and unions mutually agreed to kick the can way far down the road in the 50s, 60s, and 70s. I also suspect that regulatory capture and wealth disparity play big roles, too.