Workers

The internet has upended many trades. Next, perhaps, will be census takers. A new study finds that Google’s “Street View” photographs can be used to estimate a neighborhood’s racial fabric. They can also correctly predict if a town will vote Democrat or Republican over 80 percent of the time.

Author Michael Pollan discussed the Farm Bill’s far-reaching impact on the U.S. food system and the environment, how journalists can better cover food policy, and more during a visit to Harvard’s Shorenstein Center on Media Politics and Public Policy. Below are the highlights:

Entering the labor market can be a tough adjustment for high school graduates. The state of the economy plays a big role. Graduate during a recession, and it’s harder to find a job; during a boom, and you may even have a choice of jobs.

For decades, scientists have known that daylight is essential to human health. Back in 1948, the British Medical Journal poked fun at a group of engineers who tried to convince doctors that artificial light was superior to sunlight.

The effect of sales taxes is hotly debated. These taxes on consumption raise revenue for local governments, but do they also stymie business and hurt consumers?

Knowing how to calculate expenses with Microsoft Excel is a marketable skill. So is being able to operate a lathe. But in recent years, employers have found they can pay for computers and robots to do such repetitive tasks. Indeed, economists predict many jobs will be automated in the coming decades (and new ones created).