Do the Labels We Use for Public Benefit Programs Matter?
In this podcast, economist Tim Beatty of the University of California, Davis talks about an article he co-wrote with Charlotte Tuttle about the SNAP or food stamps program and what happened to people's spending when there was a sudden increase in the program benefit. Beatty says the answer can tell us something about whether the labels we use for public benefit programs influence how people spend their money.
A transcript of the podcast can be accessed at http://www.irp.wisc.edu/publications/media/podcasts.htm
As the Great Recession hit the US, political leadership released trillions in funds in hopes of jump-starting the economy: they sent money to ailing banks, bailed out the auto industry, and infused states with waves of aid. Of the $840 billion sent directly to states, Massachusetts received $16.6 billion.
Jack Sullivan, Senior Investigative Reporter for Commonwealth Magazine. He writes about the stimulus in Massachusetts for their 
We meet locals who are taking economic stimulus into their own hands by way of cash mobs. The basic idea behind cash mobs is to encourage people to go into small, local businesses and spend their money, en masse, to give the business owner a little bit of an economic boost.