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Daily Archives: October 6, 2014

OECD Regional Outlook 2014 Regions and Cities: Where Policies and People Meet

“Living standards continue to diverge within many economically advanced countries as poorer regions struggle to catch up with richer ones. Half of the 34 OECD countries have seen the income gap between their best-off and worst-off regions widen since the 2008 crisis, according to new OECD research. The OECD Regional Outlook 2014 shows that in 10 OECD countries, over 40% of the national rise in unemployment since the crisis was concentrated in one region. Some of the starkest income inequalities show up in big cities. The OECD recommends better management of urban areas, where two in three people live, as a way to improve prosperity and reduce inequalities. Well-run cities can improve efficiency and productivity within their boundaries and in surrounding areas by cutting commuting times, making streets safer, reducing air pollution and improving access to public services. “The regional convergence engine has stalled since the crisis. National standards of well-being are not felt equally by people living in different regions,” said OECD Secretary-General Angel Gurría, presenting two new reports on regions at the 12th European Week of Regions and Cities in Brussels. “Smarter public investment, especially in cities, and reforms of outdated local government structures would help to address this.” The OECD area counts more than 140,000 sub-national governments, often organised into centuries-old structures that lead to fragmentation and inefficiencies. Addressing these problems could help boost growth nationally and reduce regional inequalities. A second report, How’s Life in Your Region, reveals big differences in overall well-being among 362 regions within OECD countries by examining areas ranging from air quality and life expectancy to per-capita income, employment and Internet access. It shows that:

  • Spain and Italy show the widest regional disparity for unemployment and the Netherlands shows the least. Youth unemployment varies most in Italy.
  • Regional inequality in household income is lowest in Austria and highest in Australia.
  • Regional differences in life expectancy have grown in 18 of 30 countries since 2000. The number of years a person can expect to live in Portugal varies by almost four years from one region to another. In Greece, the variation is only 11 months.
  • South East England is in the top 20% of OECD regions for jobs whereas North East England is in the bottom 30%.
  • France’s Lower Normandy region is among the safest 20% of OECD regions, while Corsica is in the bottom 10%.
  • More than 40% of US regions have a quarter of their population at risk of falling into poverty versus less than a tenth of regions in comparable European economies.”

Commentary – How Social Media Leads to a Less Stable World

While social media provides myriad benefits, the advances in connectivity and wealth may come at the expense of the state and the world’s stability, writes Curtis Hougland, CEO of Attentionusa.com, a global social marketing agency.  “James Foley. David Haines. Steven Sotloff. The list of people beheaded by followers of the Islamic State of Iraq and… Continue Reading

Unconventional Monetary Policy and Uncertainty

Lutz, Chandler, Unconventional Monetary Policy and Uncertainty (October 6, 2014). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2505943 “Using a structural factor-augmented vector autoregression (FAVAR) model and a large database of daily time series, we examine the impact of unconventional monetary policy on multiple proxies of economic and financial uncertainty. Our findings indicate that expansionary unconventional monetary policy… Continue Reading

Approaching Social Media Governance

Oermann, Markus and Lose, Martin and Schmidt, Jan-Hinrik and Johnsen, Katharina, Approaching Social Media Governance (September 19, 2014). HIIG Discussion Paper Series No. 2014-05. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2498552 “In this working paper, we address the new forms of governance emerging within the technological and social spaces of Social Media. The overall aim of the… Continue Reading

Poverty in the United States: 2013

CRS – Poverty in the United States: 2013. Thomas Gabe, Specialist in Social Policy. September 25, 2014. “In 2013, 45.3 million people were counted as poor in the United States under the official poverty measure—a number statistically unchanged from the 46.5 million people estimated as poor in 2012. The poverty rate, or percent of the population considered poor… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Medicaid, Private Health Insurance

MEDICAID: Information on Inmate Eligibility and Federal Costs for Allowable Services, GAO-14-752R: Published: Sep 5, 2014. Publicly Released: Oct 6, 2014: “In 2013, the Medicaid program financed health care services for more than 72 million individuals, and an additional 7 million beneficiaries are expected to enroll in 2014 as a result of states choosing to expand Medicaid eligibility… Continue Reading

GAO Report on the Troubled Asset Relief Program

Treasury Could Better Analyze Data to Improve Oversight of Servicers’ Practices, GAO-15-5: Published: Oct 6, 2014. Publicly Released: Oct 6, 2014. “Through June 2014, the U.S. Department of the Treasury (Treasury) had disbursed about one-third of the $38.5 billion in Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds allocated to housing programs. However, the number of new borrowers added… Continue Reading

Temporary Professional, Managerial, and Skilled Foreign Workers: Legislation in the 113th Congress

CRS – Temporary Professional, Managerial, and Skilled Foreign Workers: Legislation in the 113th Congress. Ruth Ellen Wasem, Specialist in Immigration Policy. September 30, 2014 “The admission of professional, managerial, and skilled foreign workers raises a complex set of policy issues as the United States competes internationally for the most talented workers in the world, without adversely effecting U.S. workers… Continue Reading

Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses

CRS – Iran: U.S. Concerns and Policy Responses. Kenneth Katzman,  Specialist in Middle Eastern Affairs. October 1, 2014 “Since the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979, a priority of U.S. policy has been to reduce the perceived threat posed by Iran to a broad range of U.S. interests. However, a common enemy has emerged in the form of the… Continue Reading