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Daily Archives: December 4, 2014

Ending ‘Too Big to Fail’ – why Asia Pacific countries should embrace the Key Attributes

Capital Markets Law Journal Advance Access published November 28, 2014 – Royce Miller

“Financial institutions (FIs) provide services that are critical to the smooth operation of the global economy and every national economy. Banks look after their customers’ money and provide money transmission services so that customers can be paid their salaries, pay their bills and withdraw cash through ATMs. They provide credit to individuals and businesses. They also provide infrastructure and services that corporate treasuries, pension funds, other investment funds, institutional investors and governments use to hold their cash and securities, facilitate cross-border transfers, and access central counterparties (CCPs), clearing systems and other financial market infrastructures (FMIs). Insurers among other things provide risk transfer mechanism under which insurers take the risks of large and potentially uncertain losses and in return provide a sense of security for individuals and businesses. Most FIs are commercial entities that aim to generate profits for their shareholders, and like any other commercial company they may fail if they are badly run or have a flawed business model. If a large FI does fail, it is likely to cause significant disruption unless there is a way in which critical services can continue.”

10 Policy Principles for Unlocking the Potential of the Internet of Things

Center for Data Innovation – Daniel Castro & Joshua New | December 4, 2014 “The Internet of Things” encapsulates the idea that ordinary objects will be embedded with sensors and connected to the Internet. To date, most discussion of the Internet of Things has highlighted the technology; to the extent it has addressed policy, the focus has been largely negative (i.e.… Continue Reading

Payday Loans: Time for Review

Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis: “Beginning in the 1980s and 1990s, storefront payday loan businesses began to spring up across the country and quickly became commonplace. Today, there are approximately 20,000 storefront lenders, an average of 6.3 payday stores for every 100,000 people. By comparison, in 2012, there were 14,157 McDonald’s restaurants in the United States. Additionally,… Continue Reading

WaPo – Why nuclear superiority matters for compellence

Matthew Kroenig, Miriam Krieger and Hans Noel – Washington Post: “As diplomats work on a comprehensive nuclear deal to keep Iran from the bomb, Russia’s nuclear saber rattles in ways not seen since the 1980s, and North Korea, China, India and Pakistan expand and modernize their nuclear arsenals, the role of nuclear weapons is returning to the… Continue Reading

Pennsylvania’s natural gas production has more than quadrupled since 2009

EIA QUICK FACTS “Pennsylvania was the fourth largest coal-producing state in the nation in 2012, and the only state producing anthracite coal, which has a higher heat value than other kinds of coal. Pennsylvania’s annual gross natural gas production, primarily from the Marcellus Shale, exceeded 2 trillion cubic feet in 2012, a 72% increase over… Continue Reading

How Young Adults Today Compare With Previous Generations in Neighborhoods Nationwide

“Young adults today, often called the millennial generation, are more likely to be foreign born and speak a language other than English at home, compared with young adults in 1980, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest statistics from the American Community Survey released today.  “Many of the differences between generations examined within these latest data reflect… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Children’s Health Insurance, Federal Data Transparency, VA Health Care, Broadband Internet

Children’s Health Insurance: Cost, Coverage, and Access Considerations for Extending Federal Funding, GAO-15-268T: Published: Dec 3, 2014. Publicly Released: Dec 3, 2014. Federal Data Transparency: Effective Implementation of the DATA Act Would Help Address Government-wide Management Challenges and Improve Oversight, GAO-15-241T: Published: Dec 3, 2014. Publicly Released: Dec 3, 2014. VA Health Care: Improvements Needed to Manage… Continue Reading

Office of Financial Research 2014 Annual Report

“This third annual report of the Office of Financial Research (OFR) assesses threats to U.S. financial stability, outlines OFR research that supports the assessment, and describes the OFR’s progress in meeting our mission. The report also evaluates policy initiatives for promoting financial stability and describes our work to improve the quality and scope of financial data and analysis. The OFR, financial… Continue Reading