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Daily Archives: July 22, 2013

The Funding of State and Local Pensions: 2012-2016

The Funding of State and Local Pensions: 2012-2016 by Alicia H. MunnellJean-Pierre AubryJosh Hurwitz and Madeline Medenica SLP#32. Boston College, Center for Retirement Research

“The brief’s key findings are:

  • During 2012, using current GASB standards, the funded status of public plans declined slightly from 75 percent to 73 percent.
  • This decline reflected slow asset growth, which was only partly mitigated by reduced liability growth.
  • States and localities also continued to fall short on their annual required contribution payments.
  • Going forward, the funded ratio is projected to gradually move above 80 percent, assuming a healthy stock market.”

An Inquiry into the Dynamics of Government Secrecy

An Inquiry into the Dynamics of Government Secrecy, Harvard Civil Rights-Civil Liberties Law Review, Vol. 48, No. 2, Summer 2013. “This Article reviews selected aspects of secrecy policy in the Obama Administration to better comprehend the dynamics of official secrecy, particularly in the national security realm. An understanding emerges: secrecy policy is founded on a set of… Continue Reading

Defense Security Services: 2013 Targeting U.S. Technologies

2013 Targeting U.S. Technologies: A Trend Analysis of Reporting from Defense Industry “This report looks at the continuing rise in “attempts by foreign collectors to obtain illegal or unauthorized access to sensitive or classified information and technology resident in the U.S. cleared industrial base.”  The report looks at collector affiliations, methods of operation and the… Continue Reading

Federal Administrative Law – A Brief Overview

Federal Administrative Law – A Brief Overview – By Richard J. McKinney, Assistant Law Librarian, Federal Reserve Board, May 2010 Presentation to LLSDC Librarians, Last revised May 21, 2013 “Federal administrative law primarily concerns the powers and procedures of Federal administering agencies in relation to the public (but usually not in criminal matters). It is Congress that grants… Continue Reading

Just Released: Mapping Changes in School Finances

“…the New York Fed released a set of interactive maps and charts illuminating school finances in New York and New Jersey. These user-friendly graphics illustrate the progression of various school finance indicators over time. They also make clear the large variability in finances across districts and states.  The interactive maps and charts are an exciting way to… Continue Reading

What Families Need to Get By

The 2013 Update of EPI’s Family Budget Calculator By Elise Gould, Hilary Wething, Natalie Sabadish, and Nicholas Finio | July 3, 2013 “The income level necessary for families to secure an adequate but modest living standard is an important economic yardstick. While poverty thresholds, generally set at the national level, help to evaluate what it takes for families to live free… Continue Reading

DeepField Blog – Google Sets New Internet Record

Craig Labovitch via DeepField Blog: “While it is old news that Google is BIG , the sheer scale and dominance of Google in the Internet infrastructure has significant implications on network design and evolution. When we last published some large-scale measurements in 2010, Google represented (a now seemingly small) 6% of Internet traffic. Today, Google… Continue Reading

Deposit Rate Advantages at Big Banks

Deposit Rate Advantages at the Largest Banks, Stefan Jacewitz – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation; Jonathan Pogach – Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, May 31, 2013 “We estimate differences in funding costs between the largest banks and the rest of the industry. Using deposit rates offered at the branch level, we eliminate many non-risk related differences between banks. We document significant and… Continue Reading

Distressed Residential Real Estate

“On October 5, 2012, the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and the Rockefeller Institute of Government co-hosted the conference Distressed Residential Real Estate: Dimensions, Impacts, and Remedies. This post not only makes available a compendium of the findings of the conference, but also updates and extends some of the analysis presented. In particular, we look across states… Continue Reading