Day archives: January 27th, 2014

Non-peer reviewed paper on the Economics of Online Postsecondary Education

The Economics of Online Postsecondary Education: MOOCs, Nonselective Education, and Highly Selective Education, Caroline M. Hoxby, NBER Working Paper No. 19816. January 2014 “I consider how online postsecondary education, including massive open online courses (MOOCs), might fit into economically sustainable models of postsecondary education. I contrast nonselective postsecondary education (NSPE)in which institutions sell fairly standardized educational services in return for up-front payments …

Subjects: Economy, Education, Financial System

DOJ Agreement with tech companies permits limited sharing of FISA Court orders

Via TechFreedom President Berin Szoka: “Today, the Department of Justice announced that it has reached an agreement with Google and Microsoft to allow them and other tech companies to report, within broad ranges, the number of Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court orders they receive, and the number of user accounts surveilled. Google and Microsoft have agreed to drop their …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Congress, Courts, Defense, E-Government, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research, Patriot Act, Privacy

A First Look at 2002 High School Sophomores 10 Years Later

Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002): A First Look at 2002 High School Sophomores 10 Years Later. U.S. Department of Education – Institute of Education Sciences. January 2014. “This First Look presents findings from the third, and final, follow-up survey of the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002). ELS:2002 provides a wealth of information from multiple sources (tested …

Subjects: Economy, Education, Financial System, Government Documents

The Geography of Intergenerational Mobility in the United States

Where is the Land of Opportunity? The Geography of Intergenerational Mobility in the United States. Raj Chetty, Nathaniel Hendren, Patrick Kline, and Emmanuel Saez. NBER Working Paper No. 19843, January 2014. “We use administrative records on the incomes of more than 40 million children and their parents to describe three features of intergenerational mobility in the United States. First, …

Subjects: Economy, Education, Financial System

Pew – Most See Inequality Growing, but Partisans Differ over Solutions

“The new national survey by the Pew Research Center and USA TODAY, conducted Jan. 15-19 among 1,504 adults, finds that 65% believe the gap between the rich and everyone else has increased in the last 10 years. This view is shared by majorities across nearly all groups in the public, including 68% of Democrats and 61% …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Freedom in the World 2014

“The state of freedom declined for the eighth consecutive year in 2013, according to Freedom in the World 2014, Freedom House’s annual country-by-country report on global political rights and civil liberties. Particularly notable were developments in Egypt, which endured across-the-board reversals in its democratic institutions following a military coup. There were also serious setbacks to democratic rights …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Free Speech, Freedom of Information, Government Documents

USPS IG – Providing Non-Bank Financial Services for the Underserved

Providing Non-Bank Financial Services for the Underserved, White Papers – RARC-WP-14-007 – 01/27/2014 “One in four U.S. households lives at least partially outside the financial mainstream — without bank accounts or using costly services like payday lenders. The average underserved household spends $2,412 each year just on interest and fees for alternative financial services. Postal financial services may appeal to many customers who feel abandoned by major financial institutions. Postal organizations have …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Oxfam Report – Wealth of half the world’s population now the same as that of tiny elite

“Wealthy elites have co-opted political power to rig the rules of the economic game, undermining democracy and creating a world where the 85 richest people own the wealth of half of the world’s population, worldwide development organization Oxfam warns in a report published today. Working For the Few, published ahead of this week’s World Economic …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Spy Agencies Scour Mobile Phone Apps for Personal Data

This ProPublic story was co-produced with The New York Times and The Guardian. “When a smartphone user opens Angry Birds, the popular game application, and starts slinging birds at chortling green pigs, spy agencies have plotted how to lurk in the background to snatch data revealing the player’s location, age, sex and other personal information, according to secret …

Subjects: E-Commerce, E-Government, E-Mail, Free Speech, Government Documents, Internet, Patriot Act, Privacy

Homicide In The U.S. Known To Law Enforcement, 2011

Homicide In The U.S. Known To Law Enforcement, 2011. Alexia Cooper, Ph.D., Erica L. Smith. December 30, 2013. NCJ 243035 “Presents data on homicide trends from 1992 to 2011. The report describes homicide patterns and trends by age, sex, and race of the victim. It explores weapon use, with a focus on trends in firearm use and …

Subjects: Government Documents, Legal Research

Thank you!