Day archives: June 4th, 2015

Financial Inclusion, Productivity Shocks, and Consumption Volatility in Emerging Economies

Bhattacharya, Rudrani and Patnaik, Ila, Financial Inclusion, Productivity Shocks, and Consumption Volatility in Emerging Economies (June 3, 2015). World Bank Policy Research Working Paper No. 7288. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2614184 “How does access to finance impact consumption volatility? Theory and evidence from advanced economies suggests that greater household access to finance smooths consumption. …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Black Holes and Open Secrets: The Impact of Covert Action on International Law

Perina, Alexandra H, Black Holes and Open Secrets: The Impact of Covert Action on International Law (June 2, 2015). Columbia Journal of Transnational Law, Vol. 53, No. 3, 2015. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2613731 “Governments maintain secrecy over a range of conduct in order to protect national security, but in no area is secrecy …

Subjects: Defense, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy

Science publishes new NOAA analysis: Data show no recent slowdown in global warming

NOAA news release: “A new study published online today in the journal Science finds that the rate of global warming during the last 15 years has been as fast as or faster than that seen during the latter half of the 20th Century. The study refutes the notion that there has been a slowdown or “hiatus” in …

Subjects: Climate Change, Environmental Law, Government Documents

New GAO Reports – EPA’s Science Advisory Board, Foreign Aid, Haiti Reconstruction, Indian Gaming, Supplemental Social Security

EPA’s Science Advisory Board: Improved Procedures Needed to Process Congressional Requests for Scientific Advice, GAO-15-500: Published: Jun 4, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 4, 2015. Foreign Aid: USAID Has Taken Steps to Safeguard Government-to-Government Funding but Could Further Strengthen Accountability, GAO-15-377: Published: Jun 4, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 4, 2015. Haiti Reconstruction: USAID Has Achieved Mixed …

Subjects: Economy, Environmental Law, Government Documents

Study – Think Wood Pellets are Green? Think Again

NRDC, May 2015: “Biomass is often described as a clean, renewable fuel and a greener alternative to coal and other fossil fuels for producing electricity. But recent science shows that many forms of biomass—especially from forests—produce higher carbon emissions compared to fossil fuels. In particular, a growing body of peer-reviewed, scientific studies shows that burning …

Subjects: Climate Change, Energy, Environmental Law, Legal Research

Assessment of the Potential Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing for Oil and Gas on Drinking Water Resources

“The EPA released a draft assessment of the potential impacts to drinking water resources from hydraulic fracturing for public comment and peer review. Read the executive summary and the full draft assessment. Learn more about the Scientific Advisory Board’s (SAB) review process for the draft assessment.” “The U.S. Congress urged the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) …

Subjects: Energy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research

Corruption in Nations Tracks Poverty and Inequality, Study Says

Douglas Gillison – “Air cargo passing through New York City in 2002 included nearly 700,000 carats of diamonds shipped from the African nation of Ghana. Though they were worth at least $320 million, customs data showed that the gems were valued on paper at less than $11 million, according to researchers from Penn State and …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Poverty

Congress.gov adds new features

Please see the full posting by Andrew Weber: “So far, 2015 has been a great year for Congress.gov. First, we launched email alerts in February. Then, we added treaty documents and more in March. With today’s update, improvements have been made to search (results, command line and advanced), alerts, browse, and accessibility. The Federalist Papers have …

Subjects: Congress, E-Government, Government Documents, Internet, Knowledge Management, Legal Research, Legislation, Libraries

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