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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici

Pew – Library Services in the Digital Age

Library Services in the Digital Age – Patrons embrace new technologies – and would welcome more. But many still want printed books to hold their central place, by Kathryn Zickuhr, Lee Rainie and Kristen Purcell “The internet has already had a major impact on how people find and access information, and now the rising popularity… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Federal Rulemaking, DOE, IT Implementation, Pension Costs on DOD Contracts

Federal Rulemaking – Agencies Could Take Additional Steps to Respond to Public Comments, GAO-13-21, Dec 20, 2012 Department of Energy – Better Information Needed to Determine If Nonmajor Projects Meet Performance Targets, GAO-13-129, Dec 19, 2012 Information Technology – OMB and Agencies Need to Fully Implement Major Initiatives to Save Billions of Dollars, GAO-13-297T, Jan… Continue Reading

Texas has largest over-the-year employment increase; Nevada has largest unemployment rate decrease

BLS – “Over the year, 30 states experienced statistically significant changes in employment. The largest over-the-year jobs increase occurred in Texas, where employment increased from 10,643,200 to 10,904,000 from December 2011 to December 2012 (a change of +260,800), followed by California (+225,900) and New York (+123,600). Only West Virginia’s employment decreased (-13,900).” Continue Reading

Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Enforcement: Legal Issues

Prosecutorial Discretion in Immigration Enforcement: Legal Issues – Kate M. Manuel, Legislative Attorney; Todd Garvey, Legislative Attorney. January 17, 2013 “The term prosecutorial discretion is commonly used to describe the wide latitude that prosecutors have in determining when, whom, how, and even whether to prosecute apparent violations of the law. The Immigration and Naturalization Service… Continue Reading

CRS – The Protection of Classified Information: The Legal Framework

The Protection of Classified Information: The Legal Framework, Jennifer K. Elsea, Legislative Attorney, January 10, 2013 “This report provides an overview of the relationship between executive and legislative authority over national security information, and summarizes the current laws that form the legal framework protecting classified information, including current executive orders and some agency regulations pertaining… Continue Reading

CRS – Follow-On Biologics: The Law and Intellectual Property Issues

Follow-On Biologics: The Law and Intellectual Property Issues, Wendy H. Schacht, Specialist in Science and Technology Policy; John R. Thomas, Visiting Scholar, December 6, 2012 “The term “biologics” refers to a category of medical preparations derived from a living organism. These medicines have added notable therapeutic options for many diseases and impacted fields such as… Continue Reading

Public Libraries in the United States Survey: Fiscal Year 2010 Report

Public Libraries in the United States Survey: Fiscal Year 2010. January 2013: “The Public Libraries in the United States Survey report analyzes data supplied annually by over 98% of public libraries across the country. This year’s report features nine performance indicators and examines differences in library service at the locality levels (city, suburb, town, rural… Continue Reading

Planning, Connecting, and Financing Cities – Now: Priorities for City Leaders

“Rapid urbanization can hold long-term economic, social and environmental promise for developing countries if investments made now in infrastructure, housing and public services are efficient and sustainable, the World Bank says in a new report Planning, Connecting, and Financing Cities – Now: Priorities for City Leaders…In the next two decades, cities are expected to expand… Continue Reading

Income Inequality and Market Fragility: Some Empirics in the Political Economy of Finance

Hockett, Robert C. and Dillon, Daniel, Income Inequality and Market Fragility: Some Empirics in the Political Economy of Finance (January 21, 2013). Available at SSRN “In a modern market economy with a developed financial sector, one would expect the Keynes-Kalecki update of the political economists’ crisis dynamic to work through the medium of ever more… Continue Reading

ILO – Global Employment Trends 2013

“Global Employment Trends 2013 highlights how the crisis is increasingly raising trend unemployment rates, partly driven by sectoral shifts of jobs that had been triggered by the crisis. Despite historically low interest rates in many advanced economies, investment and employment have not shown tangible signs of recovery. Depressed growth prospects have started to spread to… Continue Reading

Evaluation of High-Speed Rail Program Should Consider Wider Economic Benefits

World Bank – “According to the paper titled High-Speed Rail, Regional Economics, and Urban Development in China, there is an emerging consensus that major transport investments may have significant impacts that are not well captured through conventional cost-benefit analysis. Conventional economic evaluations of major transport infrastructure investments tend to focus on the direct costs and… Continue Reading