Wealth and Inheritance in the Long Run. Thomas Piketty, Paris School of Economics; Gabriel Zucman, London School of Economics and UC Berkeley. April 6, 2014. “This article o ers an overview of the empirical and theoretical research on the long run evolution of wealth and inheritance. Wealth-income ratios, inherited wealth, and wealth inequalities were high in the 18th-19th centuries up until World War… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
Book Review – The Limits of Social Engineering
Tapping into big data, researchers and planners are building mathematical models of personal and civic behavior. But the models may hide rather than reveal the deepest sources of social ills, by Nicholas Carr on April 16, 2014, MIT Technology Review. “…Even if we assume that the privacy issues can be resolved, the idea of what Pentland [Alex… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – HHS and Enroll America, IRS Budget Cuts, Private Pensions
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES: Solicitations of Support for Enroll America, GAO-14-305R: Published: Mar 21, 2014. Publicly Released: Apr 21, 2014. INTERNAL REVENUE SERVICE: Absorbing Budget Cuts Has Resulted in Significant Staffing Declines and Uneven Performance, GAO-14-534R: Published: Apr 21, 2014. Publicly Released: Apr 21, 2014. PRIVATE PENSIONS: Pension Tax Incentives Update, GAO-14-334R: Published: Mar 20, 2014. Publicly Released: Apr 21,… Continue Reading
Guardian – Emails expose BP’s attempts to control research into impact of Gulf oil spill
Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show BP officials discussing how to influence the work of scientists: “BP officials tried to take control of a $500m fund pledged by the oil company for independent research into the consequences of the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster, it has emerged. Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show BP officials openly… Continue Reading
Differential Mortality and Retirement Benefits in The Health And Retirement Study
Barry P. Bosworth, The Brookings Institution; Kathleen Burke, Consumer Financial Protection Bureau: “This analysis uses data from the Health and Retirement Study (HRS) to examine the sources of variation in mortality for individuals of varying socio-economic status (SES). The use of the HRS allows a distinction between education and a measure of career earnings as primary determinants of socio-economic… Continue Reading
Employment in large metropolitan areas – From February 2013 to February 2014
BLS – “Employment in large metropolitan areas – From February 2013 to February 2014, nonfarm employment rose in 33 of the 38 metropolitan areas with annual average employment levels above 750,000 in 2013, decreased in 4 areas, and was unchanged in Kansas City, Missouri-Kansas. CHART IMAGE CHART DATA In February 2014, the largest over-the-year percentage… Continue Reading
BLS – High-income household spending and the economic recovery
Aaron E. Cobet: “In late 2007, the United States fell into a “Great Recession.” According to the National Bureau of Economic Research the recession officially ended in June 2009, but it took several more years for average household income and expenditures to exceed their 2008 levels in nominal terms. The recession lowered household income and consumer expenditures… Continue Reading
Labor-force Participation Rates of the Population Ages 55 and Older, 2013
“The labor-force participation rate for those ages 55 and older rose throughout the 1990s and into the 2000s, when it began to level off but with a small increase following the 2007–2008 economic downturn. For those ages 55–64, the upward trend was driven almost exclusively by the increased labor-force participation of women, whereas the male… Continue Reading
The Virtues of Private Securities Litigation: An Historic and Macroeconomic Perspective
Ramirez, Steven A., The Virtues of Private Securities Litigation: An Historic and Macroeconomic Perspective (April 18, 2014). Loyola University Chicago Law Journal, Vol. 45, No. 3, 2014. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2426661 “In the wake of the Great Depression, the federal securities laws operated to mandate disclosure of material facts to investors and extend broad private remedies… Continue Reading
What happens to the internet after the U.S. hands off ICANN to others?
Pew Research Center, Lee Raine: “It is important to remember that no one, no government and no organization “controls the internet.” ICANN is a crucial cog in the functioning of the internet because computers (and the people who use them) cannot find each other on the internet without Internet Protocol (IP) addresses. ICANN oversees how those addresses… Continue Reading
Eleven states generated electricity from nonhydro renewables at double U.S. average
EIA: “About 6.2% of total U.S. electricity supplies in 2013 were generated from nonhydro renewable energy sources such as wind, solar, biomass, and geothermal, up from 5.4% in 2012. But 11 states produced electricity at more than twice the national average from these sources—accounting for between 14% and 32% of their net electric generation—according to… Continue Reading
Frequently Asked Questions on Basel III’s January 2013 Liquidity Coverage Ratio
“The Basel Committee on Banking Supervision today issued frequently asked questions (FAQs) on Basel III’s liquidity coverage ratio (LCR). To promote consistent global implementation of those requirements, the Committee has agreed to periodically review frequently asked questions and publish answers along with any technical elaboration of the rules text and interpretative guidance that may be necessary. The Committee… Continue Reading
