Category «Economy»

Impact of Partial Federal Gov’t Shutdown on Legal Information

AALL: “As of midnight December 21, 2018, the President and Congress were unable to agree on the provisions of a Continuing Resolution (CR) to fund the federal government. As a result, a partial shutdown of some government operations now enters its fourth week. This is a politically dynamic event, and AALL continues to monitor federal …

Subjects: Courts, E-Government, Economy, Education, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research, Libraries

Impact of Government Shutdown Across America

The New York Times – “In many parts of the United States, the shutdown has underscored how deeply the federal government is connected to everyday life. “From the start, it has seemed like the federal government shutdown with no end in sight. More than three weeks later, with Washington still gridlocked over President Trump’s demand …

Subjects: Congress, Defense, Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Legal Research, Privacy, Transportation

The Simon Abundance Index: A New Way to Measure Availability of Resources

Cato Institute: “In this paper, we revisit the main points of contention in the debate regarding availability of resources and their relationship with population growth. Using the latest price data for 50 foundational commodities covering energy, food, materials, and metals, we propose a new way of measuring resource availability based on four concepts. First, the …

Subjects: Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Food and Nutrition

Now on Craigslist, Facebook: Household items from furloughed workers trying to make ends meet

Washington Post – “…As hundreds of thousands of federal workers brace for their first missed paychecks of the government shutdown this week, some have become immersed in the frantic financial calculus of choosing what they can live without. In the United States, living paycheck to paycheck is disturbingly common, regardless of profession or location. A …

Subjects: Economy, Government Documents, Legal Research

So You Automated Your Coworkers Out of a Job

Gizmodo: “…Inside many companies, automation doesn’t simply unfold as a top-down imperative. It can stem from random efficiency experiments or pilot programs initiated by employees who don’t always intend for their ideas to cascade into large-scale job loss. In some cases, management will ask a junior staff to spearhead an automation initiative (perhaps, some speculate, …

Subjects: AI, Economy, Financial System, Knowledge Management

The Furloughed Federal Employee’s Guide to the 2019 Shutdown in D.C.

Washington City Paper – Apply for unemployment, apply for utility assistance, exercise, clean your closets, volunteer, shout your anger into a phone. “City Paper launched this as a guide for furloughed federal employees, but it has become a resource for many more people—especially the thousands who earn their living in government-adjacent careers, like taxi and …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Knowledge Management

Global Economic Prospects Darkening Skies

The World Bank: “Global economic growth is projected to soften from a downwardly revised 3 percent in 2018 to 2.9 percent in 2019 amid rising downside risks to the outlook, the World Bank said on Tuesday. International trade and manufacturing activity have softened, trade tensions remain elevated, and some large emerging markets have experienced substantial …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Will AI will displace 40 percent of world’s jobs in as soon as 15 years

CBS 60 Minutes report: “…In as soon as 15 years, 40 percent of the world’s jobs could be done by machines, according to one of the world’s foremost experts on artificial intelligence. Kai Fu Lee, a pioneer in AI and venture capitalist based in China makes this prediction in a Scott Pelley report about AI …

Subjects: AI, Economy, Financial System, Knowledge Management

Federal government was bleak workplace for past 2 years and worsened after the shutdown

Washington Post: “Over two years, the Trump administration has dealt blow after blow to government employees — budget cuts, hiring freezes, inept Cabinet secretaries and, for some, open hostility to their fundamental mission. President Trump promised to shake up Washington, and he has. But the country’s 2 million federal workers have mostly soldiered on, believing …

Subjects: Defense, Economy, Environmental Law, Housing, Knowledge Management, Legal Research

What the President Could Do If He Declares a State of Emergency

The Atlantic – From seizing control of the internet to declaring martial law, President Trump may legally do all kinds of extraordinary things: “…It would be nice to think that America is protected from the worst excesses of Trump’s impulses by its democratic laws and institutions. After all, Trump can do only so much without …

Subjects: Censorship, Civil Liberties, Congress, Economy, Financial System, Freedom of Information, Government Documents, Internet, Legal Research

Financial Technology: Agencies Should Provide Clarification on Lenders’ Use of Alternative Data

Financial Technology: Agencies Should Provide Clarification on Lenders’ Use of Alternative Data, GAO-19-111: Published: Dec 19, 2018. Publicly Released: Dec 19, 2018. “Financial technology—or “fintech”—can help connect lenders and borrowers online. Some fintech lenders told us that they use alternative data to help determine borrowers’ creditworthiness. For example, lenders may supplement traditional data (such as …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research, Privacy

Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress

EveryCRSReport.com – Changes in the Arctic: Background and Issues for Congress, December 13, 2018: “The diminishment of Arctic sea ice has led to increased human activities in the Arctic, and has heightened interest in, and concerns about, the region’s future. The United States, by virtue of Alaska, is an Arctic country and has substantial interests …

Subjects: Climate Change, Economy, Environmental Law, Government Documents, Legal Research