Category «Economy»

Global Trends in Democracy: Background, U.S. Policy, and Issues for Congress

CRS Report via LC repository: Global Trends in Democracy: Background, U.S. Policy, and Issues for Congress. Michael A. Weber, Analyst in Foreign Affairs. Updated October 17, 2018. “Widespread concerns exist among analysts and policymakers over the current trajectory of democracy around the world. Congress has often played an important role in supporting and institutionalizing U.S. democracy …

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

These are the world’s most competitive economies

World Economic Forum: “How well countries adapt to the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) will determine whether they ‘thrive’ or ‘stagnate’ and could further divide workforces and increase social tensions, according to the latest version of the World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report. Almost 40 years after its first annual assessment of the global economy, the …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Federal Reserve Payments Study finds U.S. payments fraud a small but growing fraction of overall payments

Changes in U.S. Payments Fraud from 2012 to 2016: Evidence from the Federal Reserve Payments Study. October 2018: “The value of fraudulent noncash payments in the United States rose significantly between 2012 and 2015–outpacing growth in noncash payments overall, according to a new report based on Federal Reserve Payments Study data. The study’s survey of …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Legal Research

Trump Administration Reform and Reorganization Plan: Discussion of 35 “Government-Wide” Proposals

Trump Administration Reform and Reorganization Plan: Discussion of 35 “Government-Wide” Proposals, CRS memorandum, July 25, 2018. “This memorandum provides a brief summary and some preliminary analysis of the Donald J. Trump Administration’s recent proposals to restructure and reform agencies, programs, and operations in the executive branch. Specifically, the memorandum covers the 32 proposals characterized by the …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Energy, Environmental Law, Financial System, Government Documents, Transportation

Projections of white and black older adults without living kin in the United States, 2015 to 2060

Projections of white and black older adults without living kin in the United States, 2015 to 2060. Ashton M. Verdery and Rachel Margolis PNAS published ahead of print October 2, 2017 https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1710341114 “Family members provide the majority of social support for most older adults, but not all individuals have living family. Those without living close …

Subjects: Economy, Health Care

A global tipping point: Half the world is now middle class or wealthier

Brookings report – Half the world is now middle class or wealthier: “…Our “middle class” classification was first developed in 2010 and has been used by many researchers. While acknowledging that the middle class does not have a precise definition that can be globally applied, the threshold we use in this work has the following characteristics: …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Poverty

NYT Interactive – Every building in America – Where We Live

The New York Times – “On this page you will find maps showing almost every building in the United States…Created by Times graphic designer Derek Watkins and former Times editor Tim Wallace, the project relied on a Microsoft database of building footprints that The Times team turned into graphics, in which buildings are black and …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Housing, Search Engines

Report – To confront climate change, we need to democratize, decarbonize, and decommodify our energy resources

Follow-up to recent posting U.N. Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – global warming crisis and 10 year ticking clock please see this study via Brookings – Eco-Socialism or Bust – By Thea Riofrancos, Robert Shaw, Will Speck. “To confront climate change, we need to democratize, decarbonize, and decommodify our energy resources. Broadly, our energy vision …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Climate Change, Economy, Environmental Law

Municipal Equality Index rates 506 cities on 49 different metrics

Route Fifty: “A record-breaking 78 cities received perfect scores on the 2018 Municipal Equality Index, a Human Rights Campaign ranking system that measures “LGBTQ inclusion in municipal law, policy and services.” “From San Antonio, Texas to Brookings, South Dakota—this year’s MEI again proves that there are no barriers to municipal LGBTQ equality for a city …

Subjects: Civil Liberties, Economy, Education, Government Documents, Legal Research