Category «Financial System»

Confidence in U.S. Institutions Still Below Historical Norms

Gallup: “Americans’ confidence in most major U.S. institutions remains below the historical average for each one. Only the military (72%) and small business (67%) — the highest-rated institutions in this year’s poll — are currently rated higher than their historical norms, based on the percentage expressing “a great deal” or “quite a lot” of confidence …

Subjects: Congress, Courts, Defense, Economy, Financial System

House Price Volatility and the Housing Ladder

Banks, James W. and Blundell, Richard W. and Oldfield, Zoé and Smith, James P., House Price Volatility and the Housing Ladder (June 2015). NBER Working Paper No. w21255. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2618643 “This paper investigates the effects of spatial housing price risk on housing choices over the first half of the life-cycle. Housing …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Housing

GAO Reports – Indian Energy Development, 401(K) Plans, Military Personnel, Nuclear Command, Older Americans Act

Indian Energy Development: Poor Management by BIA Has Hindered Energy Development on Indian Lands – GAO-15-502: Published: Jun 8, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 15, 2015. 401(K) Plans: Frequent and Collective Trading Are Uncommon and Not a Significant Concern for Plan Participants, Sponsors, or Mutual Funds, GAO-15-427R: Published: May 14, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 15, 2015. …

Subjects: Defense, Energy, Financial System, Government Documents

World Bank Report – Global Economic Prospects

“Developing countries face a series of tough challenges in 2015, including the looming prospect of higher borrowing costs as they adapt to a new era of low prices for oil and other key commodities, resulting in a fourth consecutive year of disappointing economic growth this year, says the World Bank Group’s latest Global Economic Prospects …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Poverty

New paper on ecommerce remedies

Schmitz, Amy, Introducing the ‘New Handshake’ to Expand Remedies and Revive Responsibility in ECommerce (June 12, 2015). 26 University of St. Thomas Law Review 522-550 (2014); U of Colorado Law Legal Studies Research Paper No. 15-7. Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2617712 “There was a time when individuals would meet in person to make purchases …

Subjects: E-Commerce, Economy, Financial System, Internet, Legal Research

New on LLRX – The Case for Natural Language Processing in Economics

Via LLRX.com – The Case for Natural Language Processing in Economics – Economist Ayeh Bandeh Ahmadi outlines a case for incorporating more natural language processing into economics as a tool to invigorate and provide additional critical facets and perspective to study, as well as adding a large volume of data for research to explore and …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Internet, Knowledge Management

GAO Reports – Defense Acquisition Process, Federal Home Loan Banks, Mental Health

Defense Acquisition Process: Military Service Chiefs’ Concerns Reflect Need to Better Define Requirements before Programs Start, GAO-15-469: Published: Jun 11, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 11, 2015: “Most current and former military service chiefs and vice chiefs GAO interviewed from the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps collectively expressed dissatisfaction with acquisition program outcomes and …

Subjects: Defense, Economy, Financial System, Government Documents, Health Care, Medicine

Study – Poverty Among Seniors

Kaiser Foundation – Poverty Among Seniors: An Updated Analysis of National and State Level Poverty Rates Under the Official and Supplemental Poverty Measures. June 2015. “Payments from Social Security and Supplemental Security Income have played a critical role in enhancing economic security and reducing poverty rates among people ages 65 and older. Yet many older …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Health Care, Poverty

22nd Annual ABA Real Estate Survey Report

“The 22nd Real Estate Lending Survey had the participation of 182 banks. The data was collected from March 4, 2015 to April 17, 2015, and in most cases reports calendar year or year – end results. In other cases, data reflect current activities and expectations at the time of data collection. Of the survey participants, …

Subjects: Congress, Economy, Financial System, Housing, Legal Research, Legislation

Report – Truth and Integrity in State Budgeting

“In this report, the Volcker Alliance examines in detail the budgeting practices of California, New Jersey and Virginia, assessing the effectiveness of each state’s practices. The report highlights the need for effective and transparent budgeting practices by “shining a spotlight on opaque and confusing practices and by identifying more appropriate approaches” when creating state budgets …

Subjects: Economy, Financial System, Government Documents

Spread the Word About Free Summer Meals For Kids

“Don’t let kids go hungry this summer. Just because school is out doesn’t mean they can’t get the same free or reduced-cost meals they rely on during the school year. In fact, any kid or teen 18 and under can eat for free at designated summer meals sites across the country. But too many families don’t …

Subjects: E-Government, Economy, Financial System, Food and Nutrition, Government Documents