Even sound actions can have negative consequences. That is why in times of crisis, policy makers must remain vigilant. Easing monetary and credit policies last year and keeping them loose made sense. In an effort to avoid the mistakes of the Great Depression, when governments tightened both monetary and fiscal policies, policy makers this time around gave the wounded private sector what it […]
Planet Earth’s critical issue this decade will be whether American power will erode — and if so, what the implications will be for the liberal world order we erected after WWII. The Obama administration’s fiscal stimulus package cum bank bailout, building on the Paulson-Bush-Geithner-Bernanke efforts of 2008 and the unprecedented coordination of economic policy globally, constituted a brilliant, […]
Although we have entered upon a new year and a new decade, we still find ourselves battling the demons of the past. While we often look to the New Years it as a time for a fresh start and of renewed hope, we still find ourselves embattled in a recession. The continued recession has left […]
According to an interesting empirical study commissioned by Capitol Hill’s weekly newspaper and the leading publisher of the nation’s legislative record, Congressional Quarterly, President Obama has accummulated an impressive string of legislative accomplishments unrivaled by any previous POTUS.
China has a dual economy. There is the modern coastal economy oriented for export that has exploited China’s comparative advantage in labor-intensive manufacturing to generate US$2 trillion in fx reserves; and, there’s the rest — the government-directed economy of bank lending, state-owned enterprises, and massive, massive investment in real estate, roads and other infrastructure. With […]
But that sure doesn’t have anything to do with “global cooling.” In fact, according to the British Met Office, 2010 may well be the warmest year on record. (2009 was the fifth warmest.) Further, as the Met Office, among others, have pointed out, it’s not cold everywhere in the world. Joe Romm had this item […]
Transition from military rule to full democracy is never easy and often involves serious questions about accountability. This can involve accountability for past actions, or new questions about how a civilian government can be held accountable to the people. Because of the complicated nature of any transition, some governments opt to take the easy way […]
Today was National Global Human Trafficking Awareness Day (NGHTAD) and the buzz against human trafficking was all about. E-mails and 24 hour campaigns were bustling around the Internet, while Facebook was exploding with chatter on what one could do on the day to promote the day. People across the country were sharing resources and information […]
Broadly speaking, the U.S. government has three sets of policy options available when it comes to creating a greener global economy. Far at one end is traditional regulation, that includes initiatives like mandated energy standards for washing machines and chirpy public education reminders to turn off the water when brushing teeth. At the opposing end […]
In a recent interviews with MSNBC, Bloomberg and VentureBeat, PayPal co-founder and Slide CEO Max Levchin has discussed the development of social networks and similar online worlds as “self-enclosed economies,” in which all the normal economic rules can be made to apply in the new, burgeoning trade of virtual goods. He suggested that this is […]
As you know, the U.S. is currently collaborating with other Security Council countries on the question of imposing some kind of sanctions on Iran over the nuclear issue. In international affairs, sanctions are most often imposed on countries that are antagonistic, which is why this report from the Voice of American stands out as noting […]
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