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Daily Archives: June 23, 2014

Policies to Address Poverty in America

“Millions of people live in poverty in this country. They suffer not only material deprivation, but also the hardships and diminished life prospects that come with being poor. Childhood poverty often means growing up without the advantages of a stable home, high-quality schools, or consistent nutrition. Adults in poverty are often hampered by inadequate skills and education, leading to limited wages and job opportunities. And the high costs of housing, healthcare, and other necessities often mean that people must choose between basic needs, sometimes forgoing essentials like meals or medicine. In recognition of these challenges, The Hamilton Project has commissioned fourteen innovative, evidence-based antipoverty proposals. These proposals are authored by a diverse set of leading scholars, each tackling a specific aspect of the poverty crisis. Read the full Introduction by Melissa S. Kearney, Benjamin H. Harris, and Karen L. Anderson

“Short” Falls: Who’s Most Likely to Come up Short in Retirement, and When?

“This Notes article provides new results showing how many years into retirement Baby Boomer and Gen Xer households are simulated to run short of money, by preretirement income quartile. Under a variety of simulated post-retirement expense scenarios, the lowest preretirement income quartile is the cohort where the vast majority of the retirement readiness shortfall occurs, and the… Continue Reading

Gallup – Americans Say Social Media Have Little Sway on Purchases

“A clear majority of Americans say social media have no effect at all on their purchasing decisions. Although many companies run aggressive marketing campaigns on social media, 62% in the U.S. say Facebook and Twitter, among other sites, do not have any influence on their decisions to purchase products.  Despite tremendous numbers of Americans using… Continue Reading

POGO – SSA Not Timely in Revoking Contractor Data Access Privileges

“According to a recent audit report by the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) Inspector General (IG), SSA contractor employees had access to the agency’s information technology (IT) systems even after they stopped working on the contract. The IG found nearly a dozen instances when SSA failed to terminate contractor employees’ privileges to access sensitive data when they left… Continue Reading

Americans Purchasing More Efficient Vehicles

“The nation’s passenger vehicle marketplace is in the midst of a major transformation according to new research undertaken by the Consumer Federation of America (CFA). More than ever before consumers are purchasing, and planning to purchase, vehicles with increased fuel economy. Car manufacturers, in the meantime, are making improvements both to meet this demand and to… Continue Reading

Federal Appeals Court Releases “Drone Killing” Memo, EPIC Filed Amicus

EPIC – “The Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit today made public the legal analysis justifying the Administration’s controversial “targeted killing” drone program. The action follows an earlier ruling by the federal appeals court in New York Times v. Department of Justice. The government had argued that this memo could not be disclosed under the Freedom of… Continue Reading

Elections Administration Research Database

National Conference of State Legislatures – “The Elections Administration Research Database contains elections administration reports published between 2000 and the present. The reports span a range of topics from election costs to voter ID to online voter registration and reflect a variety of perspectives, ranging from election administrators to nonprofit organizations to academic researchers. Each… Continue Reading

Are We Killing the Rain? Meditations on the Water Cycle and, More Particularly, on Bioprecipitation

Cohen, Jane M., Are We Killing the Rain? Meditations on the Water Cycle and, More Particularly, on Bioprecipitation (April 30, 2012). Water International, iFirst, 2012, pp. 1–13; Energy Center Research Paper No. 2014-02. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2458027 “Multi-disciplinary research on “bioprecipitation” advances the hypothesis that atmospheric ice nucleators of biological origin may be a highly-adapted causal… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Advanced Reactor Research, Debt Management, DOD Financial Management, Maritime Security, Medicaid, Telecommunications, Spina Bifida

ADVANCED REACTOR RESEARCH: DOE Supports Multiple Technologies, but Actions Needed to Ensure a Prototype Is Built, GAO-14-545: Published: Jun 23, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 23, 2014. DEBT MANAGEMENT: Floating Rate Notes Can Help Treasury Meet Borrowing Goals, but Additional Actions Are Needed to Help Manage Risk, GAO-14-535: Published: Jun 16, 2014. Publicly Released: Jun 23, 2014. DEBT MANAGEMENT: Survey of Investors in… Continue Reading