“The federal government ran a budget deficit of $366 billion for the first nine months of fiscal year 2014, CBO estimates—$144 billion less than the shortfall recorded over the same span last year. Through the end of June, revenues were about 8 percent higher and outlays were about 1 percent higher than they were at… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: July 2014
Agriculture: occupational employment and wages
Stella D. Fayer – economist in the Office of Employment and Unemployment Statistics, BLS: This study uses special tabulations of data collected as part of the short-term Green Goods and Services Occupations (GGS-OCC) program to analyze employment and wages in the agricultural sector as a whole. The GGS-OCC program estimates combined data from two U.S. Bureau of… Continue Reading
GDPNow – Atlanta Fed
“The growth rate of real gross domestic product (GDP) is a key indicator of economic activity, but the official estimate is released with a delay. Our new GDPNow forecasting model provides a “nowcast” of the official estimate prior to its release. Recent forecasts for the GDPNow model are available here. More extensive numerical details—including underlying source… Continue Reading
HHS IG – Special Fraud Alert: Laboratory Payments to Referring Physicians
June 25, 2014 – “This Special Fraud Alert addresses compensation paid by laboratories to referring physicians and physician group practices (collectively, physicians) for blood specimen collection, processing, and packaging, and for submitting patient data to a registry or database. OIG has issued a number of guidance documents and advisory opinions addressing the general subject of remuneration… Continue Reading
Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate
CRS – Access to Broadband Networks: The Net Neutrality Debate. Angele A. Gilroy, Specialist in Telecommunications Policy. July 2, 2014. “As congressional policy makers continue to debate telecommunications reform, a major point of contention is the question of whether action is needed to ensure unfettered access to the Internet. The move to place restrictions on the owners of the… Continue Reading
Dignified Jobs and Decent Wages The Next 50 Years of Civil Rights and Economic Justice
Center for American Progress, Maryam Adamu | July 10, 2014: “This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Years of organizing and civil disobedience culminated in a seminal piece of legislation prohibiting discrimination based on race, color, religion, national origin, and sex. A few years after the Civil Rights Act was passed, Martin… Continue Reading
Asymmetric Information and Inventory Concerns in Over-the-Counter Markets
Cujean, Julien and Praz, Remy, Asymmetric Information and Inventory Concerns in Over-the-Counter Markets (July 10, 2014). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2464399 “We study how transparency, modeled as information about one’s counterparty liquidity needs, affects the functioning of an over-the-counter market. In our model, investors hedge endowment risk by trading bilaterally in a search-and-matching environment. We… Continue Reading
Equilibrium Commodity Trading
Leclercq, Emmanuel and Praz, Remy, Equilibrium Commodity Trading (July 10, 2014). Available for download at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=2464400 “We develop an equilibrium model of commodity spot and futures markets in which commodity production, consumption, and speculation are endogenously determined. Speculators facilitate hedging by the commodity suppliers. The entry of new speculators thus increases the supply of the… Continue Reading
Wireless Substitution: Estimates From National Health Interview Survey, July–December 2013
Stephen J. Blumberg, Ph.D., and Julian V. Luke – Division of Health Interview Statistics, National Center for Health Statistics: “Preliminary results from the July–December 2013 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) indicate that the number of American homes with only wireless telephones continues to grow. Two in every five American homes (41.0%) had only wireless telephones (also known… Continue Reading
NGOs Launch Digital First Aid Kit
Via EFF – “When faced with a digital emergency—whether someone has hijacked your social media account or your website is being DDoSed—can be difficult for non-technical people to discern what the problem is and what the appropriate next steps may be for seeking help. To help fill this niche in the universe of privacy and… Continue Reading
EPIC Defends FOIA Victory in Federal Appeals Court
“EPIC has filed a brief in response to an appeal by the Department of Justice in EPIC v. DHS, concerning the government policy to disrupt cellular networks. EPIC won a major FOIA victory when a federal district court ruled that the DHS could not withhold “SOP 303,” a government procedure to shut down cellular phone service. EPIC sought the… Continue Reading
FTC Alleges Amazon Unlawfully Billed Parents for Millions of Dollars In Children’s Unauthorized In-App Charges
News release: “Amazon.com, Inc. has billed parents and other account holders for millions of dollars in unauthorized in-app charges incurred by children, according to a Federal Trade Commission complaint filed today in federal court. The FTC’s lawsuit seeks a court order requiring refunds to consumers for the unauthorized charges and permanently banning the company from billing parents and… Continue Reading
