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Monthly Archives: June 2015

Agencies Release Statement on Dodd-Frank Act Company-run Stress Tests at Medium-sized Financial Companies

“Federal banking agencies today reiterated the disclosure requirements for the annual stress tests conducted by financial institutions with total consolidated assets between $10 billion and $50 billion. These medium-sized companies are required to conduct annual, company-run stress tests–implementing a provision of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act–with the results disclosed to the… Continue Reading

Small Arms Survey 2015: Weapons and the World

“The Small Arms Survey 2015: Weapons and the World examines the role of weapons and armed violence in humanity’s appropriation of the earth’s wildlife and mineral riches—in Africa, where the poaching of elephants and rhinos is becoming increasingly militarized, and near resource extraction sites around the world. In addition to presenting updates on the UN… Continue Reading

New GAO Reports – Border Security, Broadband, DOD Operational Testing, Medicaid, Retirement Security, Telecom, Private Health Insurance

Border Security: Progress and Challenges in DHS’s Efforts to Address High-Risk Travelers and Maritime Cargo, GAO-15-668T: Published: Jun 2, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 2, 2015. Broadband: Intended Outcomes and Effectiveness of Efforts to Address Adoption Barriers Are Unclear, GAO-15-473: Published: Jun 2, 2015. Publicly Released: Jun 2, 2015. DOD Operational Testing: Oversight Has Resulted in… Continue Reading

Global Drinking Water Industry Report 2014

“Global Drinking Water Industry Report 2014 – Trends Forecasts to 2020 is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the drinking water industry. The report provides a basic overview of the industry including definitions, classifications, applications and industry chain structure. The drinking water market analysis is provided for the international markets including… Continue Reading

When Should Public Debt Be Reduced?

When Should Public Debt Be Reduced? Prepared by Jonathan D. Ostry, Atish R. Ghosh, and Raphael Espinoza, IMF, June 2015. “Financial bailouts, stimulus spending, and lower revenues during the Great Recession have resulted in some of the highest public debt ratios seen in advanced economies in the past 40 years. Recent debates have centered on… Continue Reading

Fair Weather or Foul? The Macroeconomic Effects of El Niño

Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Globalization and Monetary Policy Institute Working Paper No. 239. Fair Weather or Foul? The Macroeconomic Effects of El Niño. Paul Cashin, International Monetary Fund; Kamiar Mohaddes, Faculty of Economics and Girton College, University of Cambridge; Mehdi Raissi, International Monetary Fund. May 2015. “This paper employs a dynamic multi-country framework to… Continue Reading

New One-Stop Resource for Identity Theft Victims

“News about data breaches at banks, stores, and agencies is an everyday occurrence now. But if your private information has been compromised, it doesn’t feel commonplace to you. The sooner you find out, and begin damage control, the better off you’ll be. IdentityTheft.gov, a new website, offers step-by-step checklists of what to do right away,… Continue Reading

CRS – The Violence Against Women Act

The Violence Against Women Act: Overview, Legislation, and Federal Funding, Lisa N. Sacco, Analyst in Illicit Drugs and Crime Policy. May 26, 2015. “In February 2013, Congress passed legislation (Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2013; P.L. 113-4) that reauthorized most of the programs under VAWA, among other things. The VAWA reauthorization also amended and… Continue Reading

An Overview of the Employment-Population Ratio

CRS – An Overview of the Employment-Population Ratio, Sarah A. Donovan, Analyst in Labor Policy. May 27, 2015. “The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) defines the employment-population ratio as the ratio of total civilian employment to the civilian noninstitutional population. Simply put, it is the portion of the population that is employed. The ratio is… Continue Reading

Overview of Constitutional Challenges to NSA Collection Activities

CRS – Overview of Constitutional Challenges to NSA Collection Activities, Edward C. Liu, Legislative Attorney; Andrew Nolan, Legislative Attorney, Richard M. Thompson II, Legislative Attorney. May 21, 2015. “Beginning in summer 2013, media reports of foreign intelligence activities conducted by the National Security Agency (NSA) have been widely published. The reports have focused on two… Continue Reading