January 27, 2016: “As part of its annual organizational meeting actions, the Federal Open Market Committee reaffirmed its “Statement on Longer-Run Goals and Monetary Policy Strategy,” with a revision to clarify that it views its inflation objective as symmetric, and with an updated reference to participants’ estimates of the longer-run normal unemployment rate in the… Continue Reading
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Monthly Archives: January 2016
UK’s return to top ten of Corruption Perceptions Index carries both risks and opportunities
“An improvement of four places from 14th to 10th in Transparency International’s (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) is an opportunity for the UK to lead on global corruption at the Prime Minister’s forthcoming Anti-Corruption Summit in May – but carries the risk that if he fails to deliver, the UK will once again sink down… Continue Reading
New Report on Women in the Workplace
Mercer’s When Women Thrive – “The most comprehensive, analytical and predictive research on women in the workforce – linking organizational policies and programs to results. We’ve added 13 countries since our initial 2014 report which now includes 42 countries, nearly 600 submissions, and 3.2 million employees, including 1.3 million women. New 2016 report available: Download… Continue Reading
Study concludes rodents have compassion for one another
Bloomberg – Faye Flam – “For all its apparent simplicity, a new experimental study showing that mouse-like rodents can be nice to each other now stands at the vanguard of a scientific revolution. The paper, published in the journal Science and promoted under the headline, “Empathy More Common in Animals than Thought,” could never have… Continue Reading
Pew – Faith and the 2016 Campaign
“The conventional wisdom in American politics has long been that someone who is not religious cannot be elected president of the United States. Most Americans have consistently said that it is important to them that the president have strong religious beliefs. And a new Pew Research Center survey finds that being an atheist remains one… Continue Reading
Census Bureau Releases First 2012 Economic Census Product Lines Reports
“The Census Bureau today released the first product lines reports from its 2012 Economic Census Subject Series. These reports present national and state-level data at the two through six- or seven-digit North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) level. They provide statistics on number of establishments and sales/receipts/revenue by products and contributing industry. Reports were released for the… Continue Reading
GAO Reports – Banking Compliance, Defense Infrastructure, Small Business Investment Companies, Water Infrastructure
Banking: Federal Agencies’ Compliance with Section 302 of the Riegle Community Development and Regulatory Improvement Act, GAO-16-213R: Published: Jan 27, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 27, 2016. Defense Infrastructure: Improvement Needed in Energy Reporting and Security Funding at Installations with Limited Connectivity, GAO-16-164: Published: Jan 27, 2016. Publicly Released: Jan 27, 2016. Small Business Investment Companies:… Continue Reading
The Glass – Steagall Act: A Legal and Policy Analysis
CRS – The Glass-Steagall Act: A Legal and Policy Analysis – David H. Carpenter, Legislative Attorney; Edward V. Murphy, Specialist in Financial Economics; M. Maureen Murphy, Legislative Attorney. January 19, 2016. “The phrase “Glass-Steagall” generally refers to the separation of commercial banking from investment banking. Congress effected a separation of commercial and investment banking through… Continue Reading
Best Practices for Reducing Near-Road Pollution Exposure at Schools
EPA – Best Practices for Reducing Near-Road Air Pollution Exposure at Schools “Motor vehicles are a major source of air pollution in the United States. Research suggests that particulate matter (PM) from vehicles, notably heavy-duty diesel vehicles, may be especially harmful. While vehicle emissions have decreased over the past several decades due to EPA’s emissions… Continue Reading
NOAA, CIRES study: Wind, sun could eclipse fossil fuels for electric power by 2030
NOAA – “The United States could slash greenhouse gas emissions from power production by up to 78 percent below 1990 levels within 15 years while meeting increased demand, according to a new study by NOAA and University of Colorado Boulder researchers. The study used a sophisticated mathematical model to evaluate future cost, demand, generation and… Continue Reading
Regulatory Relief for Banking: Selected Legislation in 114th Congress
Via FAS, CRS report – Regulatory Relief for Banking: Selected Legislation in 114th Congress, January 19, 2016. “The 114th Congress is considering legislation to provide “regulatory relief” for banks. The need for this relief, some argue, results from new regulations introduced in response to vulnerabilities that were identified during the financial crisis that began in… Continue Reading
ODNI Strategic Human Capital Plan 2012-2017
Via FAS, this Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) Human Capital Plan was obtained under FOIA by Prof. Van Puyvelde. FAS – “As of 2012, the total Intelligence Community workforce was 76.6% white, and 61.6% male, both higher than the overall federal workforce (which was 65.6% white and 55.9% male).” Also via FAS… Continue Reading
