“Social safety net programs have grown exponentially around the world in recent years, but more than two-thirds of the world’s 1.2 billion poorest people –those living on less than US$1.25 per day—are still not covered, says a new World Bank report. According to The State of Social Safety Nets 2014, more than 1 billion people in 146… Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
Household Debt Grows for the Third Consecutive Quarter
“The New York Fed released its Quarterly Report on Household Debt and Credit for the first quarter of 2014, which shows a $129 billion increase in overall household debt from the previous period. Delinquency rates continued to improve, with the overall ninety-plus day delinquency rate falling to 4.8 percent, the lowest it has been since mid-2008. The Federal… Continue Reading
EPIC Obtains Letter Concerning DOJ Non-Investigation of Google Street View
“Pursuant to the Freedom of Information Act, EPIC has obtained the closing letter from the Department of Justice to Google attorneys in the Street View matter. The letter briefly mentions Google’s interception and collection of private Wi-Fi communications across the United States over several years. The disclosure of the activity occurred after a European data protection authority discovered that… Continue Reading
Arizona Driving Changes in Criminal Immigration Re-entry Prosecutions
“The latest available data from the Justice Department covering the first six months of FY 2014 indicate that substantial changes are occurring in the criminal enforcement of the immigration laws, particularly among those districts along the border with Mexico. Overall, the new data document a drop in the number of criminal prosecutions for illegal entry… Continue Reading
At the Nexus of Cybersecurity and Public Policy
“We depend on information and information technology (IT) to make many of our day-to-day tasks easier and more convenient. Computers play key roles in transportation, health care, banking, and energy. Businesses use IT for payroll and accounting, inventory and sales, and research and development. Modern military forces use weapons that are increasingly coordinated through computer-based… Continue Reading
EU Court of Justice – Google Must Remove Links Upon Request
Court of Justice of the European Union, News Release No 70/14 Luxembourg, 13 May 2014. Judgment in Case C-131/12 Google Spain SL, Google Inc. v Agencia Española de Protección de Datos, Mario Costeja González. “An internet search engine operator is responsible for the processing that it carries out of personal data which appear on web pages… Continue Reading
The exit from non-conventional monetary policy: what challenges?
Working Papers No 448 May 2014. The exit from non-conventional monetary policy: what challenges? by Philip Turner “Monetary policies pursued in response to the financial crisis have shown that changes in central bank balance sheets have major macroeconomic consequences. The New Classical Macroeconomics, which gained increasing sway from the late-1980s, had led to an exclusive focus on the policy… Continue Reading
New GAO Reports – DOD Financial Management, VA Education Benefits
DOD FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: Actions Under Way Need to Be Successfully Completed to Address Long-standing Funds Control Weaknesses, GAO-14-94: Published: Apr 29, 2014. Publicly Released: May 13, 2014. DOD FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT: Effect of Continuing Weaknesses on Management and Operations and Status of Key Challenges, GAO-14-576T: Published: May 13, 2014. Publicly Released: May 13, 2014. VA EDUCATION BENEFITS: VA Should Strengthen Its Efforts to… Continue Reading
The Little Data Book 2014 – World Bank
‘The Little Data Book 2014 is a pocket edition of World Development Indicators 2014. It is intended as a quick reference for users of the World Development Indicators database, book, and mobile app. The database covers more than 1,200 indicators and spans more than 50 years. The 214 country tables present the latest available data… Continue Reading
WHO calls on governments to do more to prevent alcohol-related deaths and diseases
News release: “Worldwide, 3.3 million deaths in 2012 were due to harmful use of alcohol, says a new report launched by WHO today. Alcohol consumption can not only lead to dependence but also increases people’s risk of developing more than 200 diseases including liver cirrhosis and some cancers. In addition, harmful drinking can lead to… Continue Reading
OCLC releases WorldCat Works as linked data
“OCLC has made 197 million bibliographic work descriptions—WorldCat Works—available as linked data, a format native to the Web that will improve discovery of library collections through a variety of popular sites and Web services. Release of this data marks another step toward providing interconnected linked data views of WorldCat. By making this linked data available, library… Continue Reading
Big Data: Seizing Opportunities, Preserving Values
Executive Office of the President, May 2014: [snipped] “Today, data is more deeply woven into the fabric of our lives than ever before. We aspire to use data to solve problems, improve well-being, and generate economic prosperity. The collection, storage, and analysis of data is on an upward and seemingly unbounded trajectory, fueled by increases in… Continue Reading
