The Nation’s international trade deficit in goods and services increased to $40.3 billion in April from $37.1 billion (revised) in March, as imports increased more than exports. (June 4, 2013) Continue Reading
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Author Archives: Sabrina I. Pacifici
The Global Information Technology Report 2013
The Global Information Technology Report 2013 – Growth and Jobs in a Hyperconnected World, Beñat Bilbao-Osorio, Soumitra Dutta, and Bruno Lanvin, Editors: “The Global Information Technology Report 2013 features the latest results of the Networked Readiness Index (NRI), offering an overview of the current state of information and communication technologies (ICTs) readiness in the world.… Continue Reading
Paper – Why the Government Condemns and Condones Unlawful Disclosures of Information
The Leaky Leviathan: Why the Government Condemns and Condones Unlawful Disclosures of Information, David Pozen, Columbia Law School, May 25, 2013 Harvard Law Review, Forthcoming, Columbia Public Law Research Paper No. 13-341 “The United States government leaks like a sieve. Presidents denounce the constant flow of classified information to the media from unauthorized, anonymous sources.… Continue Reading
Paper – Protecting Environmental Rights Through the Bilateral Agreements of the European Union
Protecting Environmental Rights Through the Bilateral Agreements of the European Union: Mapping the Field, Elisa Morgera, University of Edinburgh June 2, 2013: “The present paper aims to map existing and future opportunities for utilizing EU bilateral agreements to promote the protection of environmental rights, as well as available legal avenues to address missed opportunities and… Continue Reading
Census – 2012 Characteristics of New Housing
2012 Characteristics of New Housing – “This report provides annual statistics on the characteristics of new privately owned residential structures — such as the type of wall material, number of bedrooms and bathrooms, type of financing, heating and square footage — for the U.S. and the four national regions. The data are gathered from the Census… Continue Reading
CRS – Who Regulates Whom and How? An Overview of U.S. Financial Regulatory Policy for Banking and Securities Markets
Who Regulates Whom and How? An Overview of U.S. Financial Regulatory Policy for Banking and Securities Markets, May 28, 2013. “This report provides an overview of the regulatory policies of the agencies that oversee banking and securities markets and explains which agencies are responsible for which institutions, activities, and markets. Some agencies regulate particular types of… Continue Reading
New York Fed Launches Interactive Regional Indicators of Consumer Debt
News release: “The Federal Reserve Bank of New York today launched an interactive regional indicators tool that allows users to view non-housing consumer debt for borrowers in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut. The tool shows statistics for student loans, auto loans and credit cards by age group for each state in user-defined combinations. Also provided are… Continue Reading
TRAC – Legal Noncitizens Receive Longest ICE Detention
Transactional Records Access Clearinghouse: “Timely Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) data about the custody history of detainees who were deported or released by the government during November and December of 2012 shows wide variation in their detention times. For four out of every ten, custody ended very quickly — within three days. And for more… Continue Reading
Public Interest Group Reports Document Offshore Holdings of Major Corporations
Citizens for Tax Justice: “Apple is one of eighteen Fortune 500 companies that disclose, in their latest annual reports, that they would pay at least a 30 percent U.S. tax rate on their offshore income if repatriated. This figure is a clear indication that very little tax has been paid on those profits to any… Continue Reading
Presentation: Survey of Government IT Professionals – Disaster Unpreparedness
“So, how confident are Fed IT professionals in their agencies’ DR2 capabilities? How ready and resilient are the systems, and do agencies verify by testing? To find out, MeriTalk surveyed 150 Federal DoD and civilian IT professionals in December 2012. The Disaster Unpreparedness report reveals that few agencies are actually prepared to recover their data in… Continue Reading
New GAO Report – USDA’s Implementation of New State-Delegated Meat Inspection Program Needs Additional Action
Agriculture and Food: USDA’s Implementation of New State-Delegated Meat Inspection Program Addresses Most Key Farm Bill Requirements, but Additional Action Needed, GAO-13-332R, May 30, 2013: “USDA’s Food Safety Inspection Service (FSIS) completed most of the key activities outlined in the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (the 2008 Farm Bill), which authorized a new meat and… Continue Reading
Speech – Regulatory Landscapes: A U.S. Perspective
Vice Chair Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Janet L. Yellen, At the International Monetary Conference, Shanghai, China, June 2, 2013 – Regulatory Landscapes: A U.S. Perspective: “The financial crisis revealed that banking firms around the world did not have enough high-quality capital to absorb losses during periods of severe stress. The Basel III reforms promulgated… Continue Reading
