AMERIQUE

America's Response to Terrorism

2011-07-14T09:53:00.000-07:00

In a new book, The Long Shadow of 9/11: America's Response to Terrorism, RAND experts offer a distinctively farsighted perspective to the national dialogue on 9/11's legacy. Their insights assess the military, political, fiscal, social, cultural, psychological, and even moral implications of U.S. policymaking since 9/11.

Introduction: The Shadow of 9/11 Across America

by Brian Michael Jenkins and John Paul Godges, editors

Part One: Humbled by Hubris

The Costs of Overreaction by James Dobbins
A Long-Overdue Adaptation to the Afghan Environment by Arturo Munoz
Lessons from the Tribal Areas by Seth G. Jones
The Iraq War: Strategic Overreach by America—and also al Qaeda by Frederic Wehrey

Part Two: Hopeful amid Extreme Ideologies and Intense Fears

Where Are We in the "War of Ideas"? by Angel Rabasa
Al Qaeda's Propaganda: A Shifting Battlefield by Eric V. Larson
Have We Succumbed to Nuclear Terror? by Brian Michael Jenkins

Part Three: Torn Between Physical Battles and Moral Conflicts

Winning Every Battle but Losing the War Against Terrorists and Insurgents by Christopher Paul
The Strategic Dilemma of Terrorist Havens Calls for Their Isolation, Not Elimination by Kim Cragin
Our Own Behavior Can Be Our Weakest Link—or Our Strongest Weapon by Todd C. Helmus

Part Four: Driven by Unreasonable Demands

Don't Let Short-Term Urgency Undermine a Long-Term Security Strategy by Brian A. Jackson
Flight of Fancy? Air Passenger Security Since 9/11 by K. Jack Riley
The Intelligence of Counterterrorism by Gregory F. Treverton

Part Five: Inspired to Build a Stronger America

The Public Health System in the Wake of 9/11: Progress Made and Challenges Remaining by Jeanne S. Ringel and Jeffrey Wasserman
The Link Between National Security and Compensation for Terrorism Losses by Lloyd Dixon, Fred Kipperman, and Robert T. Reville
The Land of the Fearful, or the Home of the Brave? by Brian Michael Jenkins

U.S. ECO ONLINE A SELECTION OF DOCUMENTS RECENTLY PUBLISHED ON THE WEB

2011-07-13T01:26:00.000-07:00

U.S. ECO ONLINE

A SELECTION OF DOCUMENTS RECENTLY PUBLISHED ON THE WEB

N^o 136 – June 2011

GENERAL INTEREST 2

Progressive Entrepreneurship: A Work in Progress 3

Tracking Economic Recession and Recovery in America’s 100 Largest Metropolitan Areas 3

Asia Matters for America: The Source for Hundreds of Thousands of U.S. Jobs is Asia 3

FISCAL POLICY 3

The Congressional Budget Office's Long-Term Budget Outlook 3

Spend Less, Owe Less, Grow the Economy 4

Reforming Taxes and Raising Revenue: Part of the Fiscal Solution 4

The Assets Report 2011 4

TAX POLICY 4

Ten Charts that Prove the United States Is a Low-Tax Country 4

How Business Tax Reform Can Encourage Job Creation 5

Tax Reform and Foreign Investment in the United States 5

MONETARY POLICY 5

A Brief History of the Gold Standard - The Return(s) to Gold 5

Measuring Inflation: The Core Is Rotten 5

FINANCE 5

Financial Regulatory Reform: The International Context 6

One Year Later - The Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act - Implementation of Title VII 6

Financial Institutions and Consumer Protection 6

Stress Testing and Bank Capital Supervision 6

Creating a New Foundation for Risk Management (Special Issue) 6

Does the Dodd Frank Act End 'Too Big to Fail'?" 7

Oversight of the Mutual Fund Industry: Ensuring Market Stability and Investor Confidence" 7

Choosing among Macroprudential Tools 7

Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac & FHA: Taxpayer Exposure in the Housing Markets 7

Homeownership and Individual Development Accounts 8

TRANSPORTATION 8

Transportation Research Priorities: Maximizing Return on Investment of Taxpayer Dollars 8

Creating Jobs and Increasing U.S. Exports by Enhancing the Marine Transportation System 8

Transportation Governance and Finance: A 50-State Review of State Legislatures and DOTs 9

OTHER ECONOMIC POLICIES 9

The Views of the Administration on Regulatory Reform: An Update 9

Evaluating the Cloud Computing Act of 2011 9

Patents: A Singular Law for the Diversity of Innovation 9

A Lifesaver, Not A Job Killer - EPA’s Proposed “Air Toxics Rule” Is No Threat To Job Growth 10

LOCAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT 10

States Continue to Feel Recession’s Impact 10

Conservative Budget Cuts Bad for State Economies 10

New Fiscal Year Brings Further Budget Cuts to Most States, Slowing Economic Recovery 10

Enterprising States - Recovery and Renewal for the 21st Century 11

Rethinking the State-Local Relationship: Local Economic Development 11

Making It in America: Innovate Locally, Export Globally 11

Excise Taxes in the States 11

New England Transformed 11

Steps to a 21st Century U.S.-Mexico Border 12

Florida: A State of Change 12

BUSINESS - INNOVATION 12

Access to Capital: Can Small Businesses Access The Credit Necessary To Grow and Create Jobs? 12

The Dodd-Frank Act: Impact on Small Business Lending 12

The State of Small Business Access to Capital and Credit: The View from Secretary Geithner 12

Does the Bankruptcy Code Provide a Fresh Start to Entrepreneurs? 13

PhDs, Policies and Patents: Innovation and America’s Future 13

MANUFACTURING - INDUSTRY 13

Responding to Manufacturing Job Loss: What Can Economic Development Policy Do? 13

Manufacturing in the USA: Why We Need a National Manufacturing Strategy? 13

The Resurgence of the American Automotive Industry 14

Low-carbon Innovation: A Uniquely American Strategy for Industrial Renewal. 14

A Survey of Company Perspectives on Low-Carbon Business Innovation 14

AGRICULTURE 14

Opportunities and Benefits of Agricultural Biotechnology 14

Farm Balance Sheets: The Hidden Risk of Non-Real Estate Debt 15

EMPLOYMENT 15

Why Are Manufacturers Struggling to Hire High-Skilled Workers? 15

Self-employment as Economic Development Strategy: 15

The Geography of Immigrant Skills: Educational Profiles of Metropolitan Areas 15

Work Sharing 16

Same Worker, Higher Wage: A Study of Workers Who Switch from Private to Federal Employment 16

PENSIONS – HEALTH ECONOMICS 16

Retirement Income: Ensuring Income throughout Retirement Requires Difficult Choices 16

Health Savings Account Enrollment Reaches 11.4 Million 16

TRADE 17

Delivering the Next American Economy: The Central Role of Exports 17

Stakeholder Perspectives on Reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank of the United States 17

What Should the United States Do about DOHA? 18

AGOA - DEVELOPMENT 18

Improving AGOA: Toward a New Framework for U.S.-Africa Commercial Engagement 18

International Food Assistance: Funding Development Projects through the Purchase, Shipment, and Sale of U.S. Commodities Is Inefficient and Can Cause Adverse Market Impacts 18

CHINA 19

The United States and China: Macroeconomic Imbalances and Economic Diplomacy 19

Will China Ever Become as Rich as the U.S? 19

China's Exchange Rate Politics 19

MISCELLANEOUS 19

Sovereign Debt in Advanced Economies: Overview and Issues for Congress 19

LESETATS-UNIS en juin 2010

2010-07-31T06:51:00.000-07:00

Le lien ci-apres vous donnera acces a la selection de nouveaux documents disponibles sur internet ayant trait a la vie politique et sociale des Etats-Unis:

http://photos.state.gov/libraries/france/45989/juillet2010/psijunejuly2010.pdf

Bonne vacances!

Veronique Deschamps
Centre de Ressources et d'Information
Ambassade des Etats-Unis
deschampsvm@state.gov

HISPANICS IN USA

2009-03-25T02:22:00.000-07:00

HISPANICS BECOME MORE PREVALENT ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES
U.S. Bureau of Census, March 4, 2009
http://www.census.gov/population/www/socdemo/school.html
Hispanic students comprised 12 percent of full-time college students, both undergraduate and graduate students, in 2007, up from 10 percent in 2006, according to U.S. Census Bureau tables. Hispanics comprise 15 percent of the nation’s total population.

A RISING SHARE: HISPANICS AND FEDERAL CRIME
The Pew Hispanic Center, February 18, 2009
http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=104
Sharp growth in illegal immigration and increased enforcement of immigration laws have altered the ethnic composition of offenders sentenced in federal courts. In 2007, Latinos accounted for 40% of all sentenced federal offenders-more than triple their share (13%) of the total U.S. adult population.

ENGLISH LITERACY OF FOREIGN-BORN ADULTS IN THE UNITED STATES: 2003
National Center for Education Statistics, March 17, 2009
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2009/2009034.pdf
The brief draws on data from the 2003 National Assessment of Adult Literacy (NAAL) to explore the English literacy of foreign-born adults living in households in the United States. It presents the English literacy scores of foreign-born adults age 16 and older by race/ethnicity, age of arrival in the United States, years spent in the United States, highest level of educational attainment, and language spoken before starting school. Scores are reported on three literacy scales: prose, document, and quantitative. Findings indicate that English literacy scores of foreign-born adults varied across a variety of background characteristics.

UNEMPLOYMENT ROSE SHARPLY AMONG LATINO IMMIGRANTS IN 2008
The Pew Hispanic Center, February 22, 2009
http://pewhispanic.org/reports/report.php?ReportID=102
The unemployment rate for foreign-born Hispanics increased from 5.1% to 8.0%, or by 2.9 percentage points, from the fourth quarter of 2007 to the fourth quarter of 2008. During this same time period, the unemployment rate for all persons in the labor market increased from 4.6% to 6.6%, or by 2.0 percentage points.

WOMEN IN AMERICA

2009-03-25T02:20:00.000-07:00

MILESTONES IN U.S. WOMEN’S HISTORY
International Information Program, U.S, Department of State, February 25, 2009
http://www.america.gov/st/diversity-english/2009/February/20080325190828liameruoy0.3090631.html?CP.rss=true
The article covers people and events that moved women’s rights forward.

PLACES WHERE WOMEN MADE HISTORY
National Park Service, 2009
http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/pwwmh/
The itinerary focuses on 75 historic places in New York and Massachusetts associated with the varied aspects women's history. It shows the accomplishments of many American women who made outstanding contributions to education, government, medicine, the arts, commerce, women's suffrage and the early civil rights movement.

U.S. CELEBRATES WOMEN’S CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE WORLD EVERY MARCH
International Information Program, U.S. Department of State, February 24, 2009
http://www.america.gov/st/diversity-english/2009/February/20090224164038xlrennef0.6375086.html
The author and environmentalist Rachel Carson is the inspiration for the 2009 National Women’s History Month theme, Women Taking the Lead to Save Our Planet. Carson’s 1962 book, Silent Spring, focused the world’s attention on the harm to human health and the environment caused by the indiscriminate use of pesticides.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: MARCH 2009: FACTS FOR FEATURES
U.S. Bureau of Census, January 2009
http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/pdf/cb09ff-03.pdf
Starting with the number of females, 154.7 million, as of October 1, 2008, the report shows earnings, education, and other topics related to women.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH: WOMEN TAKING THE LEAD TO SAVE OUR PLANET
Library of Congress, March 2009
http://womenshistorymonth.gov/
The website offers exhibits & collections, images, profiles and more related to women’s history.

RELIGION USA

2009-02-16T03:00:00.001-08:00

U.S. RELIGIOUS LANDSCAPE

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, 2008

http://religions.pewforum.org/pdf/report-religious-landscape-study-full.pdf

An extensive new survey by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life details the religious affiliation of the American public and explores the shifts taking place in the U.S. religious landscape. Based on interviews with more than 35,000 Americans age 18 and older, the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey finds that religious affiliation in the U.S. is both very diverse and extremely fluid.

The Landscape Survey confirms that the United States is on the verge of becoming a minority Protestant country; the number of Americans who report that they are members of Protestant denominations now stands at barely 51%.

RELIGION AND SECULARISM: THE AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, December 3, 2007

http://pewforum.org/events/?EventID=161

Given the recent popularity of several high-profile books on atheism, the Pew Forum invited Wilfred McClay, a distinguished professor of intellectual history, to speak on the historical relationship between religion and secularism in America. McClay argued for a distinction between two types of secularism.

OVERVIEW: THE CONFLICT BETWEEN RELIGION AND EVOLUTION
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, February 4, 2009
http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=395
Almost 150 years after Charles Darwin published his groundbreaking work On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, Americans are still fighting over evolution. If anything, the controversy has recently grown in both size and intensity. In the last five years alone, for example, debates over how evolution should be taught in public schools have been heard in school boards, town councils and legislatures in more than half the states.

A RELIGIOUS PORTRAIT OF AFRICAN AMERICANS
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, January 30, 2009
http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=389
Compared with other racial and ethnic groups, African-Americans are among the most likely to report a formal religious affiliation, with fully 87% of African-Americans describing themselves as belonging to one religious group or another, according to the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted in 2007 by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life. Latinos also report affiliating with a religion at a similarly high rate of 85%; among the public overall, 83% are affiliated with a religion.

FAITH ON THE HILL: THE RELIGIOUS AFFILIATIONS OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, December 19, 2008
http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=379
Members of Congress are often accused of being out of touch with average citizens, but an examination of the religious affiliations of U.S. senators and representatives shows that, on one very basic level, Congress looks much like the rest of the country. Although a majority of the members of the new, 111th Congress, which will be sworn in on Jan. 6, are Protestants, Congress, like the nation as a whole, is much more religiously diverse than it was 50 years ago. Religious Landscape Survey of over 35,000 American adults finds that some smaller religious groups, notably Catholics, Jews and Mormons, are better represented in Congress than they are in the population as a whole. However, certain other smaller religious groups, including Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus, still are somewhat underrepresented in Congress relative to their share of the U.S. population.

AMERICAN RELIGIOUS IDENTIFICATION SURVEY 2008

Trinity College, March 2009

http://www.americanreligionsurvey-aris.org/

The American population self-identifies as predominantly Christian but Americans are slowly becoming less Christian. The U. S. population continues to show signs of becoming less religious, with one out of every five Americans failing to indicate a religious identity in 2008.

IMMIGRANTS

2009-02-16T02:51:00.000-08:00

IMMIGRANTS AND THE CURRENT ECONOMIC CRISIS
Migration Policy Institute, January 2009
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/lmi_recessionJan09.pdf
As the nation sinks into a recession that may be the worst since the Great Depression, the economic crisis raises fundamental questions about future immigration flows to and from the United States and how current and prospective immigrants will fare.

IMPENDING DEADLINES ON A NUMBER OF IMMIGRATION DECISIONS AWAIT OBAMA
Migration Policy Institute, January 15, 2009
http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?id=717
The new administration will likely face pressure from immigrant advocates, labor organizations, and business groups — many of whom are hoping for a dramatic change in immigration policy under the new Obama presidency, with or without legislative action in Congress.

BUILDING TOMORROW’S WORKFORCE: PROMOTING THE EDUCATION AND ADVANCEMENT OF HISPANIC IMMIGRANT WORKERS IN AMERICA
Excelencia in Education, January 21, 2009
http://www.edexcelencia.org/pdf/Building%20Tomorrow's%20Workforce%20full%20report.pdf
Strategic partnerships between industry and community colleges that engage younger Hispanic immigrants can boost the economy by training an important proportion of U.S. workers for future jobs. The report looks at six innovative partnerships throughout the country.

AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS IN THE UNITED STATES
The Migration Policy Institute, February 2009
http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?ID=719

The number of African immigrants in the United States grew 40-fold between 1960 and 2007, from 35,355 to 1.4 million. Most of this growth has taken place since 1990.
Compared to other immigrants, the African born tend to be highly educated and speak English well. However, they are also more likely not to be naturalized US citizens than other immigrants.

AFRICA AMERICANS

2009-02-16T02:47:00.000-08:00

AFRICA AMERICANS
February 2009
All previous web alerts can be found at:
http://france.usembassy.gov/politics-alert.html

AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH
Library of Congress, February 2009
http://www.loc.gov/law/help/commemorative-observations/african-american.php
National African American History Month had its origins in 1915 when historian and author Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Negro Life and History. This organization is now known as the Association for the Study of African American Life and History (“ASALH”). Through this organization Dr. Woodson initiated the first Negro History Week in February 1926. Dr. Woodson selected the week in February that included the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass, two key figures in the history of African Americans.

FREE AT LAST: THE U.S. CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT

U.S. Department of State, International Information Programs, January 2009
http://www.america.gov/publications/books-content/free-at-last.html
This publication recounts how African-American slaves and their descendants struggled to win — both in law and in practice — the civil rights enjoyed by other Americans. It is a story of dignified persistence and struggle, a story that produced great heroes and heroines, and one that ultimately succeeded by forcing Americans to confront squarely the shameful gap between their universal principles of equality and justice and the inequality, injustice, and oppression faced by millions of their fellow citizens

ABRAHAM LINCOLN: A LEGACY OF FREEDOM

U.S. Department of State, International Information Programs, 2008
http://www.america.gov/publications/books/lincoln.html
The year 2009 marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of Abraham Lincoln, the U.S. president often considered the greatest of this country’s leaders. Americans’ reverence for Lincoln began with his tragic death by assassination in 1865, at the end of a brutal civil war in which 623,000 men died, the American Union withstood its greatest test, and slavery was banished. And his hallowed place in the iconography of America continues.

AFRICAN IMMIGRANTS IN THE UNITED STATES
The Migration Policy Institute, February 2009
http://www.migrationinformation.org/USfocus/display.cfm?ID=719
The number of African immigrants in the United States grew 40-fold between 1960 and 2007, from 35,355 to 1.4 million. Most of this growth has taken place since 1990.
Compared to other immigrants, the African born tend to be highly educated and speak English well. However, they are also more likely not to be naturalized US citizens than other immigrants.

A RELIGIOUS PORTRAIT OF AFRICAN AMERICANS
The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life, January 30, 2009
http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=389
Compared with other racial and ethnic groups, African-Americans are among the most likely to report a formal religious affiliation, with fully 87% of African-Americans describing themselves as belonging to one religious group or another, according to the U.S. Religious Landscape Survey, conducted in 2007 by the Pew Research Center's Forum on Religion & Public Life. Latinos also report affiliating with a religion at a similarly high rate of 85%; among the public overall, 83% are affiliated with a religion.

EDUCATION USA

2009-02-16T02:42:00.000-08:00

EDUCATION February 2009

EDUCATIONAL ATTAINMENT IN THE UNITED STATES: 2007
U.S. Bureau of the Census, January 2009
http://www.census.gov/prod/2009pubs/p20-560.pdf
This report provides estimates of educational attainment in the United States, including comparisons by demographic characteristics, such as age, sex, race, and Hispanic origin. Information about educational attainment among the native-born and foreign-born populations is included.

FROM QUALIFICATIONS TO RESULTS: PROMOTING TEACHER EFFECTIVENESS THROUGH FEDERAL POLICY
Center for American Progress, January 28, 2009
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/01/pdf/het.pdf
This paper briefly explains why a focus on effectiveness is needed and how it might work, and it describes current federal policy related to teacher quality. It then provides some new ideas about how federal policy can stimulate change at the state and local level to help states and districts move from a qualifications focus to an effectiveness focus.

MAPPING NEW DIRECTIONS: HIGHER EDUCATION FOR OLDER ADULTS
American Council on Education, January 16, 2009
http://www.acenet.edu/Content/NavigationMenu/ProgramsServices/CLLL/Reinvesting/MapDirections.pdf
Despite successful efforts by some colleges and universities to create lifelong learning programs for adults aged 55 and older, many institutions remain stuck in outmoded, one-dimensional views of this population, according to the report. It offers recommendations to colleges and universities for broadening the participation of older adults who will comprise one-third of the nation’s overall population by 2030.

TRENDS IN COLLEGE SPENDING: WHERE DOES THE MONEY COME FROM? WHERE DOES IT GO?
Delta Cost Project, January 16, 2009
http://www.deltacostproject.org/resources/pdf/trends_in_spending-report.pdf
The report examines revenue and expenditure data for nearly 2,000 public and private non-profit colleges and universities, representing more than 75 percent of higher education enrollment, and analyzes recent trends, focusing on the period from 2002 to 2006. It is the most up-to-date and comprehensive assessment of higher education finance in the nation.

ARTS & THE ECONOMY: USING ARTS AND CULTURE TO STIMULATE STATE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
National Governors Association, January 15, 2009
http://www.nga.org/Files/pdf/0901ARTSANDECONOMY.PDF
Fostering the arts and culture sector has played a vital role in state economic development, according to the report. Arts and culture-related industries, collectively known as “creative industries,” provide direct economic benefits to states and communities by creating jobs, attracting new investments, generating tax revenues and stimulating tourism and consumer purchases.

HEALTH USA

2009-02-07T03:13:00.000-08:00

Source: http://france.usembassy.gov

HEALTH ISSUES

Enabling Healthcare Reform Using Information Technology: Recommendations for the Obama Administration and 111th Congress
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society - December 17, 2008 – 45 pages http://www.himss.org/2009calltoaction/HIMSSCallToActionDec2008.pdf
The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) shows a detailed report outlining specific priorities and recommendations for the Obama Administration and 111th Congress to harness Information Technology’s power to reform healthcare and stimulate the U.S. economy.

The Fallacy of Health Care Reform as Economic Stimulus
Robert Book Heritage Foundation – WebMemo - January 16, 2009
http://www.heritage.org/Research/HealthCare/wm2231.cfm
“After spending decades trying to reduce health care costs, some commentators and policymakers now argue that health care costs should be increased to stimulate the economy. At the crux of the argument are the notions that increasing spending on health care will create jobs that can be filled by those losing jobs in other areas of the economy--and that implementing long-proposed reforms (such as an increased emphasis on primary care and large-scale deployment of health IT) will reduce health care costs. These two arguments are fundamentally at odds with each other.”

Healthcare Costs and U.S. Competitiveness
Lee Hudson Teslik and Toni Johnson Council on Foreign Relations - Backgrounder – December 30, 2008
http://www.cfr.org/publication/13325/healthcare_costs_and_us_competitiveness.html?breadcrumb=%2Fpublication%2Fby_type%2Fbackgrounder
“Factoring in costs borne by government, the private sector, and individuals, the United States spends over $1.9 trillion annually on healthcare expenses, more than any other industrialized country… These costs prompt fears that an increasing number of U.S. businesses will outsource jobs overseas or offshore business operations completely. U.S. economic woes have heightened the burden of healthcare costs both on individuals and businesses, and the incoming Obama administration says it plans to provide funding for healthcare as part of a fiscal stimulus package aimed at boosting the U.S. economy. Yet despite the economic downturn, experts see a consensus emerging that healthcare reform should move forward.”

Cost Sharing for Health Care: France, Germany, and Switzerland
Kaiser Family Foundation - January 12, 2009 – 25 pages http://kff.org/insurance/upload/7852.pdf
As policymakers in the United States weigh options for reform to the nation’s health care system, the level of cost sharing that consumers face when they receive services covered by their health plans is a major consideration, especially for those with serious health conditions. The brief examines how three European countries, France, Germany, and Switzerland, have dealt with cost sharing in their health systems. It provides an overview of each country’s health care system, its cost-sharing policies, and the cost-sharing exemptions and limits that help protect people with low incomes, certain medical conditions or high medical costs, and other characteristics from burdensome, excessive costs.

EMPLOYMENT WORK USA

2009-02-07T02:22:00.001-08:00

Source: http://france.usembassy.gov

EMPLOYMENT

Robert Michaels and Robert P. Murphy
Green Jobs: Fact or Fiction? An Assessment of the Literature
Institute for Energy Research – Study - January 2009 – 21 pages
http://www.instituteforenergyresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/IER%20Study%20-%20Green%20Jobs.pdf
“It is highly questionable whether a government campaign to spur “green jobs” would have net economic benefits. Indeed, the distortionary impacts of government intrusion into energy markets could prematurely force business to abandon current production technologies for more expensive ones. Furthermore, there would likely be negative economic consequences from forcing higher-cost alternative energy sources upon the economy. These factors would likely increase consumer energy costs and the costs of a wide array of energy-intensive goods, slow GDP growth and ironically may yield no net job gains. More likely, they would result in net job losses.”

Labor Supply Responses to Changes in Wealth and Credit
Mary Daly, Bart Hobijn, and Joyce Kwok Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco - January 2009 –http://www.frbsf.org/publications/economics/letter/2009/el2009-05.html

“Using monthly data from the Household Survey of the Current Employment Situation Report, we find evidence suggestive that sharply reduced wealth and liquidity are prompting certain demographic groups to enter the labor force in greater numbers.”

Building Tomorrow’s Workforce: Promoting the Education and Advancement of Hispanic Immigrant Workers in America
Mary Gershwin et al. Excelencia in Education - January 21, 2009 – 51 pages http://www.edexcelencia.org/pdf/Building%20Tomorrow's%20Workforce%20full%20report.pdf
Strategic partnerships between industry and community colleges that engage younger Hispanic immigrants can boost the economy by training an important proportion of U.S. workers for future jobs. The report looks at six innovative partnerships throughout the country.

Recessions and Older Workers
Alicia H. Munnell et al. Center for Retirement Research, Boston College - January 2009 – 11 pages http://crr.bc.edu/images/stories/Briefs/ib_9-2.pdf
With the economy in recession, questions arise about how older workers are faring and how their fate relative to younger workers compares to the past. On the one hand, labor force participation among older workers has been rising since the early 1990s, a reversal of the long-standing trend toward ever-earlier retirement. On the other hand, the edge that older workers used to have relative to younger workers when it comes to layoffs seems to have disappeared, so the rise in the unemployment rate for older workers in recessions now looks similar to that for younger workers.

Improving Quality of Life through Telecommuting
Wendell Cox Information Technology & Innovation Foundation - January 20, 2009 – 24 pages http://www.itif.org/files/Telecommuting.pdf
The report shows that the number of jobs filled by telecommuters could grow nearly four-fold to 19 million and deliver substantial economic, environmental and quality of life benefits for the United States over the next 12 years. Spurred by advances in IT, especially the spread of broadband, telecommuting is already the fastest growing mode of getting from home to work. The report calls for government to pursue policies to accelerate and maximize telecommuting, including spurring the deployment and adoption of broadband, which is an essential facilitator of telecommuting.
Sundown for California Joel Kotkin The American – Article - November/December 2008.
http://www.american.com/archive/2008/november-december-magazine/sundown-for-california
“Much has changed in recent years. And today our Golden State appears headed, if not for imminent disaster, then toward an unanticipated, maddening, and largely unnecessary mediocrity. Since 2000, California’s job growth rate— which in the late 1970s surged at many times the national average—has lagged behind the national average by almost 20 percent. Rapid population growth, once synonymous with the state, has slowed dramatically. Most troubling of all, domestic out-migration, about even in 2001, swelled to over 260,000 in 2007 and now surpasses international immigration. Texas has replaced California as the leading growth center for Hispanics.”

Deborah Reed California's Future Workforce: Will There Be Enough College Graduates?
Public Policy Institute of California – Report - December 2008 - 20 pages http://www.ppic.org/content/pubs/report/R_1208DRR.pdf
“Over the past several decades, the demand in California for college-educated workers has grown. But the supply of college graduates has not kept pace with demand, and it appears that this “workforce skills gap” will not only continue but widen. This study examines the causes, magnitude, and likely consequences of the potential mismatch between the level of education the future population is likely to possess and the level of education demanded by the future economy. The author concludes that if current trends continue, California will experience a serious shortfall of college graduates by 2025, unable to meet its needs even through the migration of college graduates from other states.”

REGULATION
Regulating Work in Confined Spaces
N. Mike Helvacian National Center for Policy Analysis - Brief Analysis, January 19, 2009 – 2 pages http://www.ncpa.org/pub/ba/ba639/ba639.pdf
“Since the early 20th century, employers have had incentives to increase workplace safety. In fact, the financial liability of employers for workplace accidents — as reflected in their worker’s compensation premiums — is the greatest incentive for employers to improve safety. Furthermore, increased workplace safety reduces employers’ costs due to injuries and lost productivity. OSHA regulations, on the other hand, increase regulatory compliance costs, but don’t necessarily improve safety.”

EMPLOYMENT RECESSION ; SOCIAL SECURITY
RECESSION AND OLDER WORKERS
Center for Retirement Research, Boston College, January 2009
http://crr.bc.edu/images/stories/Briefs/ib_9-2.pdf
With the economy in recession, questions arise about how older workers are faring and how their fate relative to younger workers compares to the past. On the one hand, labor force participation among older workers has been rising since the early 1990s, a reversal of the long-standing trend toward ever-earlier retirement. On the other hand, the edge that older workers used to have relative to younger workers when it comes to layoffs seems to have disappeared, so the rise in the unemployment rate for older workers in recessions now looks similar to that for younger workers.

RECESSION, POVERTY AND THE RECOVERY ACT
Center for American Progress, February 11, 2009
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/02/pdf/recession_poverty.pdf
The economic downturn means hard times for millions of Americans. If unemployment rates reach double-digits, as some economists fear, nearly 7 million people will lose their jobs, more than 7 million will lose their health coverage, and more than 12 million will fall into poverty.

AMERICAN SOCIETY 2008

2009-01-23T08:19:00.000-08:00

Source: http://france.usembassy.gov

AMERICAN MOBILITY: WHO MOVES? WHO STAYS PUT? WHERE’S HOME?
Pew Research Center, December 25, 2008
http://pewsocialtrends.org/assets/pdf/Movers-and-Stayers.pdf
As a nation, the United States is often portrayed as restless and rootless. Census data, though, indicate that Americans are settling down. Only 13% of Americans changed residences between 2006 and 2007, the smallest share since the government began tracking this trend in the late 1940s. The Pew survey finds that most Americans have moved to a new community at least once in their lives, although a notable number, nearly four-in-ten, have never left the place in which they were born. Asked why they live where they do, movers most often cite the pull of economic opportunity. The stayers most often cite the tug of family and connections.

BUILDING AN AMERICANIZATION MOVEMENT FOR THE 21st CENTURY
U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Taskforce on New Americans, 2008
http://www.uscis.gov/files/nativedocuments/M-708.pdf
With a long immigrant tradition, we as a nation have embraced the opportunities and met the challenges associated with each successive wave of immigration. The present wave is no exception. With immigrants increasingly coming from different countries of origin and settling in communities that lack a long history of receiving immigrants, citizens and immigrants alike should reengage the principles and values that bind us as Americans. Educating on these principles and providing opportunities for civic participation will ensure that the United States remains a successful nation and a home to immigrants.

AMERICAN HEALTHCARE SINCE 1994: THE UNACCEPTABLE STATUS QUO
Center for American Progress, January 8, 2009
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2009/01/pdf/1994_health_memo.pdf
Since the failure of health care reform in 1994, costs have increased, quality has been inconsistent, and more Americans have joined the ranks of the uninsured.

THE CASE FOR PUBLIC PLAN CHOICE IN NATIONAL HEALTH REFORM: KEY TO COST CONTROL AND QUALITY COVERAG
Institute for America’s Future, December 18, 2008
http://institute.ourfuture.org/files/Jacob_Hacker_Public_Plan_Choice.pdf
A health care system that contains costs and drives value must include a good public plan if the broad goals of reform, universal insurance and improved value, are to be achieved. Private insurance and public insurance have distinct strengths and weaknesses, and thus should be encouraged to compete side by side to attract enrollees on a level playing field that rewards plans that deliver better value and health to their enrollees, according to the report.

KEY ISSUES IN ANALYZING MAJOR HEALTH INSURANCE PROPOSALS
Congressional Budget Office, December 2008
http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/99xx/doc9924/12-18-KeyIssues.pdf
The proposals are built upon Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO) previous analytical work on health insurance and health care financing issues and are intended to assist the Congress as it contemplates possible changes, both large and small, to federal health programs and the nation’s health insurance and health care systems.

THE ECONOMIC CRISIS HITS HOME: THE UNFOLDING INCREASE IN CHILD AND YOUTH HOMELESSNESS
First Focus, December 19, 2008
http://www.firstfocus.net/Download/TheEconomicCrisisHitsHome.pdf
The study finds that school districts across the country have experienced a significant spike in the number of homeless students. The report centers around a voluntary survey conducted during the fall of 2008 by the National Association for the Education of Homeless Children and Youth and First Focus.

RISING FOOD PRICES TAKE A BITE OUT OF FOOD STAMP BENEFITS
U.S. Department of Agriculture, December 2008
http://www.ers.usda.gov/Publications/EIB41/EIB41.pdf
The Food Stamp Program is designed to provide low-income families with increased food purchasing power to obtain a nutritionally adequate diet. As in most other Federal Government assistance programs, benefits are adjusted in response to rising prices, in this case, rising food prices. In FY 2008, the amount grew from almost $8 in October 2007 to $34 in July 2008 and to $38 in September 2008.

HUNGER AND HOMELESSNESS SURVEY
United States Conference of Mayors, December 2008
http://www.usmayors.org/pressreleases/documents/hungerhomelessnessreport_121208.pdf
Hunger and homelessness are both on the rise according to the report. For more than 22 years, the Conference of Mayors has documented the magnitude of the issues of hunger and homelessness in our nation’s cities. The report provides an analysis of the scale of the problem in twenty-five of America’s major cities and the efforts these cities are making to address the issue.

THE LONG WAIT FOR PROGRESS: WOMEN AND ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL EQUALITY
Century Foundation, December 21, 2008
http://www.tcf.org/publications/economicsinequality/longwait_brief.pdf
The report shows that despite some progress, America is a nation in which neither minorities nor women have yet achieved anything approaching economic or social equality. The report analyzes the substantial gap in wages between men and women, and then measures that gap in the context of women’s educational achievements and the continuing discrimination against women in the workplace, with attention to the impact of the issues of health and child care.

AASA SURVEY RESULTS: OPPORTUNITY FOR FEDERAL EDUCATION FUNDING
American Association of School Administration, December 18, 2008
http://www.aasa.org/files/PDFs/Publications/FINALResults121008Memo.pdf
America’s public schools have a list of ready-to-go construction and renovation projects that, with an infusion of federal economic stimulus funds, would work to both stimulate a stagnating economy and improve the educational environment for children, according to a national survey. AASA administered the survey to superintendents nationwide in December 2008 to learn how school districts would spend one-time block-grant funds, if they were to become available as part of an economic stimulus package. Almost all respondents, 99 percent, identified budget gaps that they could direct stimulus money to and 97 percent identified short-term projects that could be placed in the bid market in 60-90 days.

PRESCHOOL CURRICULUM: WHAT’S IN IT FOR CHILDREN AND TEACHERS
Albert Shanker Institute, December 16, 2008
http://www.shankerinstitute.org/Downloads/Early%20Childhood%2012-11-08.pdf
The Albert Shanker Institute suggests that early, age-appropriate instruction in language, literacy, mathematics and science can have significant, long-lasting effects on preschool children’s social and cognitive skills. While 43 states and the District of Columbia have adopted early childhood standards designed to prepare children to take on the academic requirements of the elementary grades, these standards are of varying quality, often underestimate what young children are capable of absorbing, and are not always adapted to the unique ways in which young children learn best.

THE STATE OF AMERICA’S CHILDREN 2008
Children’s Defense Fund, December 25, 2008
http://www.childrensdefense.org/site/DocServer/state-of-americas-children-2008-report.pdf?docID=9061
The report is a statistical compendium of key child data showing epidemic numbers of children at risk: the number of poor children has increased nearly 500,000 to 13.3 million, with 5.8 million of them living in extreme poverty, and nearly 9 million children lack health coverage with both numbers likely to increase during the recession. The number of children and teens killed by firearms also increased after years of decline.

RANKINGS AND ESTIMATES: RANKINGS OF THE STATES 2008 AND ESTIMATES OF SCHOOL STATISTICS 2009
National Education Association, December 2008
http://www.nea.org/edstats/images/rankings08.pdf
Teachers across the nation are continuing to lose spending power for themselves and their families as inflation continued to outpace teacher salaries last year. Over the decade from 1997-98 to 2007-08, in constant dollars, average salaries for public schoolteachers declined 1 percent while inflation increased 31.4 percent. According to the report, the average one-year increase in public schoolteacher salaries was 3.1 percent, while inflation increased 4.3 percent

2008 STATE OF AMERICA’S CITIES: ANNUAL OPINION SURVEY OF MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS
National League of Cities, December 22, 2008
http://www.nlc.org/ASSETS/43A4BDCCFDAE4D029D66719CE63F43DA/StateofAmericasCities2008.pdf
A record number of municipal officials expressed their growing pessimism for the nation’s direction, according to a survey. The Survey demonstrates the widespread nature of the current economic crisis is having on cities’ bottom lines. It shows that at mid-recession, more than six out of 10 city officials are pessimistic about the nation’s future.
The second issue cited most frequently for the new administration is deteriorating transportation infrastructure. Almost seven in ten say the quality of roads, bridges, and airports are problems for their city, with 29% saying the conditions worsened in the past year. The survey also found that two in five city officials responding say the worsening relationship between city and federal governmental bodies is posing a problem for their city; 50% report that city-state relations are posing a problem.

REINVESTING IN NATIONAL PARKS TO CREATE JOBS AND PROTECT AMERICA’S HERITAGE
National Parks Conservation Association, December 21, 2008
http://www.npca.org/media_center/pdf/stimulus_report-dec_16.pdf
The new report highlights several of the more than $2.5 billion worth of job-creating projects in national parks. It encourages Congress and the incoming Obama Administration to include national parks in economic recovery legislation to create jobs and restore our national treasures.

PENSIONS

Martin Neil Baily and Jacob Funk Kirkegaard
US Pension Reform: Lessons from Other Countries
Peterson Institute – Book – February 2009
http://bookstore.petersoninstitute.org/book-store/4259.html

“It is generally accepted that Social Security must be reformed, but there is little agreement on what should be done to reform the program. US Pension Reform: Lessons from Other Countries looks at the social pension reforms of twelve other countries, assesses the current US Social Security program, and evaluates how these twelve models inform opportunities for adaptation of the current system. The authors consider governments' current fiscal balances in order to contextualize countries' initial financial liabilities and pension program infrastructure. The book concludes with an integrated reform proposal for Social Security.”

FAITH ON THE HILL: THE RELIGIOUS AFFILIATIONS OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, December 19, 2008
http://pewforum.org/docs/?DocID=379
Members of Congress are often accused of being out of touch with average citizens, but an examination of the religious affiliations of U.S. senators and representatives shows that, on one very basic level, Congress looks much like the rest of the country. Although a majority of the members of the new, 111th Congress, which will be sworn in on Jan. 6, are Protestants, Congress, like the nation as a whole, is much more religiously diverse than it was 50 years ago. Religious Landscape Survey of over 35,000 American adults finds that some smaller religious groups, notably Catholics, Jews and Mormons, are better represented in Congress than they are in the population as a whole. However, certain other smaller religious groups, including Buddhists, Muslims and Hindus, still are somewhat underrepresented in Congress relative to their share of the U.S. population.

ALL AMERICA’S STAGE: GROWTH AND CHALLENGES IN NONPROFIT THEATER
National Endowment for the Arts, December 26, 2008
http://www.nea.gov/research/TheaterBrochure12-08.pdf
Nonprofit theaters in the United States have seen unprecedented expansion across the United States, according to the research. It examines developments in the growth, distribution, and finances of America’s nonprofit theater system since 1990. The investigation revealed that National Endowment for the Arts funding is a likely catalyst in drawing sizeable contributions from other sources. Each dollar in NEA grant support is associated with an additional $12 from individual donors, $1.88 from businesses, and $3.55 from foundations.

OBAMA

2009-01-23T08:12:00.000-08:00

PRESIDENT OBAMA’S INAUGURALADDRESS
U.S. Department of State, International Information Programs, January 20, 2009

THE CABINET
U.S. Department of State, International Information Programs, January 2009

U.S. PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITIONS
U.S. Department of State, International Information Programs, January 2009

An important characteristic of democracy in the United States, however, is the regularly recurring peaceful transfer of power from one president to the next. Americans know when the next presidential election will take place – the Tuesday after the first Monday in November every four years. And power will be transferred to the newly elected (or re-elected) president on January 20 of the following year.

MEMBERSHIP OF THE 111the CONGRESS: A PROFILE
Congressional Research Service, December 31, 2008

This report presents a profile of the membership of the 111th Congress. Statistical information is included on selected characteristics of Members, including data on party affiliation, average age and length of service, occupation, religious affiliation, gender, ethnicity, foreign births, and military service.

ELECTION PRESIDENTIELLE

2008-11-05T00:34:00.000-08:00

LA CAMPAGNE PRESIDENTIELLE DE 2008

PORTAIL AMERIQUE

DOSSIER NOUVEL OBSERVATEUR
DOSSIER LE MONDE

US FINANCIAL MARKETS

2008-08-15T00:40:00.000-07:00

Recent Developments in U.S. Financial Markets and Regulatory Responses to Them
Senate Committee on Banking – Hearing – July 15, 2008
http://banking.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?Fuseaction=Hearings.Detail&HearingID=8f6a9350-3d39-43a0-bbfb-953403ab19cc
Witnesses:
Henry M. Paulson , Jr., Secretary of the Treasury
Ben S. Bernanke , Chairman, Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System
Christopher Cox , Chairman, Securities and Exchange Commission

Systemic Risk and the Financial Markets (1)
US House of Representatives - Committee on Financial Services – Hearing - July 10, 2008
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/hr071008.shtml

Treasury Secretary Henry Paulson and Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke appeared at the first of a series of hearings on the policy implications of the transformation of domestic and international financial markets, with a primary focus on the rise of potential systemic risk associated with the dramatic growth in the share of assets held outside the commercial banking system, the complex arrangements that link firms that are regulated differently (or not at all) and the increasing amount of leverage.

Systemic Risk and the Financial Markets (2)
US House of Representatives - Committee on Financial Services – Hearing - July 24, 2008
http://www.house.gov/apps/list/hearing/financialsvcs_dem/hr072408.shtml

This is the second in a series of hearings on the policy implications of the transformation of domestic and international financial markets. Witnesses for this hearing are New York Federal Reserve President Timothy Geithner, S.E.C. Chairman Christopher Cox.

Speculative Bubbles and Overreaction to Technological Innovation
FRB San Francisco - Economic Letter - June 20, 2008 – 4 pages
http://www.frbsf.org/publications/economics/letter/2008/el2008-18.pdf
“This Economic Letter examines some historical links between speculative bubbles, technological innovation, and capital misallocation.”

William R. Emmons FRB St. Louis - Regional Economist – Article - July 2008
The Mortgage Crisis: Let Markets Work, but Compensate the Truly Needy

http://www.stlouisfed.org/publications/re/2008/c/pages/mortgage.html

Recent mortgage-foreclosure rates are the highest since the 1930s.[1] Yet, large-scale government interventions directly in housing or mortgage markets—such as government purchases of delinquent mortgages or vacant houses, involuntary mortgage modifications, or outright mortgage-foreclosure bans—are not necessarily the best policy responses. From the perspective of maximizing long-run economic efficiency, it would be better to allow housing and mortgage markets to sort themselves out, as painful as that may be. Politicians can decide whether and how to help those who were made truly needy by this crisis.

N. Eric Weiss :Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress. Web posted July 21, 2008 – 6 pages
Fannie Mae’s and Freddie Mac’s Financial Problems: Frequently Asked Questions
http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RS22916_20080715.pdf
Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac chartered by Congress as government sponsored enterprises (GSEs) and are widely believed to have an implicit guarantee from the federal government. Questions about their roles are covered by the report in light of today’s economic environment.

Governor Randall S. Kroszner
Federal Reserve's Initiatives to Support Minority-Owned Institutions and Expand Consumer Protection
Remarks to Minority Depository Institutions National Conference, Chicago, Illinois - July 17, 2008
http://www.federalreserve.gov/newsevents/speech/kroszner20080717a.htm

“I am delighted to be here to participate in today's discussion about how we can work together to foster and preserve the strength and vitality of minority depository institutions. These institutions serve essential roles. Most important, they extend credit…to businesses and individuals in neighborhoods that otherwise may not have ready access to loans. They also foster a spirit of entrepreneurship in their communities… I will focus on two important Federal Reserve initiatives. First, I will update you on our new Partnership for Progress program, which is designed to foster and support minority-owned and de novo depository institutions. Second, I plan to discuss the recent finalization of significant Federal Reserve rules implementing certain provisions of the Home Ownership and Equity Protection Act.”

Larry D. Wall, Alan K. Reichert, and Hsin-Yu Liang
The Final Frontier: The Integration of Banking and Commerce
Part 1: The Likely Outcome of Eliminating the Barrier
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta - Economic Review - Vol. 93, No. 1, 2008 – Webposted July 2008 - 18 pages
http://www.frbatlanta.org/filelegacydocs/er08no1_wall.pdf

“The policy debate on whether to strengthen or to remove the legal barriers between banking and commerce has paid little attention to what the practical effects of removing the barriers would be. To help answer this question, this article, the first part of a two-part study, provides an overview of the potential gains of integrating banking and commerce.”

Securities Class Action Litigation: The problem, its impact and the path to reform
U.S. Chamber Institute for Legal Reform – Report - July 2008 – 56 pages
http://www.instituteforlegalreform.com/issues/docload.cfm?docId=1213

“Private securities class action lawsuits present a serious threat to the health of U.S. businesses, the prosperity of American families and the strength of our nation's global competitiveness.. Driven by the multibillion dollar plaintiffs' lawyer industry, the system exacts enormous costs on our economy while betraying the individual investors it is designed to assist." The report suggests a number of potential legislative changes.

Peter Tufano and Daniel Schneider
Using Financial Innovation to Support Savers: From Coercion to Excitement
Harvard Business School - Working Paper - Web posted July 3, 2008 – 59 pages
http://www.hbs.edu/research/pdf/08-075.pdf

The paper shows the wide range of solutions to the problem of low family savings. Families save for a wide variety of purposes, including education, retirement, and others like rainy days or emergencies. Given societal pressures to consume, and given the diversity among people, there is no single solution to the savings problem. A wide variety of programs that support savings by families, in particular by low- and moderate-income families are reviewed. These programs range from ones that literally compel families to save, to those that make it hard not to save, make it easier to save, provide financial incentives to induce savings, leverage social networks to support savers, and finally, to programs that excite people to saving.

GROWTH

2008-06-12T01:51:00.000-07:00

American Decline or Renewal? – Globalizing Jobs and Technology

House Science and Technology Committee – Hearing – May 22, 2008

http://science.house.gov/publications/hearings_markups_details.aspx?NewsID=2199

"No longer can we in good conscience escape the question: What do we do about the offshoring of American jobs?... Subcommittee Members expressed the importance of federal funding to cultivate American innovation and stimulate the economy here. Witnesses testified about the role and responsibilities of corporations, the relationship between the state and the market, and the ability of technological innovation to ensure our country’s economic prosperity in the absence of changes in the trading system. Members questioned witnesses from domestic firms regarding the cost of producing at home under the current trading system and requested their suggestions as to what the federal government could do to improve this system.”

Wing Thye Woo

Inflation amidst Recession: Policy Prescriptions for Sustaining Stable Growth

The Brookings Institution – Paper - May 14, 2008

http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2008/0514_inflation_woo.aspx?emc=lm&m=215615&l=51&v=252043

“If the U.S. cannot achieve the international cooperation required for effective financial supervision to alleviate the present stagflation, it is highly improbable that the U.S. can achieve the international cooperation to prevent the worse stagflation created by climate change. The next president must be a strong consensus builder at home and abroad in order to effectively address these numerous challenges.”

Brian W. Cashell and Marc Labonte

Understanding Stagflation and the Risk of Its Recurrence

Congressional Research Service - Library of Congress - Web posted April 28, 2008 - 17 pages

http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34428_20080331.pdf

The slowing of economic growth and the rising rate of inflation have given rise to concerns that the U.S. economy is at risk of an episode of stagflation. Stagflation describes an economy that is characterized by high rates of both unemployment and inflation. The term came into popular use in the 1970s to describe the economy at that time. Even though recent unemployment and inflation rates are not nearly as high as they were in the 1970s, some economists fear that the recent expansion in monetary and fiscal policy at a time when unemployment is low but rising and energy prices are rising, could lead to a new bout of stagflation in the near future.

Marc Labonte

Evaluating the Potential for a Recession In 2008

Congressional Research Service - Library of Congress – Report - May 13, 2008 – 24 pages

http://assets.opencrs.com/rpts/RL34484_20080513.pdf

“The U.S. economy has faced some bad news lately… A look at the available data suggests that economic growth has slowed considerably, but it is too soon to tell if the economy has entered a recession. Recessions are defined as prolonged and sustained declines in economic activity, so by definition, a persistent downturn cannot be identified until it has persisted. Given the lags between policy changes and their effects on the economy, the economy has not yet felt the full impact of the stimulus package and the Federal Reserve’s actions. Therefore, it is still too early to tell.”

2008-06-04T02:59:00.000-07:00

AMERICAN SMILE

2008-06-04T01:04:00.000-07:00

GW.BUSH
US STATE President (2000-2008)

LA MOBILITE SOCIALE AUX ETATS UNIS

2008-05-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

SOURCE Centre de Ressources et d'Information
Ambassade des Etats-Unis

New documents on political and social issues

April 2008

Voir aussi USA: Politique et société

SOCIETE AMERICAINE

RACES ET MINORITES USA

DISCRIMINATION AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY

The Urban Institute, April 3, 2008

http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=1001156

Although many researchers have documented lower levels of upward mobility amongst black families, it is difficult to disentangle the effects of discrimination from differences in (sometimes unobservable) characteristics that also contribute to variation in employment, income, health, housing, and wealth outcomes across groups.

EDUCATION AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY

The Urban Institute, April 3, 2008

http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=1001157

Education policy is important to the discussion of mobility because it serves both as an end and a means to an end in eliminating inequalities. In addition to fostering mobility among those directly benefited by it, the children of beneficiaries may indirectly benefit as well. Thus, properly targeted education programs may enhance outcomes in both present and future generations.

THE EFFECTS OF IMMIGRATION ON THE EMPLOYMENT OUTCOMES OF BLACK AMERICANS

The Urban Institute, April 4, 2008

http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=901159

While most evidence suggests that immigration has had a modest negative effect on black employment, especially for those without a high school diploma, changes in immigration law will probably not improve job prospects for young blacks, Senior Fellow Harry Holzer told the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights. He offered six suggestions for policymakers looking to improve outcomes for young African Americans, such as improving their early work experience and occupational training with high-quality career and technical education.

PULLING APART: A STATE-BY-STATE ANALYSIS OF INCOME TRENDS

The Economic Policy Institute, April 2008

http://www.epi.org/studies/pulling08/4-9-08sfp.pdf

The study is based on Census income data that have been adjusted to account for inflation, the impact of

federal taxes, and the cash value of food stamps, subsidized school lunches, and housing vouchers. The

study compares combined data from 2004-2006 with data from the late 1980s and late 1990s, time periods

chosen because they are comparable peaks of their respective business cycles.

STILL AT RISK

The American Enterprise Institute, April 22, 2008

http://www.aei.org/publications/pubID.27846/pub_detail.asp

In 1983, the seismically influential Reagan-era blue-ribbon report “A Nation At Risk” declared, "If an unfriendly foreign power had attempted to impose on America the mediocre educational performance that exists today, we might well have viewed it as an act of war." Twenty-five years later, when it comes to the crucial task of preparing our children for citizenship, how do we fare?

U.S. LEGAL PERMANENT RESIDENTS: 2007

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, March 2008

http://www.dhs.gov/xlibrary/assets/statistics/publications/LPR_FR_2007.pdf

In 2007, a total of 1,052,415 persons became legal permane residents (LPRs) of the United States. The majority of new LPRs (59 percent) already lived in the United States when they were granted lawful permanent residence. Two-thirds were granted permanent residence based on a family relationship with a U.S. citizen or legal permanent resident of the United States. The leading countries of birth of new LPRs were Mexico (14 percent), China (7 percent) and the Philippines (7 percent).

IMMIGRATION AND ECONOMIC MOBILITY

The Urban Institute, April 1^st, 2008

http://www.urban.org/url.cfm?ID=1001162

America offers opportunities for many immigrants to improve their earnings relative to what they could earn in their countries of origin, and research suggests that immigrants’ children tend to experience further economic gains. But the effect of immigrant workers on the earnings of low-skilled, native born workers may be significantly negative; some find that the recent influx of low-skilled, immigrant labor makes it more difficult for low-skilled native-born workers to gain higher wages.

Income Inequality, Income Mobility, and Economic Policy: U.S. Trends in the 1980s and 1990s

Congressional Research Service, April 4, 2008

http://fpc.state.gov/documents/organization/103683.pdf

Income inequality has been increasing in the United States over the past 25 years. Several factors have been identified as possibly contributing to increasing income inequality. Some researchers have suggested the decline in unionization and a falling real minimum wage as the primary causes. Others have argued that rising returns to education and skill-biased technological change are the important factors explaining rising inequality. Most analysts agree that the likely explanation for rising income inequality is due to skill-biased technological changes combined with a change in institutions and norms, of which a falling minimum wage and declining unionization are a part.

Inside the Middle Class: Bad Times Hit the Good Life

The Pew Research Center, April 9, 2008

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/793/inside-the-middle-class

Fewer Americans now than at any time in the past half century believe they're moving forward in life.

Americans feel stuck in their tracks. A majority of survey respondents say that in the past five years, they either haven't moved forward in life (25%) or have fallen backwards (31%). This is the most downbeat short-term assessment of personal progress in nearly half a century of polling by the Pew Research Center and the Gallup organization.

The State of Minorities: How Are Minorities Faring in the Economy?

Center for American Progress - April 29, 2008

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/04/minorities_economy.html

Rapidly increasing amounts of debt, high job losses, skyrocketing gas and food prices, and a tidal wave of foreclosures are driving many American families to the edge of financial ruin. Although all U.S. households are hurt in the economic slowdown, Hispanic and African-American households are more vulnerable; they are likely to suffer first and to suffer more.

ETHNIES, RACES AUX USA

2008-03-07T00:29:00.000-08:00

VOIR: Races , ethnies sur Internet

BILINGUAL VOTING ASSISTANCE: SELECTED JURISDICTIONS' STRATEGIES FOR IDENTIFYING NEEDS AND PROVIDING ASSISTANCE

Government Accountability Office, January 18, 2008

http://www.gao.gov/new.items/d08182.pdf

The Voting Rights Act of 1965, as amended, contains, among other things, provisions designed to protect the voting rights of U.S. citizens of certain ethnic groups whose command of the English language may be limited. The Department of Justice (DOJ) enforces these provisions, and the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) serves as a national clearinghouse for election information and procedures. The Fannie Lou Hamer, Rosa Parks, and Coretta Scott King Voting Rights Act Reauthorization and Amendments Act of 2006 mandated that GAO study the implementation of bilingual voting under Section 203 of the act. This report discusses the ways that selected jurisdictions covered under Section 203 of the Voting Rights Act have provided bilingual voting assistance as of the November 2006 general election and any subsequent elections through June 2007, and the challenges they reportedly faced in providing such assistance; and the perceived usefulness of this bilingual voting assistance, and the extent to which the selected jurisdictions evaluated the usefulness of such assistance to language minority voters. To obtain details about this voting assistance, GAO obtained information from election officials in 14 of the 296 jurisdictions required to provide it, as well as from community representatives in 11 of these jurisdictions. These jurisdictions were selected to reflect a range of characteristics such as geographic diversity and varying language minority groups.

THE HISPANIC VOTE IN THE 2008 DEMOCRATIC PRESIDENTIAL PRIMARIES

The Pew Hispanic Center, February 21, 2008

http://pewresearch.org/pubs/742/hispanic-vote-exit-poll-texas-primary

Latinos have already made a big mark in the primaries and caucuses held so far. Their share of the Democratic primary vote has risen in 12 of the 15 states for which exit polling makes it possible to compare 2008 and 2004 turnout shares. And in the Super Tuesday primaries on Feb. 5, Latinos voted for Clinton over Obama by an aggregate margin of nearly two-to-one. They were especially important to Clinton in California, where they comprised 30% of the turnout (up from 16% in 2004) and voted for her by a larger margin than did all voters statewide.

IMMIGRANTS JOINING THE MAINSTREAM

International Information Programs, February 2008

http://usinfo.state.gov/journals/itsv/0208/ijse/ijse0208.pdf

In every era of U.S. history, from colonial times in the 17th century through the early 21st century, women and men from around the world have opted for the American experience. They arrived as foreigners, bearers of languages, cultures, and religions that at times seemed alien to America’s essential core. Over time, as ideas about U.S. culture changed, the immigrants and their descendants simultaneously built ethnic communities and participated in American civic life, contributing to the nation as a whole.

MANAGING DIVERSITY IN CORPORATE AMERICA. AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS

RAND, January 23, 2008

http://www.rand.org/pubs/occasional_papers/2007/RAND_OP206.pdf

Managing diversity has become a primary concern of top U.S. corporations. In this paper, the authors develop a fact-based approach to modeling diversity management. They use the model to determine whether diversity-friendly corporations really do stand out from other companies by analyzing the strategies pursued by 14 large U.S. companies recognized for their diversity or human resource (HR) achievements. Finally, to understand whether best practices alone make a company diversity-friendly, they compare a number of characteristics of best diversity companies, best HR companies, and other companies, using quantitative and qualitative methods. They find that firms recognized for diversity are distinguished by a core set of motives and practices that resemble those presented in the best-practices literature, but that best practices per se may not enable a company to achieve a high level of diversity. Contextual factors, such as industry affiliation and company size, may be as significant as strategic factors in influencing the extent of a company’s diversity.

RACE & ETHNICITY IN AMERICA: TURNING A BLIND EYE TO INJUSTICE

American Civil Liberties Union, December 10, 2007

http://www.aclu.org/pdfs/humanrights/cerd_full_report.pdf

According to this report, racial and ethnic discrimination and inequality are ongoing and pervasive in the U.S. Policies at the federal, state, and local levels often burden “racial and ethnic minorities and non-citizens, immigrants, low-wage workers, women, children, and the accused.” This report offers a “Convention” to U.S. policymakers to rectify these discriminatory policies.

POLICING IN ARAB-AMERICAN COMMUNITIES AFTER SEPTEMBER 11
National Institute of Justice, U.S. Department of Justice, July 2008
http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/221706.pdf
Many Arab-Americans were troubled by increased government scrutiny of their communities following the terrorist attacks. Some Arab-American communities said they were more afraid of law enforcement agencies, especially federal law enforcement agencies, than they were of acts of hate or violence, despite an increase in hate crimes. They specifically cited fears about immigration enforcement, surveillance and racial profiling.

RACIAL PROFILING AND GENETIC PRIVACY
Center for American Progress, July 2008
http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/03/pdf/racial_profiling.pdf
Racial profiling and genetic privacy are two related issues that together present a singular problem for policymakers: How do we reconcile our desire for excellent police work with maintaining criminal investigation protocols that respect the rights of citizens? Two recent criminal cases, one in Virginia and the other in Louisiana, encapsulate the problem.

HOMETOWN ASSOCIATIONS: AN UNTAPPED RESOURCE FOR IMMIGRANT INTEGRATION
The Migration Policy Institute, July 2008
http://www.migrationpolicy.org/pubs/Insight-HTAs-July08.pdf
With global migration rates at historic highs, the informal associations that immigrants create for social, economic development and political empowerment purposes are becoming more numerous and better networked. Though much of the policy and research focus on the immigrant organizations, known as hometown associations, is on their development potential for their home countries, a new Migration Policy Institute (MPI) report concludes that the groups play an important role in immigrant integration.

Le conservatisme américain

2008-02-27T01:55:00.000-08:00

"le conservatisme américain" .

Auteurs : Louis Balthazar, Barthélémy Courmont, Lee Edwards, Frédérick Gagnon, Jean-Frédéric Legaré-Tremblay, Karine Prémont, Christian Rioux, Greg Robinson et Élisabeth Vallet.Collection Enjeux contemporains – Presses de l’Université du Québec2007, 172 pages, ISBN 987-2-7605-1496-6
Le conservatisme est une composante majeure de la psyché américaine. En progression constante depuis les années 1960, il a acquis une résonance particulière avec les victoires récurrentes du Parti républicain, dont le programme se fonde sur cette idéologie. La réélection de George W. Bush en novembre 2004 en a même conduit certains — notamment le stratège républicain Karl Rove — à affirmer l’avènement d’une véritable ère conservatrice destinée à dominer la vie politique américaine pour les trente prochaines années.

Comment alors expliquer les profonds désaccords envers certaines politiques de l’administration Bush ou les revers électoraux subis par les républicains lors des élections de mi-mandat ?

Rare ouvrage écrit en français sur le sujet, ce livre contribue à combler un manque préjudiciable à la compréhension de l’évolution profonde des États-Unis, de ses impacts sur la politique intérieure américaine et de ses conséquences sur les relations des États-Unis avec leurs voisins, leurs alliés et le monde
Retrouvez les dernières publications de la Chaire Raoul Dandurand sur sa newsletter
Source de la note de lecture: http://www.inter-focus.com/

Voir US Think Tanks

EMPLOYMENT – LABOR MARKET – PRODUCTIVITY

2008-02-15T08:57:00.000-08:00

Edward Knotek

How Useful is Okun’s Law?

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City - Economic Review – Fourth Quarter – 2007 – 31 pages

http://www.kansascityfed.org/PUBLICAT/ECONREV/PDF/4q07Knotek.pdf

“From the beginning of 2003 through the first quarter of 2006, real gross domestic product in the United States grew at an average annual rate of 3.4 percent. As expected, unemployment during the period fell. Over the course of the next year, average growth slowed to less than half its earlier rate--but unemployment continued to drift downward. This situation presented a puzzle for policymakers and economists, who expected the unemployment rate to increase as the economy slowed, as the Okun’s Law states.”

Riccardo DiCecio, Kristie Engemann, Michael Owyang & Christopher Wheeler

Changing Trends in the Labor Force: A Survey

The Federal Reserve Bank of St Louis – Research papers – January 2008 –16 pages

http://research.stlouisfed.org/publications/review/08/01/DiCecio.pdf

“One of the primary indicators of the state of the U.S. labor market is the labor force participation rate (LFPR). It is measured each month by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) as the fraction of the civilian, non-institutional population 16 years or older who are either working or actively seeking work. Although the LFPR is constantly changing over the business cycle, the most noticeable feature is its dramatic increase over the post-World War II period. Between 1948 and 2006, the U.S. LFPR rose by more than 7 percentage points, with the majority of the rise taking place between the early 1960s and 2000. What accounts for the changes in the LFPR in the United States over the past several decades?”

James Sherk & Patrick Tyrrell

Unemployment Insurance Does Not Stimulate the Economy

Heritage Foundation - WebMemo #1777 - January 18, 2008 – 4 pages

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Economy/upload/wm_1777.pdf

“With the economy weakening, some analysts have argued for increasing unemployment insurance (UI) benefits from 26 weeks to 39 weeks to stimulate economic growth. Few studies support the idea that extending unemployment benefits significantly stimulates the economy. In addition, extending UI benefits would do the following: (1) Encourage unemployed workers to stay out of work longer to collect benefits; (2) Encourage employers to wait longer to rehire laid-off workers; (3) Do relatively little to increase consumption. To stimulate the economy and create jobs, Congress should increase the incentives for businesses to invest.”

Jared Bernstein, James Lin & Lawrence Mishel

The Characteristics of Offshorable Jobs

Economic Policy Institute - November 14, 2007 – 12 pages

http://www.epi.org/datazone/characteristics_of_offshorable_jobs.pdf

“Offshoring is the practice of sending work from the U.S. to workers abroad. Computer programming in India or garments once produced domestically but now made abroad are examples of offshoring. This report presents data and findings in spreadsheet format. It concludes by showing that 18 to 22 percent of today’s jobs could be offshored.”

Bradford Jensen & Lori Kletzer

“Fear” and Offshoring: The Scope and Potential Impact of Imports and Exports of Services

Peterson Institute – Publications – January 2008 – 19 pages

http://www.petersoninstitute.org/publications/pb/pb08-1.pdf

“While the uproar over offshoring has largely subsided since the 2004 presidential campaign, there continues to be concern and anxiety regarding the potential impact of offshoring in general and services offshoring in particular. With the economy softening and potentially headed for a recession in the midst of the current presidential campaign, worries about jobs and globalization seem likely to reemerge. The purpose of this policy brief is to provide estimates of the scope and potential impact of imports and exports of services.”

CONJONCTURE ECONOMIQUE US EN 2008;

2008-02-15T08:35:00.000-08:00

FPUBLIC AFFAIRS - American Embassy

Sylvie VACHERET

Tel: 01 43 12 29 28

E Mail: vacheretsr@state.gov

Voir aussi Crise 2007-2008

et Points de vue américains sur la crise economique et financière

U.S. ECO ONLINE

A SELECTION OF DOCUMENTS RECENTLY PUBLISHED ON THE WEB

No 100 – January 2008

ECONOMIC GROWTH

Budget and Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2008 to 2018

Congressional Budget Office – January 23, 2008 - 199 pages

http://www.cbo.gov/ftpdocs/89xx/doc8917/01-23-2008_BudgetOutlook.pdf

“The state of the economy is particularly uncertain at the moment. The pace of economic growth slowed in 2007, and there are strong indications that it will slacken further in 2008. In CBO's view, the ongoing problems in the housing and financial markets and the high price of oil will curb spending by households and businesses this year and trim the growth of GDP. Although recent data suggest that the probability of a recession in 2008 has increased, CBO does not expect the slowdown in economic growth to be large enough to register as a recession.”

David Madland, John Irons

Responsible Investment: A Budget and Fiscal Policy Plan for Progressive Growth

Center for American Progress – Progressive Growth Program – January 9, 2008 – 38 pages

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2008/01/pdf/responsible_investment.pdf

“The economic transformation envisioned in the Progressive Growth series of papers, requires a progressive economic program that is fiscally responsible as well as pro-growth. Our latest paper details how the next administration and Congress can do that. Our plan will not only help ensure future U.S. economic prosperity but also is affordable and can be paid for in a way that supports the progressive values of work, fairness, and simplicity. How? By accelerating America’s transformation to a low-carbon economy, by spurring innovation to sustain productivity growth and job creation, by rebuilding the ladder of opportunity by restoring economic security and mobility, and by creating a virtuous circle of rising economic fortunes for a growing global middle class.”

ECONOMIC OUTLOOK

John Robertson & Ellis Tallman

A Look Ahead: Housing, Energy Squeezed in '08

The Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta – EconSouth – Vol. 9, no. 4 – Fourth Quarter 2007

http://www.frbatlanta.org/invoke.cfm?objectid=1CB1552F-5056-9F12-1294F7523CA4B68C&method=display_body

“In 2008 the U.S. economy will face several challenges, including risks that have affected the economy for nearly two years. With the continuing contraction in housing market activity, higher energy prices, and generally tighter lending standards by banks, the outlook centers on the extent to which consumer and business spending will weaken. Many forecasters expect that the U.S. economy will experience subdued economic growth in 2008, somewhere in the range of 2 to 2.5 percent as measured by real gross domestic product (GDP). This forecast is a notable step down from the growth observed on average in 2006 and 2007 and carries with it considerable downside risks.”

Economic Outlook: Economic Growth to Slow on Credit Market Uncertainty and Housing Contraction, Pick Up Pace in Second Half

Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (SIFMA) - December 10, 2007 – 6 pages

http://www.sifma.org/research/pdf/economic-outlook1207.pdf

“Members of SIFMA expect the pace of the U.S. economy to slow in the first half of 2008 but pick up in the latter part of the year. Based on a survey of SIFMA members conducted during the week of November 27-December 3, the respondents also project the Gross Domestic Product to grow at 2.1 percent next year. Housing sector deterioration, tight financing conditions, an accommodative monetary policy response to the credit market environment, a projected decline in the price of oil, and the combined effect of a lower dollar and global economic expansion provide the backdrop for the economic outlook.”

Robert Bixby, Robert Kerrey, Peter Peterson & Warren Rudman,

America's Economy - Headed for Crisis: Realistic Approaches Are Essential

Brookings – Opportunity ’08 – December 2007 – 18 pages

http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Files/Projects/Opportunity08/PB_Budget_Rudman.pdf

“Deficits do matter. Projections show risks to the economy, an extra "debt tax" on every taxpayer, and highlight the weakened ability of the federal government to invest in the future or respond to unforeseen emergencies. Cutting fraud, waste, and abuse, curbing earmarks, raising taxes on the very wealthy, or streamlining the staffing of the federal government is simply not enough to solve the problem.”

Rea Hederman Jr. & James Sherk

The Economy's Year-End Fizz

The Heritage Foundation - WebMemo #1766 - January 7, 2008

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Economy/wm1766.cfm

“On January 4, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that 18,000 jobs were created in the month of December; private employment actually contracted by 13,000 jobs. The unemployment rate increased from 4.7 percent to 5 percent, a larger-than-expected increase and the highest rate in two years. The December employment report is of particular interest due to a softening economy. Today's report provides evidence that the economy has slowed and that the chances of a recession have increased. While the economy will probably continue to expand in the next year, the weaknesses in construction, the financial sector, and manufacturing could cause the economy to tilt into a short decline.”

What Should the Federal Government Do to Avoid a Recession

US Senate – Joint Economic Committee - Hearings – January 16, 2008

http://www.jec.senate.gov/Hearings/01.16.08%20Avoid%20a%20Recession.htm

“The economy has been broken for some time, and the economic growth we have seen has not reached the vast majority of families. This will probably be the first business cycle where, at the end of the recovery (last full year being 2007), the typical family will have lower incomes than they did at the start of the downturn (2000, the last full year of recovery). Fixing this disconnect between growth and the pay and incomes of the vast majority of Americans requires a policy agenda on health care, retirement, labor policy, trade policy, and work/family policy that is much more substantial than what we will be talking about today. The focus today should be on offsetting the rising unemployment and the corresponding income losses that families will shortly face.”

The Near-Term Outlook for the U.S. Economy

US House of Representatives – House Budget Committee - January 17, 2008 – 8 pages

http://www.house.gov/budget_democrats/hearings/Bernanke%20Testimony.pdf

“Since late last summer, financial markets in the United States and in a number of other industrialized countries have been under considerable strain. Heightened investor concerns about the credit quality of mortgages, especially subprime mortgages with adjustable interest rates, triggered the financial turmoil. As these problems multiplied, money center banks and other large financial institutions, which in many cases had served as sponsors of these financial products, came under increasing pressure to take the assets of the off-balance-sheet vehicles onto their own balance sheets. Banks have also evidently become more restrictive in their lending to firms and households. More-expensive and less-available credit seems likely to impose a measure of restraint on economic growth.”

Lee Hudson Teslik

Recession, Beyond the Economy

Council on Foreign Relations – Daily Analysis - January 22, 2008

http://www.cfr.org/publication/15287/recession_beyond_the_economy.html?breadcrumb=%2F

“When Goldman Sachs recently revised its forecast for the U.S. economy, predicting a recession in 2008, the shockwaves weren’t confined to boardrooms or even living rooms. The economic ramifications of a recession are much-discussed, myriad, and well-known. Less certain are the geopolitical and geoeconomic effects a U.S. downturn might bring, particularly at a time that finds other powers on the rise, the price of vital commodities spiking, and U.S. prestige in question.”

More than Half of Democrats and Independents Feel the Economy Will Get Worse in 2008

Harris Interactive – The Harris Poll #3 – January 7, 2008

http://www.harrisinteractive.com/harris_poll/index.asp?PID=855

“With all the recent negative economic reports from financial services firms and from major retailers about lower holiday spending, it is not too surprising that Americans are not confident about the 2008 economic outlook. When asked to compare to last year, only one-in five (21%) indicated that they feel more secure financially now, and only a minority (15%) believe the economy will improve in the coming year. In fact, 38 percent of Americans say they feel less secure about their financial situation compared to last year and a plurality (45%) believe the economy will get worse in the coming year.”

FISCAL STIMULUS

Ruy Teixeira

Fact Sheet on the Bipartisan Economic Growth Agreement

White House – Fact Sheets - January 24, 2008

http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2008/01/20080124-4.html

“President Bush announced his Administration reached a bipartisan agreement with House leadership on an economic growth package, and he encouraged Congress to deliver a bill to his desk as soon as possible to bolster the economy this year. The President's advisors and many outside experts expect that our economy will continue to grow over the coming year, but at a slower rate than we have enjoyed for the past few years – and there is the risk of a downturn. The agreement reached today meets the criteria the President set forward last week to provide an effective, robust, and temporary set of incentives to protect the health of our economy and encourage job creation. If enacted in a timely manner, it is expected to help create more than half a million jobs by the end of 2008.”

Alice Rivlin

The Need for a Stimulus Package Now

Brookings – January 29, 2008

http://www.brookings.edu/testimony/2008/0129_fiscalstimulus_rivlin.aspx?emc=lm&m=212393&l=70&v=252043

“The economy clearly slowed sharply in the fourth quarter of 2007 after growing strongly in the third, and the current quarter is beginning with signs of weakness as well. Unemployment rose in December—although 5 percent is still a pretty good number—and employment increases stagnated. Retail sales have fallen off, and the housing sector continues to plunge. Although some indicators, notably exports, are positive, it is clear that the economy is in a period of slow growth, possibly headed for a recession. Some economists are predicting a long or deep recession. The gloomiest forecasts are coming from economists associated with major financial institutions. The truth is: we simply do not know.”

Strengthening America’s Economy: Stimulus that Makes Sense

US Senate – Committee on Finance – January 22 & 24 2008

http://www.senate.gov/~finance/sitepages/hearing012208.htm (part 1)

http://www.senate.gov/~finance/sitepages/hearing012408.htm (part 2)

“Strong indications suggest that economic growth is slowing and will remain sluggish for much of 2008. The risk of recession is elevated, however, and some respected economists believe that the probability of a recession has now risen to 50 percent or greater. Discretionary fiscal policy stimulus (that is, legislative action aimed at providing stimulus) may not be necessary to avoid an outright recession, if most current forecasts are correct. Nonetheless, policymakers may choose to proceed with a stimulus package to bolster a weak economy and as insurance against the elevated risk of a recession. Some economists advocating a stimulus also believe that a recession, if it occurs, could prove to be unexpectedly deep; a fiscal stimulus would help reduce the severity of a recession, should one occur.”

Tom Finnigan

RSC Stimulus Proposal Would Be a Move in the Right Direction

Heritage Foundation - WebMemo #1779 – January 25, 2008

http://www.heritage.org/Research/Economy/wm1779.cfm

“The Republican Study Committee (RSC) has introduced the Economic Growth Act of 2008 (H.R. 5109). The legislation, which aims to stimulate the economy by lowering the tax and regulatory burden on businesses, takes steps in the right direction. The legislation offers a solid alternative to proposals—such as tax rebates and federalizing mortgage contracts—that would fail to stimulate, or do serious harm to, the economy. Congress should focus on creating long-term, pro-growth economic policies in the areas of taxes, spending, and regulation.”

Alan Berube

After the Stimulus

Brookings – Opinions – January 29, 2008

http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2008/0129_economic_stimulus_berube.aspx?emc=lm&m=212393&l=74&v=252043

“With the nation’s economy on the brink of cardiac arrest last week, the “emergency stimulus” doctors in Washington reached for the defibrillator to jolt consumers and businesses back to life. But even if we manage to stabilize the ailing economy, should we really discharge the patient without a longer-term health plan?”

Blogs sur l'économie américaine

2008-02-11T08:22:00.001-08:00

Annuaires et revues
USA: Blog catalog
Economics Blogs

Revue quotidienne des études économiques

Revue de G.Mankiw

Blog de The Economist

Economistes "libéraux"
Krugman
Dani Rodrik sur le développement

La pensée ultralibérale
Ecole de Chicago Becker, Posner

Influence économique américaine

Barack Obama’s Economic Agenda

Barack Obama’s Official Website - Report - 6 pages

http://www.barackobama.com/issues/economy/EconomicPolicyFullPlan.pdf

Hillary Clinton: Strengthening the Middle Class

Hillary Clinton’s Official Website – Economics Plan

http://www.hillaryclinton.com/issues/middleclass/

McCain Tax Cut and Economics Plan

John McCain’s Official Website - Pro-Growth Tax Agenda

http://www.johnmccain.com/Informing/Issues/0B8E4DB8-5B0C-459F-97EA-D7B542A78235.htm

Les jeunes dans l'éléction présidentielle

2008-02-11T02:09:00.000-08:00

Source:

Forum Mondial de l'e-Démocratie
Lettre d'informations sur l'e-Démocratie

Mobilisation sans précédent des jeunes dans la présidentielle américaine

Derrière la popularité du candidat démocrate Barack Obama, c'est la mobilisation sans précédent des jeunes de moins de 30 ans qui marque la campagne des primaires américaines. Selon les résultats des sondages sortis des urnes et les calculs du Centre d'information et de recherche sur l'engagement civique (Circle), la participation électorale des jeunes votants atteint partout des scores inédits. Dans pratiquement chaque Etat où se sont tenus des élections primaires ou des caucus, la participation des jeunes a doublé, triplé et même parfois quadruplé par rapport aux scrutins de 2000 et 2004. Un phénomène qui, combiné à l'utilisation des outils technologiques, favorables à la constitution de réseaux, pourrait bouleverser la donne. [Lire la suite]

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