dinsdag 18 augustus 2009
Migratie en Integratie en godsdienst???
Het stond in de krant. De taliban in Afghanistan heeft ervoor gezorgd dat vrouwen nu ook geen eten meer krijgen als zij geen sex met hun man uiteraard en niet vriend of samenwonenende partner willen ...woordloos ben ik!
maandag 17 augustus 2009
What to Do About Pre-existing Conditions
Most Americans worry about health coverage if they lose their job and get sick. There is a market solution.
Read J.H. Cochrane's column here.
US: Health Care’s Taxing Problem
Mainstream economists generally agree that current U.S. tax policy for health insurance is fundamentally irrational, regressive, and ultimately destructive. Fixing this system should be one of Congress's top priorities when it comes to health reform. Sadly, the current Congressional health-reform proposals would leave the worst feature of the current system in place and make a bad situation worse...
Read the article here.
France: carrières incomplètes et retraites
Pour consulter l'étude du Centre français d'études de l'emploi, cliquez ici.
Le dangereux paradoxe de la politique économique chinoise
Des problématiques propres à la Chine poussent le cours du pétrole à la hausse sur le marché mondial. En ce moment, l'empire du Milieu achète et produit plus de brut qu'il ne lui en faut, l'objectif étant, entre autres, de maintenir l'emploi dans le secteur du raffinage. Parce qu'elles veulent s'épargner les répercussions politiques et sociales du chômage, les autorités chinoises créent la tension sur le marché des matières premières. ...
Pour lire la suite de l'article, cliquez ici.
vrijdag 14 augustus 2009
US: Restriction or Legalization? Measuring the Economic Benefits of Immigration Reform
By the latest estimates, 8.3 million workers in the United States are illegal immigrants. Proposed policy responses range from more restrictive border and workplace enforcement to legalization of workers who are already here and the admission of new workers through a temporary visa program. Policy choices made by Congress and the president could have a major economic impact on the welfare of U.S. households. This study uses the U.S. Applied General Equilibrium model that has been developed for the U.S. International Trade Commission and other U.S. government agencies to estimate the welfare impact of seven different scenarios, which include increased enforcement at the border and in the workplace, and several different legalization options, including a visa program that allows more low-skilled workers to enter the U.S. workforce legally.
For each scenario, the USAGE model weighs the impact on such factors as public revenues and expenditures, the occupational mix and total employment of U.S. workers, the amount of capital owned by U.S. households, and price levels for imports and exports. This study finds that increased enforcement and reduced low-skilled immigration have a significant negative impact on the income of U.S. households. Modest savings in public expenditures would be more than offset by losses in economic output and job opportunities for more skilled American workers. A policy that reduces the number of low-skilled immigrant workers by 28.6 percent compared to projected levels would reduce U.S. household welfare by about 0.5 percent, or $80 billion.
In contrast, legalization of low-skilled immigrant workers would yield significant income gains for American workers and households. Legalization would eliminate smugglers’ fees and other costs faced by illegal immigrants. It would also allow immigrants to have higher productivity and create more openings for Americans in higherskilled occupations. The positive impact for U.S. households of legalization under an optimal visa tax would be 1.27 percent of GDP or $180 billion.
To read the report, click here.
Side-by-side comparison of major HC reform proposals
Read the Kaiser Family Foundation comparison here.
America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009
Now that's what I call a democratic debate: read America's Affordable Health Choices Act of 2009 here, and leave comments!
Obama’s Health Care Reform Proposal - Summary
Read the Kaiser Family Foundation's summary on Obama's Healthcare reform here.
Simple explanations for global financial instability and the cure: Keep it simple
Why is there so much disagreement about the causes of the crisis? This column says that lax monetary policy and excessive leverage are to blame. It argues that many alleged causes are simply symptoms of these policy errors. If that is correct, then the recommended corrective is remarkably simple – there is no need for intrusive regulatory measures constraining non-bank intermediaries and innovative financial instruments.
Read this column here.
donderdag 13 augustus 2009
Low Life Expectancy in the United States: Is the Health Care System at Fault?
Life expectancy in the United States fares poorly in international comparisons, primarily because of high mortality rates above age 50. Its low ranking is often blamed on a poor performance by the health care system rather than on behavioral or social factors. This paper presents evidence on the relative performance of the US health care system using death avoidance as the sole criterion. We find that, by standards of OECD countries, the US does well in terms of screening for cancer, survival rates from cancer, survival rates after heart attacks and strokes, and medication of individuals with high levels of blood pressure or cholesterol. We consider in greater depth mortality from prostate cancer and breast cancer, diseases for which effective methods of identification and treatment have been developed and where behavioral factors do not play a dominant role. We show that the US has had significantly faster declines in mortality from these two diseases than comparison countries. We conclude that the low longevity ranking of the United States is not likely to be a result of a poorly functioning health care system.
Read the full report here.
Health 2.0 could shock the system
The internet is changing people’s expectations of what they have a right to know and say. Doctors are horrified that they could be chosen in the same way someone would choose a restaurant – but why not? asks Esther Dyson.
Read the full article here.
Islam and heresy - Where freedom is still at stake
Read the complete opinion article in The Economist here.
Generic drugs and competition - Something rotten
Read the complete opinion article in The Economist here.
Simple explanations for global financial instability and the cure: Keep it simple
Why is there so much disagreement about the causes of the crisis? This column says that lax monetary policy and excessive leverage are to blame. It argues that many alleged causes are simply symptoms of these policy errors. If that is correct, then the recommended corrective is remarkably simple – there is no need for intrusive regulatory measures constraining non-bank intermediaries and innovative financial instruments. Read the complete column here.
Something rotten
Regulators should put a stop to tactics that delay the introduction of generic drugs.
Read this article from The Economist here.
Economists, economics, and the crisis
This column outlines tough questions about economics and economists raised by the global crisis.
Read the full article here.
woensdag 12 augustus 2009
Will they sing the same tune? Measuring convergence in the new European system of financial supervisors
Read the CEPR Policy Insight here.
Germany’s new fiscal rule: A responsible approach to fiscal sustainability
Though Germany’s 2006 new fiscal rule was designed as a discipline to achieve fiscal sustainability, it could be a valuable “exit” mechanism from the crisis-linked build-up of public debt. Contradicting criticisms of the new rules as too constricting, this column argues there are few constraints on the ongoing counter-cyclical fiscal policy, and provisions allow for future flexibility. Ironically, the more serious risk is that the flexibility could weaken implementation.
Read the full article here.
The Laffer Curve: Understanding the Relationship Between Tax Rates, Taxable Income, and Tax Revenue
The Laffer Curve shows the relationship between tax rates and tax revenues, with the insight that taxable income is not predetermined. The Laffer Curve is best known for demonstrating that, at a certain point, higher tax rates fail to produce more revenue, but the key insight is the much more modest point that changes in tax rates cause changes in taxable income, which leads to some level of revenue feedback. Politicians on both sides often exaggerate, with Republicans sometimes arguing that the Laffer Curve means that "all tax cuts pay for themselves." Some Democrats, by contrast, argue that tax policy has no impact on economic performance. This paper uses real world evidence to demonstrate that certain tax cuts can have a positive impact on economic performance and that "supply-side" tax cuts therefore do not "cost" the government much in terms of foregone tax revenue. This paper further explains how the Joint Committee on Taxation's revenue-estimating process is based on the untenable theory that changes in tax policy - even dramatic reforms such as a flat tax - do not effect economic growth. In other words, the current system assumes the tax rates have no impact on taxable income. Because of congressional budget rules, this leads to a bias for tax increases and against tax cuts. This paper explains that "static scoring" should be replaced with "dynamic scoring."
Read the paper here.
Les leçons de la crise financière n'ont pas été retenues
Lorsque la bombe des subprimes a éclaté aux Etats-Unis en août 2007, peu d'économistes se sont inquiétés des répercussions hors du secteur de la finance. Leurs modèles intégraient peu de variables financières. Il y avait toujours de riches investisseurs pour aider les établissements bancaires, les banques centrales et soutenir les marchés. ...
Lisez la suite de l'article ici.
Abonneren op:
Posts (Atom)
