On January 31, UCLA economists Matthew Luzzetti and Lee Ohanian published a commentary arguing that Keynesian economics will remain popular with policymakers despite its shortcomings.
On January 30, the New York Times published a forum on whether the economic crisis was avoidable.
On January 29, the Small Business Administration published the 2010 edition of Small Business and the Economy.
On January 27, the Financial Crisis Inquiry Commission published its final report. The majority said there is much blame to go around; the Republicans members laid all the responsibility on government.
In a January 27 commentary, University of California, Berkeley, economist Brad DeLong pointed out that the 19th century was much less of an era of laissez-faire than most people believe.
Also on January 27, Pew released a study on long-term unemployment. It estimates spending for unemployment compensation this year to be $129 billion, $66 billion for regular benefits (up to 26 weeks) and $63 billion for extended benefits.
On January 26, the House Committee on Financial Services held a hearing on the state of the economy. Among the witnesses were Stanford economist John Taylor and former Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis president William Poole.
Also on January 26, the National Academy of Social Insurance issued a report on reforming the unemployment compensation system.
And on January 26, the Bureau of Labor Statistics published new data on volunteering in the U.S. They show that more than a quarter of the population volunteers during the year.
On January 26, the Census Bureau published new data on Internet publishing and broadcasting. Total revenues grew 9.8 percent to almost $20 billion in 2009, while revenue for traditional newspapers and periodicals fell sharply.
On January 25, the Financial Accounting Standards Board announced that it would not force banks to adopt mark-to-market accounting, which might have forced them to write down the value of some loans.
A January 20 Gallup poll found that the number one financial problem facing Americans is having insufficient income.
On January 16, economists Alan Krueger and Andreas Mueller posted a paper on the behavior of the unemployed. They find that the longer people are unemployed the less time they spend looking for work; and the minimum wage that they will accept does not fall no matter how long they have been unemployed, although they will accept part-time work at a lower wage.
On January 4, the Congressional Research Service published a report on economics and national security.
Bruce Bartlett is an American historian and columnist who focuses on the intersection between politics and economics. He blogs daily and writes a weekly column at The Fiscal Times. Bartlett has written for Forbes Magazine and Creators Syndicate, and his work is informed by many years in government, including as a senior policy analyst in the Reagan White House. He is the author of seven books including the New York Times best-seller, Imposter: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006).
