An October 27 working paper from the Harvard Business School examines the role of technology diffusion in economic growth.
In an October 26 commentary, University of Chicago economist Luigi Zingales detailed some the ways that corporate insiders insulate themselves from shareholder pressure and thus use shareholder assets for their own enrichment.
In an October 25 commentary, Harvard economist Martin Feldstein explained that the loss of household wealth due to the sharp decline in home prices is the economy’s core problem and is very hard for either monetary or fiscal policy to fix. Therefore, the economy will remain in the doldrums for some time to come.
Also on October 25, Columbia University economist Jagdish Bhagwati published a commentary that was highly critical of organizations demanding that corporations take on specific corporate social responsibility obligations.
In an October 20 commentary, several New York University economists are highly critical of the Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act of 2010, commonly known as the Dodd-Frank bill.
On October 17, the Chronicle of Philanthropy reported that charitable contributions fell 11 percent in 2009.
On October 14, Gallup released a new poll on consumer spending. It found that spending by low- and moderate-income families is continuing to fall, while spending by those with upper incomes remains flat.
On October 6, Republicans on the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure released a report that is highly critical of the federal government’s management of its tangible assets, such as land, buildings and roads.
The October issue of the Survey of Current Business contains an article on alternative measures of saving.
On September 30, the Congressional Research Service published a report on job growth and the economy.
A September working paper from the Federal Reserve found that offshoring introduces some bias in the measure of productivity, causing it to be overstated.
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. Read his most recent column here. 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, Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy (Doubleday, 2006).