On June 23, the House Committee on Natural Resources held a hearing on proposals to increase domestic energy production.
On June 21, the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development published a study which found that ethanol contributes significantly to higher crop prices.
On June 14, the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis published a study of oil shocks. It finds that the effects are asymmetrical; shocks on the upside have adverse economic effects while those on the downside have no effect.
A June 2 Harris poll found that half of people have been forced to cut back on other purchases due to high gasoline prices.
On June 1, the Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research published a policy brief on converting the gasoline tax to a mileage tax.
A May 23 Gallup poll found that the higher gasoline prices go, the more willing people are to try and cut down on its use by buying fuel efficient cars, using mass transit, and moving closer to work.
On May 18, the Brookings Institution published a briefing paper on improving cost-benefit analysis in environmental regulation.
In a May 17 commentary, University of Wisconsin economist Menzie Chinn was highly critical of a congressional Republican study which argued that the entire rise in gasoline prices is due to a decline in the value of the dollar, which in turn was due entirely to Federal Reserve policy. Chinn says there are many other potential causes ignored by the analysis.
I last posted items on this topic on May 12.
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).
