On November 10, the consulting company Wealth-X published a report on the number and location of individuals worldwide with a net wealth of at least $30 million. It finds that there are 185,795 such people with an aggregate net worth of $25 trillion.
A November 10 report from the European Union found that 21 percent of workers employed part-time would prefer to be working full-time.
On November 2, Transparency International published a bribe payers index. Companies from the Netherlands are least likely to pay a bribe and those from Russia are most likely, according to the report. The U.S. was in the middle.
On November 2, the United Nations Development Program issued its latest Human Development Report. The U.S. ranks fourth behind Norway, Australia, and the Netherlands. The Democratic Republic of the Congo ranked last.
On November 1, the Legatum Institute in the U.K. published a Global Prosperity Index that ranks countries on a broader measure of prosperity than just income. Norway ranked first. The U.S. ranks tenth. And the Central African Republic ranked last.
In a November 1 commentary, University of Wisconsin economist Menzie Chinn argued that the recent decline in the dollar was due more to the rising strength of other currencies than dollar weakness.
In an October 27 commentary, Columbia University economist Jagdish Bhagwati argued that faster economic growth will do far more to reduce poverty in developing countries than income redistribution.
On October 26, the U.S.-China Economic and Security Review Commission published a study of state-owned enterprises and state capitalism in China.
On October 25, the House Ways and Means Committee held a hearing on the U.S.-China economic relationship.
On October 20, the World Bank released the latest edition of its annual Doing Business report. It provides data on the cost of doing business worldwide, taking account of taxes, government regulations, openness to trade and other factors.
I last posted items on this topic on October 18.
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 for 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 his new book: The Benefit and the Burden.
