Press Conference On The Analysis Of The 2013 Budget

Navigate the economy with this insightful new book The world is awash with economic information. Governments release reports. Pundits give their interpretation on television. And the stock market may go its own way, confusing everyone. How can you better understand what it means for you? Big Picture Economics, a new book by award-winning columnist and futurist Joel Naroff and veteran journalist Ron Scherer, says the thread that ties everything together is "context." The authors show how consumers, business, the Federal Reserve, and government take into account what's going on around them to make critical decisions like buying new products, building new factories, changing interest rates, or setting budget goals. The book provides a clear roadmap to understanding the whole story behind the global economy. Big Picture Economics helps readers understand how context impacts decisions and decision makers. - The Federal Reserve and Congress in formulating economic policy - Consumers in a shopper nation and what makes us buy or not buy - Corporations making decisions on whether to build new factories and buy other companies - The federal budget that must deal with complex issues, including the reduction of health care spending - A simple test for tax cuts or increases: will they help the economy grow? - Where to produce and where to sell in a global economy that is more like a Mobius strip than a flat world - International events that can ripple through the economy and ultimately affect workers in the Midwest - Technology, such as intelligent drones to wearable computers, are changing the future Experts laud the book for its perceptive insights: "It all sounds like common sense, but it is actually based on a close, expert reading of economic history and what that history implies for the future. Read this book to become a more educated judge of economic policy." —Robert Moffitt, Krieger-Eisenhower Professor of Economics at Johns Hopkins University "Naroff and Scherer show how seemingly unrelated things like an upgrade of the Panama Canal, a Tex-Mex restaurant's menu change, or how many Americans are overweight turn out to be intricately linked to our daily experiences. What brings the book to life is the authors' focus on these hidden interconnections." —Brendan Conway, blogger and columnist, Barron's

Across the political spectrum, there is wide agreement that Asia should be at the center of US foreign policy. But this worldview, the "Pivot to Asia" announced by the Obama Administration in 2011, is a dramatic departure from the entire history of American grand strategy. Ten years on, we now have some perspective to evaluate it in depth. In The Lost Decade, Robert Blackwill and Richard Fontaine take this long view. They conclude that there are few successes to speak of, and that we lack a coherent approach to the Indo-Pacific region. They examine the Pivot through various lenses: situating it historically in the context of America's global foreign policy, revealing the inside story of how it came about, assessing the effort thus far, identifying the ramifications in other regions (namely Europe and the Middle East), and proposing a path forward.

Public budgeting structure, process, legal framework and policy with examples from industrialized and developing countries Public Budgeting in Context examines budgeting at all levels of U.S. government—federal, state, and local—and in a sample of governments around the world. The book assesses the context of public budgeting in these governments, especially the legal foundations for its practice and how the process and final budgets are impacted by governance structures, laws, various budget actors and different branches of government. The author presents focused attention on the influences on government budgets of the executive, legislative and judicial branches of government, the bureaucracy, the public and the media. In light of worldwide fiscal malaise, especially during and since the Great Recession, this book illustrates the heightened complexity of the budgeting environment that pervades all governments today—industrialized or developing, large or small. For those who like to dive into the details, the book presents numerous examples of public budgeting as practiced and points to the wealth of data available for analyses of the budgetary context and process, budget shares and results regarding virtually any government of interest. Chapters cover the constitutional and statutory provisions for budgeting in selected governments. Budget and policy agenda setting and executive leadership, legislative budget powers and the influence of the judiciary on modern government budgets are exposed. Budget execution requirements of the bureaucracy, the input of customers, clients and citizens to government budgets, and media influences on public budgets and agencies are highlighted. Budget mechanics—budget types, formats, timelines and reforms—are introduced and compared. Taxes and intergovernmental revenues are considered, with predominant tax choices at every level of government in the United States and those in a select, developing country represented. The book introduces an emerging method for investigating the outcomes of government spending—human rights budget analysis—and includes as an example the assessment of budget reform and results of public health spending in one selected government. Highlights of Public Budgeting in Context Offers a comprehensive text for understanding public budgeting in governments of a variety of contexts and capacities and across different levels Written by a noted expert in the field of public budgeting and financial management Contains illustrative examples from industrialized and developing countries Guides to innumerable datasets with information about governments and their budgets Includes a companion website filled with templates for budget and fiscal analysis Unravel the complex issues of modern public budgeting using this unique presentation of its practice in a variety of governments in the U.S. and a select sample from around the world.

This is the first reference book to provide a detailed assessment of the Affordable Care Act, explaining the realities and myths surrounding one of the most divisive political struggles in recent U.S. history. The Affordable Care Act—also known as Obamacare—is one of the most controversial and politicized topics in the United States today. This timely book examines prominent claims about the legislation's drafting, debate, passage, and implementation, and discerns what is true and false about the law. Each of the text's eight chapters delves into the common beliefs, misinterpretations, and myths surrounding the act, tracing the history of the assertion and supporting or challenging its veracity through nonpartisan research and analyses. Chapters begin with an objective look at the claim's origins—with a brief focus on the person or group that conceived it and why—then set about clarifying or debunking it using evidence from research studies and reports from authoritative sources. Entries feature primary documents, a further reading section, and tables and graphs. Topics include the impact on health care costs for families, states, and the federal government; the effect of the Affordable Care Act on employer-sponsored insurance; and the role of health status on coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

State fiscal decisions have a significant impact on the US economy. Taken together, subnational governments employ more than one out of every eight workers and provide the bulk of all basic governmental services consumed by individuals and businesses. Sustaining the States: The Fiscal Viability of American State Governments will give you a basic un

Since the 1980s, waves of neoliberal ‘economic reform’ have transformed Australia. Privatisation, deregulation, marketisation and the contracting out of government services: for three decades now, there has been widespread agreement among policymakers on the desirability of these strategies. But the benefits of economic reform are increasingly being questioned. Alongside growing voter disenchantment, new voices of dissent argue that instead of efficiency and improved services, economic reform has led to unaccountable oligopolies, increased prices, reduced productivity and degradation of the public good. In Wrong Way, Australia’s leading economists and public intellectuals do a cost–benefit analysis of economic reform across key areas. Have these reforms been worthwhile for the Australian community and its economy? Have they given us a better society, as promised? ‘Has privatisation led to more productivity-enhancing competition? Has deregulation increased economic welfare in energy, finance, health, education and labour markets? Does the lived experience of Australians measure up to the promise of economic reform? The authors answer these questions with conclusions that are both compelling and disturbing.’——Emeritus professor Roy Green, University of Technology Sydney Damien Cahill & Phillip Toner on Economic Reform Stephen Duckett on Private Health Insurance Elizabeth Hill & Matt Wade on Early Childhood Education And Care Phillip Toner on Vocational Education And Training Jane Andrew & Max Baker on Prisons Bob Davidson on Aged Care Paul Davies on Public Sector Engineering Sue Olney & Wilma Gallet on Employment Services John Quiggin on Electricity Jim Stanford on Labour Markets Evan Jones on Banking Peter Phibbs & Nicole Gurran on Housing Lee Ridge on The NBN Ben Spies-Butcher & Gareth Bryant on Universities Michael Beggs on Monetary Policy And Unemployment John Quiggin on Productivity Peter Brain on Orthodox Economic Models Patricia Ranald on Free Trade David Richardson on Foreign Investment Frank Stilwell on Inequality

After conducting a comprehensive literature search, the authors undertook a meta-analysis to examine the association between correctional education and reductions in recidivism, improvements in employment after release from prison, and other outcomes. The study finds that receiving correctional education while incarcerated reduces inmates' risk of recidivating and may improve their odds of obtaining employment after release from prison.

Since 2001, the United States has created or reorganized more than two counterterrorism organizations for every apprehension it has made of Islamists apparently planning to commit terrorism within the country. Central to this massive enterprise is what the FBI frequently calls "ghost-chasing"-the efforts by police and intelligence agencies to follow up on over ten million tips. Less than one alarm in 10,000 fails to be false-the rest all point to ghosts. And the vast majority of the leads deemed to be productive have led to terrorist enterprises that are either trivial or at most aspirational. As John Mueller and Mark G. Stewart suggest in Chasing Ghosts, it is often an exercise in dueling delusions: an extremist has delusions about changing the world by blowing something up, and the authorities have delusions that he might actually be able to overcome his patent inadequacies to do so. Chasing Ghosts systematically examines this expensive, exhausting, bewildering, chaotic, and paranoia-inducing process. It evaluates the counterterrorism efforts of the FBI, the National Security Agency, the Department of Homeland Security, and local policing agencies. In addition, it draws from a rich set of case studies to appraise the capacities of the terrorist "adversary" and to scrutinize "the myth of the mastermind." Mueller and Stewart also look closely at public opinion, a key driving force in counterterrorism efforts. The chance that an American will be killed by a terrorist within the country is about one in four million per year under present conditions. However, poll data suggest that, although over a trillion dollars has been spent on domestic counterterrorism since 2001, Americans say they do not feel safer. No defense of civil liberties is likely to be effective as long as people and officials continue to believe that the threat from terrorism is massive, even existential. The book does not argue that there is nothing for the ghost-chasers to find-the terrorist "adversary" is real and does exist. The question that is central to the exercise-but one the ghost-chasers never really probe-is an important and rather straight-forward one: is the chase worth the effort? Or is it excessive given the danger that terrorism actually presents? As Chasing Ghosts shows in vivid detail, standard evaluative procedures suggest that the costs often far outweigh the benefits.