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Economic Policy

Lessons For US Economic Policy From The Fall Of The Berlin Wall

Newsweek | Michael Hirsh | Posted 11.03.2009 | Politics

Read More: Experiment, 1989, East Germany, Economy, West Germany, Regulation, Democracy, Capitalism, Fee Market Economy, Lessons From Fall of Berlin Wall, Lessons From Germany, Berlin Wall, Communism, Paul Samuelson, Economic Policy, Germany, Unification, Command Economy, Cold War, Socialism, Free Market, Fall of Berlin Wall, Berlin, Politics News

The abrupt and miserable end of the socialist experiment--it all happened so fast, with East Germany getting absorbed into West Germany on Oct. 3, 199...

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Economic Crisis Compels Economists To Reach For New Paradigm

Wall Street Journal | MARK WHITEHOUSE | Posted 11.02.2009 | Business

Read More: Economy, Policy, The Fed, Recession, Ben Bernanke, Collateral, University, Mortgage, Credit, Economic Policy, Lenders, Finance, College, Rational Expectations, Bernanke, Crisis, Economists, Banks, Academics, Theory, Colleges, Economic Theory, Universities, Business News

The pain of the financial crisis has economists striving to understand precisely why it happened and how to prevent a repeat. For that task, John Gean...

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Professor David Colander Tells Congress Econ Models are Flawed

Damien Hoffman | Posted 11.02.2009 | Politics

Read More: Public Policy, Economic Modeling, Economic Policy, Trader, Investor, David Colander, Wall Street, Economic Models, Politics News
Damien Hoffman

In addition to exposing a few absurd underlying economic presuppositions, Colander is helping shift incentives for professional economists toward engaging in more useful studies.

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Republicans Must Stop Playing Politics With Unemployment Benefits

Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand | Posted 10.19.2009 | New York

Read More: Unemployment Benefits, Long Island, Senate Republicans, Recovery, Economic Policy, New York City, Middle Class, Economic Stimulus, Joblessness, Senate Democrats, Hudson Valley, Recession, New York News
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand

Rather than do what is right, Republicans did what was politically convenient, twice blocking the unemployment extension last week in an effort to derail other economic recovery programs.

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Exceptions To Derivatives Trading Rule Dilute Regulation

New York Times | GRETCHEN MORGENSON | Posted 10.17.2009 | Business

Read More: The Federal Reserve, Larry Summers, Clinton, Lehman Brothers, Derivatives Regulation, Aig, Obama Administration, Regulation, Obama, Legislation, House, Senate, White House, Economic Policy, Fed, Financial Services Committee, Treasury, Banks, Derivatives, Gary Gensler, Wall Street, Timothy Gueithner, Bill, Business News

Derivatives regulation has been on the nation's financial reform agenda for months. Undoing the Clinton-era law that exempted swaps from oversight is ...

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G-20: Regulations For Bankers' Pay Planned

bloomberg.com | Simon Kennedy and Gonzalo Vina | Posted 09.25.2009 | Business

Read More: G20 Summit, Economic Policy, Financial Crisis, Timothy Geithner, g20, Wall Street Pay, Barack Obama, Business News

World leaders are poised to crack down on banker pay and better coordinate economic policies as they seek to temper the excesses that helped trigger t...

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Obama's America: What Is Economic Growth For?

Derek Shearer | Posted 09.19.2009 | Politics

Read More: President Obama, Economic Policy, John Maynard Keynes, Health Care, Economic Crisis, Obama Administration, Bill Clinton, Marshall Ganz, Joseph Stiglitz, Economy, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton Health Care, Obama Economy, Barack Obama, Capitalism: A Love Story, Politics News
Derek Shearer

Unfortunately, while Obama's words are bold, he acts cautiously when it comes to actual reforms that are necessary to create this new foundation for economic growth.

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Making Workers the Catalyst for Economic Recovery

Thomas Kochan | Posted 10.20.2009 | Politics

Read More: Labor Policy, Economic Policy, Labor Day, Underemployment, Unemployment, Barack Obama, Department of Labor, Politics News

Workers have good reasons to feel left out of stimulus efforts to date. Nearly 20 percent of the workforce is unemployed, unable to find a full time job, or has given up on looking for one.

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Learning from Down Under: Where Labor Policy is Center Stage

Thomas Kochan | Posted 09.28.2009 | Politics

Read More: Economic Policy, Labor Policy, Labor, Biden Middle Class Task Force, Australia, Fair Work Act, Kevin Rudd, Julia Gillard, Employment Relations Systems, Australia Labor Government, Australian Labor Law, Australia Labor Laws, Politics News

Our friends down under have set a benchmark for the U.S. We don't usually look beyond our boarders for lessons on domestic policy, but Australia has recognized employment relations as central to economic vitality.

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Manufacturing and the Limits of Comparative Advantage

Ralph Gomory | Posted 08.08.2009 | Business

Read More: U.S. Economy, Global Economy, Economics, David Ricardo, Economic Crisis, Comparative Advantage, Free Trade, Globalization, Ralph Gomory, Business, Ralph-Gomory, Warren Buffet, Global Economic Crisis, US Economy, u.s. Economy Problems, Economic Policy, Jeffrey Immelt, Corporate America, Trade, Financial TImes, Business News, Ceo, Free Market, Fair Trade, Business News
Ralph Gomory

Vague talk about future innovations, a post-industrial society, or an explosion of services exports is not the stuff on which to bet the prosperity of a nation.

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The Babble Over Regulatory Reform, Cont'd

Robert Teitelman | Posted 07.17.2009 | Business

Read More: Politics, Wall Street, Obama Policies, Economic Policy, Tim Geithner, Regulation, Larry Summers, Monetary Policy, Robert Teitelman, Business, Glass-Steagall, Paul Volcker, Obama Administration, Business News
Robert Teitelman

Nobody just announces anything anymore. Before anyone in Washington can get lunch, it has to be leaked, briefed, previewed in speeches, summarized in ...

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Reviving Pecora's Ghost

Robert Kuttner | Posted 06.03.2009 | Business

Read More: Economic Policy, Economy, Pecora Commission, Obama Administration, Banking Crisis, Obama's Economic Team, Business Regulation, Wall Street, Business News
Robert Kuttner

With Summers, Geithner, and Bernanke working closely with major investment bankers to restart the system of securitization, there will be a titanic struggle over what kind of regulatory system to have going forward.

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Christina Romer Gets it Wrong: "We Need Banks to Lend Like Crazy"

Steve Clemons | Posted 04.22.2009 | Politics

Read More: Christopher Dodd, Financial Crisis, Bank Lending, Economic Policy, John King, Barack Obama, Christina Romer, Lending Crisis, Lending, Christina Romer Lending, 100 Days, Obama Administration, Obama Economy, Politics News
Steve Clemons

"Lending like crazy" is exactly what helped trigger the global financial crisis -- and reflating those trends would be a major mistake if that is what the Obama administration is pushing.

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Obama Needs a Mortgage Default Plan Fast

Jeff Madrick | Posted 02.21.2009 | Politics

Read More: Barack Obama 2008, Bank Losses, Larry Summers, Mortgage Defaults, Economic Policy, Mortgage Backed Obligations, Politics News
Jeff Madrick

As of today, we hear the Obama team is talking about a plan to stabilize the market by buying or insuring bad assets. No plan can be perfect, but we need some plan quickly.

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Krugman on Obama and 'You 2.0'

Juliette Powell | Posted 02.15.2009 | Politics

Read More: Global Economy, Economic Policy, Obama Appointments, Bloggers, Juliette Powell, Jacques Chirac, Paul Krugman on Barack Obama, Obama Administration, Paul Krugman, Obama, Facebook, Culture, Political Blogging, Blogger Community, Barack Obama, Online Community Obama, Checks and Balances, Obama and the Internet, You 2.0, Politics News
Juliette Powell

There have been some proposed appointments in the national security area, or at least floated appointments, that have essentially been torpedoed because the online community said, "No."

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How Globalization Set the Stage for the 2008 Economic Collapse

Robert Creamer | Posted 02.09.2009 | Politics

Read More: Income Stagnation, World Trade Organization, Economic Policy, Employee Free Choice Act, Trade, Economic Crisis, Breaking News, Globalization, Credit Crisis, Nafta, Financial Collapse, Ecomomic Stimulus, Politics News
Robert Creamer

A good case can be made that the massive globalization of labor and financial markets, coupled with "free markets uber alles" policies, formed a toxic mixture that made the collapse inevitable. Here's why.

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Get Business Tax Cuts Out of the Stimulus Plan

Ross Eisenbrey | Posted 02.07.2009 | Politics

Read More: U.S. Economy, Money, Economy, Economic Crisis, Barack Obama Economic Plan, United States, Tax Breaks, Business, Barack Obama Economy, Barack Obama, u.s. Economy Problems, Barack Obama Economic Policy, Economic Policy, Economic Policy Institute, U.S. Economic Crisis, Politics News
Ross Eisenbrey

The money in this economic stimulus package is a small down payment on what is needed to give the U.S. the world class infrastructure we need.

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2009: A Time for Real Economic Change

Mike Garibaldi-Frick | Posted 01.28.2009 | Business

Read More: Taxes, Small Business, Wall Street Bailout, Economy, Economic Crisis, Middle Class, George W. Bush, Ponzi Scheme, Obama, Corporate Power, Capitalism, Tax Reform, Recession, Economic Policy, FInancial Markets, Corporations, United States, Tax Cuts, Mortgage Rates, Interest Rates, Wall Street, Great Depression, Financial Crisis, Business News
Mike Garibaldi-Frick

America's anger and ingenious will is stoked and a new, more open administration is coming to power looking for innovative, far-reaching ideas.

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Obama Economic Policy Snubs Small Business

Lloyd Chapman | Posted 01.18.2009 | Business

Read More: Fraud, Small Business, Bush Administration, Abuse, Transition Team, Economic Policy, Barack Obama, Middle Class, Procurement, Loopholes, Obama-Biden, Business News
Lloyd Chapman

There appears to be a significant disconnect between President-elect Obama's campaign promises to American small businesses and the actual policies he is proposing.

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Team of Rubins

Robert Kuttner | Posted 12.24.2008 | Politics

Read More: Obama Cabinet, Obama Team of Rivals, Video, Economic Policy, Team of Rivals, Economy, Obama's Cabinet, This Week With George Stephanopulos, Barack Obama, Obama's Economic Team, Politics News
Robert Kuttner

There is no denying the plain fact that only progressive remedies, of large scale public spending and stringent government regulation, will fix what's broken.

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Obama Needs an FDR-Style Public Works Program

Mike Papantonio | Posted 12.20.2008 | Business

Read More: Auto Industry, Henry Paulson, Economic Policy, Barack Obama, Bailout, Mike Papantonio, Economy, Regulation, Recession, Main Street, Business News
Mike Papantonio

There is a fraternity-like mentality that exists among corporate CEOs. There is an illusory standard of what "moral" or "legitimate" actually means in decision making for that elite crowd.

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Who Wasn't On Stage With Obama and Should Have Been?

Steve Clemons | Posted 12.09.2008 | Politics

Read More: Robert Kuttner, Penny Pritzker, Adam Posen, Alan Murray, James Galbraith, George Soros, Doug & Heidi Rediker, Leo Hindery, Eric Schmidt, Richard Parsons, Tom Gallagher, Paul Volcker, Lawrence Summers, Economic Team, Warren Buffet, Kevin Phillips, William Daley, William Donaldson, Jennifer Granholm, Joseph Stiglitz, Robert Samuelson, Paul Krugman, Roel Campos, William Bonvillian, Jeffrey Sachs, C. Fred Bergsten, Robert Reich, Antonio Villaraigosa, Joseph Biden, Charlene Barshefsky, Bill Gates, Barack Obama, Robert Rubin, Austan Goolsbee, David Bonior, Economic Policy, Rahm Emanuel, Bernard Schwartz, Jason Furhman, Sheila Bair, Anne Mulcahy, Roger Ferguson, Clyde Prestowitz, Sherle Schwenninger, Obama's Cabinet, Politics News
Steve Clemons

I'm not satisfied with the roster of economic personalities and thinkers we see Barack Obama mixing with.

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What Does Obama Mean for Generation Debt?

Anya Kamenetz | Posted 12.07.2008 | Business

Read More: Economy, Barack Obama's Economic Policy, Economic Policy, Obama Economy, Generation Debt, Business News
Anya Kamenetz

Among his likely policy proposals, here's what stands out for me in terms of young people's economic future. Keep in mind that we're all in this together -- and we're in it for the long haul.

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Will Obama's First Term Really Just be a Hybrid of Clinton III and GW Bush III?

Steve Clemons | Posted 12.07.2008 | Politics

Read More: Bill Clinton, Robert Rubin, Economic Policy, Gerald Ford, George W. Bush, Donald Rumsfeld, Neoliberalism, Timothy Geithner, Rubinomics, Paul Volcker, Lawrence Summers, Barack Obama, Laura D'Andrea Tyson, Larry Summers, Obama Treasury Secretary, Obama's Economic Team, Obama's Economic Plan, Larry Summers Treasury Secretary, Politics News
Steve Clemons

There is a strong chance that Lawrence Summers is going to be returned to the post of Secretary of the Treasury. Larry will have to prove to us that he is different and not the harbinger of Clinton Term III.

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Which Obamanomics?

Robert D. Atkinson, Ph.D. | Posted 12.06.2008 | Politics

Read More: Obama Policy, Innovation, Obama Economic Policy, Economic Policy, Innovation Economics, Innovation Policy, Obamanomics, Obama, Barack Obama, President Obama, Obama Wins, HuffPost Election Analysis, 2008 Election, HuffPost Election Reaction, Election Reaction, Obama Presidency, Election Analysis, Obama President, Politics News
Robert D. Atkinson, Ph.D.

What economic doctrine will "Obamanomics" be based on? Will it be Rubinomics with its focus on fiscal discipline and reigning in spending? Neo-Keynesianism? Or will it be Innovation Economics?

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