Relevant and even prescient commentary on news, politics and the economy.

Conflict of Interest

The Wall Street Journal reports: Under new rules adopted by the American Economic Association at its annual meeting here last week, economists will have to disclose financial ties and other potential conflicts of interest in papers published in academic journals. Backers argue such disclosures will help restore faith in the profession by giving both policy makers and […]

Pandering to the Right Fringe

by Linda Beale Pandering to the Right Fringe This campaign season has revealed more clearly than ever the ultimate goal of today’s hard right, as manifested in campaign debates and the right-wing think tanks’ output. It is nothing less than dismantling the protections established under FDR–Social Security, Medicare, minimum wage and other safety net protections […]

To ban contraception to married couples too?

In the New Yorker comes this note lost in the shuffle of the NH primary. I sense a pervasive theme of bigger government interference: Since Ronald Reagan, Republican Presidents (and Presidential nominees) have been committed to overturning Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court’s abortion-rights landmark from 1973. But as the debates last weekend in New […]

IRS proposes new innocent spouse procedures

by Linda Beale IRS proposes new innocent spouse procedures In a press release IR 2012-3 (Jan. 5, 2012), the IRS has issued Notice 2012-8 announcing a new revenue procedure updating Rev. Proc. 2003-61. The IRS describes the effect of the procedure as follows. This proposed update to Rev. Proc. 2003-61 addresses the criteria used in […]

Lost Decade, Redux

By general consensus, Japan’s “Lost Decade” (now in its Third Decade) begins in 1989. The biggest growth difference appears to come from the U.S. period from the Second (1996) Clinton Tax Reform to the 2001 recession—a big if, I grant you, but one that the Gingrich/DeLay-led Republican Party predicted would produce mayhem, and the alternative-history […]

The Most Important Econoblog Post This Year: The Steve Keen/MMT Convergence

Neil Wilson has done yeoman’s duty to (perhaps) achieve a convergence that has been too-long delayed. A Double Entry View on the Keen Circuit Model. Steve Keen is, to my knowledge, the only person who is actually encoding a Godley-esque, MMT-style, accounting-based, stock-flow-consistent dynamic simulation model of how economies work. But many MMTers have been […]

The Upper Bound in the Fed’s Head: Inflation

Continuing with one of my current hobbyhorses: Ryan Avent reports on the American Economic Association meeting, with special attention to a presentation by Robert Hall: Monetary policy: The zero lower bound in our minds | The Economist. Mr Hall argued that: A little more inflation would have a hugely beneficial impact on labour markets, And […]

Guest Post: Does a lower Corporate Tax burden increase private investment?

Update: Dan here: I am posting Jon’s reply now to comments in this post. Technical troubles continue for Jon. It is always a pleasure to find clear and concise posts from a ‘new’ econoblogger. Mike Kimel found Econographia. Hopefully more is on the way. by Jon Hammond Guest post: Does a lower corporate tax burden […]

CRS reports on repatriation tax holiday impact

by Linda Beale CRS reports on repatriation tax holiday impact Shortly before the Christmas holiday, CRS released a report by Donald Marples and Jane Gravelle on the possibility of a second repatriation tax holiday for multinational corporations. Download Marples and Gravelle. tax cuts on repatriation earnings as economic stimulus. an economic analysis. 122011.c The holiday […]

Ron Paul Challenges Liberals – or Maybe Not

Matt Stoller, the former Senior Policy Advisor to Rep. Alan Grayson and a fellow at the Roosevelt Institute has a couple of very interesting articles posted at Naked Capitalism,  Why Ron Paul Challenges Liberals, and the follow-up, Naked Capitalism, “A Home for All Sorts of Bircher Nonsense” These are thought-provoking, in many ways insightful, and […]