Seeing this piece by Andrew Revkin Can cities adjust to a retreating coastline? reminded me to also look closer to home. We all too readily forget that NYC is not a typical problem of a coastal communitiy…so what do planners in smaller towns face? How do they choose responses, for instance, if an engineering report […]

Put all this together, and you have a classic recipe for vulnerability. Capital inflows (borrowing overseas plus foreigners coming into the local stock market) tend to keep the exchange rate more appreciated than it would be otherwise. This encourages imports and discourages exports, so it is easy to develop a current account deficit (meaning that […]

by Linda Beale Time to get God out of taxes Chris Bergin over at Tax Analysts has a good point about the exclusion from income for the rental value of the minister’s residence–it makes no sense and has no place in the tax code.  See Bergin, What we need is a Godless tax code, Tax […]

by Linda Beale Swiss and US Apparently Reach Deal on Bank Disclosures related to Tax Evasion Bloomberg reports (in a minimal news story at this point based on an anonymous tip prior to the settlement being officially released) that the United States and Switzerland have reached an agreement that settles the dispute about Americans’ use […]

by Linda Beale Same-Sex Married Couples Will be Recognized for Federal Tax Purposes Even When Moving to Nonrecognition State The Treasury issued a Revenue Ruling today that sets out the rules that will guide the government in handling interpretation of the tax code regarding “marriage” and “husband” or “wife” or “spouse” in respect of same-sex […]

Has the Shale Bubble Already Burst? (Igor Alexeev, Naked Capitalism cross posted from Oil Price) “The average depletion rate of wells in the Bakken Formation (the largest tight oil play in the US) is reported to be 69 percent in the first year and 94 percent over the first five years (37 percent and 50 […]

Thank you contributors and readers, it’s true. We are listed at 34th this time, even missing Robert Waldmann and Kenneth Thomas mentions in Paul Krugman’s  New York Times columns this month as rankings were determined in July. Onalytical Indexes publishes their  Top 200 Influential Economics Blogs – Aug 2013 by Andreea Moldovan It’s been several months since […]