11 | January | 2012

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Recommended: FRED Add-In for Microsoft Excel

Mark J. Perry | January 11, 2012, 7:13 pm

I use the Federal Reserve Economic Data (FRED) from the St. Louis Federal Reserve on almost a daily basis and for those of you that also access these data on a regular basis, you might be interested in the free … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy

Three reasons Pakistan is not in the midst of a coup

Sadanand Dhume | January 11, 2012, 3:56 pm

Pakistan appears agog over the possibility that the army is about to depose the elected government of President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani. In recent months, Gilani has adopted an unusually (for Pakistan) outspoken stance toward … read more >

Economics, Regulation

Regulation is, in fact, a growing problem

Nick Schulz | January 11, 2012, 3:39 pm

Liberal economists are right to point out that poor demand/sales have been a drag on the economy. Put aside for the moment whether or not that justifies more fiscal stimulus. They might be interested to learn that regulation is a … read more >

Carpe Diem

Dynamic Market Pricing Reduces Congestion on the 520 Bridge, With Maybe Some Help from an App?

Mark J. Perry | January 11, 2012, 3:12 pm

In early December, a CD post featured a Seattle-based company called Seabalt Solutions, which developed an app called Toll Avoider to help drivers avoid the new dynamically-priced tolls on the Highway 520 bridge that started in late December. After just a few weeks following … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, Terrorism

Mitt Romney and the future of Gitmo

Marc Thiessen | January 11, 2012, 2:13 pm

The focus of the media coverage of today’s 10th anniversary of Guantanamo Bay has been largely on President Obama’s failure to close the facility and speculation about how long it will take before the United States finds some way to … read more >

Carpe Diem

Salaries for New Ph.D.s in Economics

Mark J. Perry | January 11, 2012, 1:58 pm

Greg Mankiw links to the study “Survey of the Labor Market for New Ph.D. Hires in Economics, 2011-12,” which reports the following results: 1. Eighty-two economics departments reported 516 new Ph.D.s who sought employment for the 2010-11 academic year. Of … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, Terrorism

Guantanamo by the numbers

Marc Thiessen | January 11, 2012, 1:39 pm

Here are some interesting numbers to mark today’s 10th anniversary of the opening of the terrorist interrogation center at Guantanamo Bay, courtesy of Michael Stransky at the Senate Republican Policy Committee: 0 Detainees who were supposed to be at Guantanamo … read more >

Economics, U.S. Economy

Why do entrepreneurs start businesses? Well, it ain’t to create jobs

James Pethokoukis | January 11, 2012, 1:28 pm

Among the criticisms of Mitt Romney’s business career is that it was never Bain Capital’s intent to create jobs, but merely to make money for its investors. Of course, the same goes for Bill Gates, Steve Jobs, Michael Dell, Warren … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy, Middle East and North Africa

Mining our business in the Persian Gulf

Gary Schmitt | January 11, 2012, 12:59 pm

When Iran threatened last month to close the Strait of Hormuz if the United States and Europe adopted sanctions that largely halted Iranian oil exports, there was a plethora of commentary that pointed in the direction that any closing would … read more >

Economics

Bringing jobs back to America

James Pethokoukis | January 11, 2012, 12:58 pm

The American president has a request of Corporate America (via the LA Times): President Obama on Wednesday urged businesses to bring jobs back from abroad and touted companies that have chosen to do more manufacturing in the U.S. … “Today … read more >

The Uses of Scandal
One of the greatest uses of scandal is to vividly demonstrate what new laws are needed and to create the political conditions to get them enacted. […]
Lean In… to Government?
Sheryl Sandberg's runaway best-selling book Lean In has managed to offend both the Left and the Right. Sandberg touts female hard-headedness, yet also calls for an elaborate government- and employer-supplied support system for women. […]
Are American Voters Racist?
Racial prejudice plays a very small role in American politics, but a highly disciplined sense of self-interest on the part of one group may play a very large role in the way the federal government functions. […]
The Perpetual Passion for Paper
Paper is becoming less important in some respects, but its strengths — prestige, utility, permanence, and security — are more essential than ever. […]