23 | March | 2012

Thursday, May 23, 2013

World Bank president nominee is a risky choice

Roger Bate | March 23, 2012, 2:53 pm

President Obama has nominated Dartmouth College President Jim Kim to be head of the World Bank—in the six decades of World Bank existence, all presidents have been Americans, so Dr. Kim is likely to get the job. Dr. Kim is … read more >

Politics and Public Opinion

AEI Blog Symposium: Paul Ryan’s Path to Prosperity and the 2012 Election

The Editors | March 23, 2012, 2:27 pm

For this online symposium, we posed the following question to a variety of all-star pundits and commentators: How will Paul Ryan’s new Path to Prosperity budget affect the 2012 election? Jay Cost, staff writer for the Weekly Standard. President Obama … read more >

Carpe Diem

Markets In Everything: Selling Comedy Online

Mark J. Perry | March 23, 2012, 2:01 pm

NY Times: “Comics Are Now Selling Laughs by the Download“ “A handful of top-tier performers have begun producing stand-up specials on their own, posting them online and selling them directly through their personal Web sites, eliminating the editorial control of … read more >

Economics, Monetary Policy

Prof. Bernanke teaches wrong lesson on gold standard

James Pethokoukis | March 23, 2012, 1:58 pm

Reuters: Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke on Tuesday took aim at proponents of the gold standard, saying that such a system handicaps the government’s ability to address economic conditions. Bernanke spoke in the first of a series of four public … read more >

Economics, Energy and the Environment

EPA-induced refinery closures linked to high gas prices

Kenneth P. Green | March 23, 2012, 1:48 pm

An article in Investor’s Business Daily puts a greater share of responsibility for high gas prices on EPA’s perpetual regulatory crusade, particularly its influence on refineries: The untold story behind soaring pump prices is that major U.S. refineries are going … read more >

Carpe Diem

How Advances in Drilling Technology Are Creating a Revolution and Turnaround for U.S. Oil Output

Mark J. Perry | March 23, 2012, 1:36 pm

In the NY Times, “From Engineering Marvels, a Turnaround in U.S. Oil Output“ “Just a decade ago, complete wells were fracked at the same time with millions of gallons of water, sand and chemical gels. Now the wells are fracked … read more >

Economics, Energy and the Environment

So which president deserves credit for the rise in U.S. energy production?

James Pethokoukis | March 23, 2012, 12:34 pm

OK, so The New York Times has this big, blow-out piece today, “U.S. Inches Toward Goal of Energy Independence.” A few stats I gleaned from it: – In 2011, the country imported just 45 percent of the liquid fuels it … read more >

Foreign and Defense Policy

Best of the foreign policy blogs (Mar. 17 to Mar. 23)

Marc Thiessen | March 23, 2012, 12:13 pm

Here is the best of what AEI’s foreign and defense policy scholars are reading this week: Max Boot at WeeklyStandard.com urges Congress and the president: Don’t Go Wobbly on Afghanistan Owen Graham at Heritage.org’s Foundry blog writes that Paul Ryan’s … read more >

Economics

Paul Ryan’s supply-side budget: Prosperity, not austerity

James Pethokoukis | March 23, 2012, 10:04 am

Real economic growth — driven by Schumpeterian innovation — can produce fiscal miracles. If nothing else, Rep. Paul Ryan’s Path to Prosperity demonstrates that reality. The budget Ryan put forward on Tuesday would balance in 2039. That’s a long time … read more >