National Economists Club National Economists Club podcasts are recordings from the weekly speeches by economic policymakers and commentators the NEC holds in Washington, DC. National Economists Club podcasts are recordings from the weekly speeches by economic policymakers and commentators the NEC holds in Washington, DC. Bruce Kratofil brucek@bjkresearch.com http://www.national-economists.org/ en-us 2009-2012 brucek@bjkresearch.com (Bruce Kratofil) Sat, 4 Feb 2012 01:35:00 GMT Douglas Duncan, Chief Economist and Vice President, Fannie Mae. This year has more uncertainty related to policy change than any year in recent memory.  Monetary policy is in flux and extending to fiscal policy in housing.  Fiscal policy has many choices on business and household taxes set to expire.  A wide variety of regulations are in development or implementation.  Housing is in the middle of all of these forces. Recorded 2/2/2012. Douglas Duncan, Chief Economist and Vice President, Fannie Mae. This year has more uncertainty related to policy change than any year in recent memory.  Monetary policy is in flux and extending to fiscal policy in housing.  Fiscal policy has many choices on business and household taxes set to expire.  A wide variety of regulations are in development or implementation.  Housing is in the middle of all of these forces. Recorded 2/2/2012. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec196.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec196.mp3 Sat, 4 Feb 2012 01:35:00 GMT clean 57:31 housing, GSE, Fannie Mae Ted Truman, Senior Fellow, Petersen Institute for International Affairs.Ted Truman has worked on European matters since the mid-1960s. In his talk, he will review how Europe got to where it found itself two years ago and then discuss the crisis and some of the interpretations of its cause. He will then describe and critique the crisis management, and close with where Europe might be going. Recorded 1/26/2012. Ted Truman, Senior Fellow, Petersen Institute for International Affairs.Ted Truman has worked on European matters since the mid-1960s. In his talk, he will review how Europe got to where it found itself two years ago and then discuss the crisis and some of the interpretations of its cause. He will then describe and critique the crisis management, and close with where Europe might be going. Recorded 1/26/2012. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec195.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec195.mp3 Sun, 29 Jan 2012 22:01:00 GMT clean 1:02:30 euro, EU, Greece, Italy, Germany, international, currency Chapin White, Center for Studying Health System Change. CBO and the CMS Actuaries have been surprised and puzzled by recent slowdowns in spending growth in the Medicare program. In this presentation, Dr. White will quantify the magnitude of the slowdown, assess possible explanations, and put the slowdown in a larger context. The Medicare slowdown could be a short-lived fluke, or it could signal the need for a rethinking of some core assumptions. Dr. White will identify the key assumptions that underlie Medicare spending projections, and describe why they might need to be updated. Recorded 1/19/2012. Chapin White, Center for Studying Health System Change. CBO and the CMS Actuaries have been surprised and puzzled by recent slowdowns in spending growth in the Medicare program. In this presentation, Dr. White will quantify the magnitude of the slowdown, assess possible explanations, and put the slowdown in a larger context. The Medicare slowdown could be a short-lived fluke, or it could signal the need for a rethinking of some core assumptions. Dr. White will identify the key assumptions that underlie Medicare spending projections, and describe why they might need to be updated. Recorded 1/19/2012. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec194.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec194.mp3 Mon, 23 Jan 2012 03:56:00 GMT clean 52:33 healthcare, spending, Medicare Dan Meckstroth, Chief Economist and Director of Research, The Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI). Manufacturing production in the United States is expected to growth modestly faster than the overall economy in 2012.  Dan Meckstroth will identify the industries within the manufacturing sector that will drive the growth and explain why some industries that are lagging.  He will then discuss the manufacturing outlook in the major regions of the world.  A recession in Europe and the extent of a slowdown in Latin America and Asia are included in the global manufacturing outlook presentation. Recorded January 12, 2012. Dan Meckstroth, Chief Economist and Director of Research, The Manufacturers Alliance for Productivity and Innovation (MAPI). Manufacturing production in the United States is expected to growth modestly faster than the overall economy in 2012.  Dan Meckstroth will identify the industries within the manufacturing sector that will drive the growth and explain why some industries that are lagging.  He will then discuss the manufacturing outlook in the major regions of the world.  A recession in Europe and the extent of a slowdown in Latin America and Asia are included in the global manufacturing outlook presentation. Recorded January 12, 2012. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec193.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec193.mp3 Sun, 15 Jan 2012 18:41:00 GMT clean 59:20 manufacturing, outlook Jeffrey Kling, Associate Director for Economic Analysis at the Congressional Budget Office, is an economist who joined CBO in July 2009. He has conducted research on public housing, incarceration, retirement security, Medicare's prescription drug program, unemployment insurance, and other aspects of public policy in the United States. His work has been published in the American Economic Review, Econometrica, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and elsewhere. Previously, he was the Joseph A. Pechman Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution. From 1998 to 2005, he was a faculty member at Princeton University. In earlier government service, he was a special assistant to the Secretary of Labor and an assistant to the chief economist at the World Bank. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his A.B. from Harvard University. His presentation will focus on CBO’s use of evidence in the analysis of budget and economic policies. The presentation will addressed numerous questions, including: How does CBO make projections? What types of evidence does CBO use?How does CBO characterize uncertainty? Recorded Dec 12, 2011 Jeffrey Kling, Associate Director for Economic Analysis at the Congressional Budget Office, is an economist who joined CBO in July 2009. He has conducted research on public housing, incarceration, retirement security, Medicare's prescription drug program, unemployment insurance, and other aspects of public policy in the United States. His work has been published in the American Economic Review, Econometrica, the Quarterly Journal of Economics, and elsewhere. Previously, he was the Joseph A. Pechman Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of Economic Studies at the Brookings Institution. From 1998 to 2005, he was a faculty member at Princeton University. In earlier government service, he was a special assistant to the Secretary of Labor and an assistant to the chief economist at the World Bank. He earned his Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his A.B. from Harvard University. His presentation will focus on CBO’s use of evidence in the analysis of budget and economic policies. The presentation will addressed numerous questions, including: How does CBO make projections? What types of evidence does CBO use?How does CBO characterize uncertainty?Recorded Dec 12, 2011 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec192.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec192.mp3 Wed, 21 Dec 2011 01:44:00 GMT clean 55:07 budget, fiscal policy, CBO Len Nichols, George Mason University and James Capretta, Ethics and Public Policy Center. Two veteran White House health care policy advisors – one a Democrat and the other a Republican – will discuss where healthcare reform stands at year-end. 2012 will be a pivotal year for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – the landmark healthcare law enacted in 2010. It will be a busy year for implementation at both the federal and state levels, and the U.S. Supreme Court will consider challenges to the law. Recorded Dec 8, 2011. Len Nichols, George Mason University and James Capretta, Ethics and Public Policy Center. Two veteran White House health care policy advisors – one a Democrat and the other a Republican – will discuss where healthcare reform stands at year-end. 2012 will be a pivotal year for the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act – the landmark healthcare law enacted in 2010. It will be a busy year for implementation at both the federal and state levels, and the U.S. Supreme Court will consider challenges to the law. Recorded Dec 8, 2011. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec191.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec191.mp3 Sun, 11 Dec 2011 23:26:00 GMT clean 1:05:13 healthcare reform, PPACA, Obamacare Michael Mandel, Chief Economic Strategist, Progressive Policy Institute. The official statistics say that real GDP is now above pre-recession levels, output per hour risen at a decent rate since 2007, and the real trade deficit has shrunk.  Mr. Mandel will demonstrate why these figures may understate the impact of trade and overstate the true health of the U.S. economy. Recorded Dec 1, 2011. Michael Mandel, Chief Economic Strategist, Progressive Policy Institute. The official statistics say that real GDP is now above pre-recession levels, output per hour risen at a decent rate since 2007, and the real trade deficit has shrunk.  Mr. Mandel will demonstrate why these figures may understate the impact of trade and overstate the true health of the U.S. economy. Recorded Dec 1, 2011. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec190.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec190.mp3 Thu, 08 Dec 2011 02:40:00 GMT clean 1:00:52 trade, GDP, NIPA David M. Driesen, Syracuse University College of Law. For many years now, experts have addressed both financial and environmental regulation through a microeconomic lens.  Under this approach, regulation is viewed as an analogue to a market transaction and its efficiency evaluated primarily through a cost-benefit analysis predicated on standard neoclassical assumptions.  This talk will examine the question of whether this approach has helped sustain adequate financial and environmental regulation and what the alternative might be.   It draws on a forthcoming book arguing for an economic dynamic approach to law predicated on the idea of law contributing to a macroeconomic framework, rather than directly controlling resource allocation.  This alternative involves making avoidance of systemic risk a major goal of government policy.  It shifts the focus from counting costs and benefits to evaluating the shape of change over time.  And it calls for a more systematic evaluation of economic incentives through an economic dynamic analysis drawing on institutional economics and scenario analysis.  An economic dynamic approach may play to the strengths of government economists, who may have a feel for the nature of the particular form of bounded rationality the actors they regulate exhibit.  This approach confronts, rather than wishes away, the uncertainties that bedevil efforts to address the future through law, which is what both climate and financial regulation must do. Recorded Nov 17, 2011. David M. Driesen, Syracuse University College of Law. For many years now, experts have addressed both financial and environmental regulation through a microeconomic lens.  Under this approach, regulation is viewed as an analogue to a market transaction and its efficiency evaluated primarily through a cost-benefit analysis predicated on standard neoclassical assumptions.  This talk will examine the question of whether this approach has helped sustain adequate financial and environmental regulation and what the alternative might be.   It draws on a forthcoming book arguing for an economic dynamic approach to law predicated on the idea of law contributing to a macroeconomic framework, rather than directly controlling resource allocation.  This alternative involves making avoidance of systemic risk a major goal of government policy.  It shifts the focus from counting costs and benefits to evaluating the shape of change over time.  And it calls for a more systematic evaluation of economic incentives through an economic dynamic analysis drawing on institutional economics and scenario analysis.  An economic dynamic approach may play to the strengths of government economists, who may have a feel for the nature of the particular form of bounded rationality the actors they regulate exhibit.  This approach confronts, rather than wishes away, the uncertainties that bedevil efforts to address the future through law, which is what both climate and financial regulation must do. Recorded Nov 17, 2011. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec189.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec189.mp3 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:09:00 GMT clean 1:00:45 regulation, environmental, financial Jason Furman, Principal Deputy Director, White House National Economic Council. Speech at the NEC Annual Dinner. Recorded November 7, 2011 Jason Furman, Principal Deputy Director, White House National Economic Council. Speech at the NEC Annual Dinner. Recorded November 7, 2011 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec188.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec188.mp3 Tue, 29 Nov 2011 01:09:00 GMT clean 1:03:04 economic growth, oulook, macroeconomy Greg Fager, Chief Economist, Asia Pacific Department, The Institute of International Finance, Inc. While the mature economies have been plagued by fiscal stress and lackluster growth, policy in China has sought to dampen domestic demand and curb inflation. Rising prospects for a renewed slowdown in global growth have raised concerns that the Chinese economy is headed for a sharp correction in response to a drop off in exports and a bust in the booming property market. China's massive holdings of official foreign exchange reserves and the slow pace of exchange rate appreciation have also rekindled lingering tensions with its major trading partners. The discussion will focus on an assessment of macroeconomic policies in China and examine the near-term outlook for growth in a changing global environment. Recorded 11/3/2011. Greg Fager, Chief Economist, Asia Pacific Department, The Institute of International Finance, Inc. While the mature economies have been plagued by fiscal stress and lackluster growth, policy in China has sought to dampen domestic demand and curb inflation. Rising prospects for a renewed slowdown in global growth have raised concerns that the Chinese economy is headed for a sharp correction in response to a drop off in exports and a bust in the booming property market. China's massive holdings of official foreign exchange reserves and the slow pace of exchange rate appreciation have also rekindled lingering tensions with its major trading partners. The discussion will focus on an assessment of macroeconomic policies in China and examine the near-term outlook for growth in a changing global environment. Recorded 11/3/2011. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec187.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec187.mp3 Thu, 10 Nov 2011 01:02:00 GMT clean 1:08:04 china, global environment, macroeconomy Joseph Farrell, Director, Bureau of Economics, Federal Trade Commission. The Federal Trade Commission deals with two branches of law enforcement: competition and consumer policy. The talk will reflect the work that the FTC does in those areas. In certain cases, the FTC is suspicious of dominant firms offering price discounts in return for a customer’s willingness to limit dealings with the dominant firm’s rivals. Other times, the FTC gets involved with the  economics of debt collection, which is essential to capital markets but apt to be taken too far, and with some of the things that policy does about that problem. Recorded Oct 20, 2011 Joseph Farrell, Director, Bureau of Economics, Federal Trade Commission. The Federal Trade Commission deals with two branches of law enforcement: competition and consumer policy. The talk will reflect the work that the FTC does in those areas. In certain cases, the FTC is suspicious of dominant firms offering price discounts in return for a customer’s willingness to limit dealings with the dominant firm’s rivals. Other times, the FTC gets involved with the  economics of debt collection, which is essential to capital markets but apt to be taken too far, and with some of the things that policy does about that problem. Recorded Oct 20, 2011 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec186.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec186.mp3 Tue, 25 Oct 2011 01:56:00 GMT clean 57:00 consumer, protection, FTC Ike Brannon, Director of Economic Studies and Congressional Relations, American Action Forum. Please note: background noise during recording has reduced the quality of this podcast. Recorded 10/6/2011. Ike Brannon, Director of Economic Studies and Congressional Relations, American Action Forum. Please note: background noise during recording has reduced the quality of this podcast. Recorded 10/6/2011. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec185.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec185.mp3 Tue, 11 Oct 2011 00:23:00 GMT clean 51:36 corporate tax reform, economic growth, economic outlook, macroeconomy Rudolph Penner, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute. The talk will focus on the formidable challenges facing the super committee and speculate on how the automatic deficit reductions might work if the committee fails. Recorded Sept 28, 2011. Rudolph Penner, Senior Fellow, Urban Institute. The talk will focus on the formidable challenges facing the super committee and speculate on how the automatic deficit reductions might work if the committee fails. Recorded Sept 28, 2011. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec184.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec184.mp3 Wed, 5 Oct 2011 01:21:00 GMT clean 51:36 budget, reform, fiscal, deficit, entitlements Jan Winiecki, Monetary Policy Council of the National Bank of Poland. Policy contortions with respect to Eurozone peripheries are presently very important.  Much more important, however, are longer-term issues - very high public expenditures relative to GDP, associated aging issues, and yet another, voluntarily undertaken burden-“fighting global warming.“ Even with successful institutional rearrangements of the Eurozone, unsolved issues threaten not only its existence, but the very well-being of Europe. Recorded Sept 22, 2011. Jan Winiecki, Monetary Policy Council of the National Bank of Poland. Policy contortions with respect to Eurozone peripheries are presently very important.  Much more important, however, are longer-term issues - very high public expenditures relative to GDP, associated aging issues, and yet another, voluntarily undertaken burden-“fighting global warming.“ Even with successful institutional rearrangements of the Eurozone, unsolved issues threaten not only its existence, but the very well-being of Europe. Recorded Sept 22, 2011. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec183.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec183.mp3 Mon, 26 Sep 2011 23:49:00 GMT clean 1:02:18 Europe, euro, demographics Phillip Swagel, Professor, International Economic Policy, Maryland School of Public Policy and Non-resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institut. A background paper is available at: http://www.milkeninstitute.org/pdf/HousingFinanceReform.pdf. Recorded Sept 15, 2011 Phillip Swagel, Professor, International Economic Policy, Maryland School of Public Policy and Non-resident Scholar, American Enterprise Institut. A background paper is available at: http://www.milkeninstitute.org/pdf/HousingFinanceReform.pdf. Recorded Sept 15, 2011 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec182.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec182.mp3 Wed, 21 Sep 2011 01:07:00 GMT clean 52:09 housing, finance, Fannie, Freddie, reform Chad Moutray, Chief Economist, National Association of Manufacturers. Dr. Moutray discusses the economic health of manufacturers, who have helped to boost overall growth in the recovery, and provide an economic outlook for the industry.  As part of this discussion, he will focus on the sectors which are growing the strongest right now as well as economic and policy challenges that manufacturers are facing right now.( Due to technical difficulties, the last five minutes of the question period was not recorded.)Recorded 9/8/2011 Chad Moutray, Chief Economist, National Association of Manufacturers. Dr. Moutray discusses the economic health of manufacturers, who have helped to boost overall growth in the recovery, and provide an economic outlook for the industry.  As part of this discussion, he will focus on the sectors which are growing the strongest right now as well as economic and policy challenges that manufacturers are facing right now.( Due to technical difficulties, the last five minutes of the question period was not recorded.)Recorded 9/8/2011 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec181.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec181.mp3 Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:19:00 GMT clean 52:09 manufacturing, output, recovery JD Foster, The Heritage Foundation. The debt ceiling debate has accelerated debate about tax policy to an extent not seen in years.  This has revealed some useful tendencies and some hopeful trends.  Among this is a much greater appetite for substantial tax reform.  The recent debate has also brought to the fore once again some basic structural flaws in the analytical structures that tend to guide tax reform.  If the building consensus toward tax reform is to succeed, the principles of tax reform need to be as clear as the tools are as sound.  There's a lot of work to do. Recorded July 28, 2011 JD Foster, The Heritage Foundation. The debt ceiling debate has accelerated debate about tax policy to an extent not seen in years.  This has revealed some useful tendencies and some hopeful trends.  Among this is a much greater appetite for substantial tax reform.  The recent debate has also brought to the fore once again some basic structural flaws in the analytical structures that tend to guide tax reform.  If the building consensus toward tax reform is to succeed, the principles of tax reform need to be as clear as the tools are as sound.  There's a lot of work to do. Recorded July 28, 2011 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec180.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec180.mp3 Fri, 12 Aug 2011 00:36:00 GMT clean 49:05 tax, reform, expenditure, rates Donald Marron, Director, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. Note: because of technical problems during recording, the end of this podcast was not recorded. Policymakers and pundits usually talk as though spending and tax breaks are distinct. Spending is what government gives out or uses for purchases, while tax breaks reduce how much revenue government collects. However, fiscal reality is much blurrier. Hundreds of billions of dollars of spending are hidden in the tax code.  That creates challenges for how we think about the size of government. It also points the way to fiscal reforms that could be embraced both by those who favor lower spending and by those who favor higher revenues. Recorded July 21, 2011 Donald Marron, Director, Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center. Note: because of technical problems during recording, the end of this podcast was not recorded. Policymakers and pundits usually talk as though spending and tax breaks are distinct. Spending is what government gives out or uses for purchases, while tax breaks reduce how much revenue government collects. However, fiscal reality is much blurrier. Hundreds of billions of dollars of spending are hidden in the tax code.  That creates challenges for how we think about the size of government. It also points the way to fiscal reforms that could be embraced both by those who favor lower spending and by those who favor higher revenues. Recorded July 21, 2011 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec179.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec179.mp3 Mon, 25 Jul 2011 15:22:00 GMT clean 24:55 fiscal, tax, spending Ron Trostle - US Dep of Agriculture/Economic Research Service. There has been a large and rapid increase in many food commodity prices during the last year.  Many of the same long-term trends and short-run shock factors that contributed to this recent surge in prices also played a role in previous price spikes.  The recent 2010-11 price surge followed unusually closely behind the 2007-08 price spike and raises concerns about food security and the possibility that world agricultural supply and demand relationships may have fundamentally changed. Recorded 6/30/2011. Ron Trostle - US Dep of Agriculture/Economic Research Service. There has been a large and rapid increase in many food commodity prices during the last year.  Many of the same long-term trends and short-run shock factors that contributed to this recent surge in prices also played a role in previous price spikes.  The recent 2010-11 price surge followed unusually closely behind the 2007-08 price spike and raises concerns about food security and the possibility that world agricultural supply and demand relationships may have fundamentally changed. Recorded 6/30/2011. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec178.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec178.mp3 Sat, 02 Jul 2011 19:29:00 GMT clean 1:03:08 agriculture, prices, food Rakesh Kochhar, Assoc Dir for Researc, Pew Hispanic Center. The economic fortunes of Hispanic and immigrant workers in the past decade were closely tied to the boom and bust in the housing market. Historic lows in unemployment rates were followed by sharp reversals in the Great Recession. Despite strong economic headwinds in recent years, immigration continues to be one of the key drivers of growth in the U.S. population and labor force. Recorded June 2, 2011 Rakesh Kochhar, Assoc Dir for Researc, Pew Hispanic Center. The economic fortunes of Hispanic and immigrant workers in the past decade were closely tied to the boom and bust in the housing market. Historic lows in unemployment rates were followed by sharp reversals in the Great Recession. Despite strong economic headwinds in recent years, immigration continues to be one of the key drivers of growth in the U.S. population and labor force. Recorded June 2, 2011 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec177.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec177.mp3 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 01:58:00 GMT clean 53:04 energy, prices, oil, petroleum, gasoline John Felmy, Chief Economist, American Petroleum Institute (API). How did we get here? What should we do about it and what  should we not do?  What is the reality about energy and what are the myths? Recorded May 26, 2011. John Felmy, Chief Economist, American Petroleum Institute (API). How did we get here? What should we do about it and what  should we not do?  What is the reality about energy and what are the myths? Recorded May 26, 2011. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec176.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec176.mp3 Fri, 27 May 2011 00:14:00 GMT clean 57:16 energy, prices, oil, petroleum, gasoline Bruce Bolnick Chief Economist, International Group Nathan Associates Inc. Does foreign aid deliver value for money in promoting economic growth and improving well being for people in developing countries?  This question is a source of endless debate.  In this presentation, Dr. Bolnick will first discuss the importance of growth for poverty reduction and human welfare in low-income countries--itself a source of controversy--and quickly review the (indecisive) empirical literature on aid and growth. The talk will then focus on the impact and effectiveness of USAID’s economic growth (EG) programs, based on a recent review of the available evidence. Recorded May 19, 2011 Bruce Bolnick Chief Economist, International Group Nathan Associates Inc. Does foreign aid deliver value for money in promoting economic growth and improving well being for people in developing countries?  This question is a source of endless debate.  In this presentation, Dr. Bolnick will first discuss the importance of growth for poverty reduction and human welfare in low-income countries--itself a source of controversy--and quickly review the (indecisive) empirical literature on aid and growth. The talk will then focus on the impact and effectiveness of USAID’s economic growth (EG) programs, based on a recent review of the available evidence. Recorded May 19, 2011 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec175.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec175.mp3 Mon, 23 May 2011 01:36:00 GMT clean 1:02:32 economic growth, economic outlook, foreign aid Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody's Analytics. With an economic expansion taking hold, policymakers are appropriately shifting their focus to the nation’s massive fiscal problems. A number of different proposals for returning to reining in the nation’s deficits and ballooning debt load have been proposed. Zandi will discuss the economic implications of these alternative roadmaps to fiscal sustainability. Recorded May 12, 2011. Mark Zandi, Chief Economist, Moody's Analytics. With an economic expansion taking hold, policymakers are appropriately shifting their focus to the nation’s massive fiscal problems. A number of different proposals for returning to reining in the nation’s deficits and ballooning debt load have been proposed. Zandi will discuss the economic implications of these alternative roadmaps to fiscal sustainability. Recorded May 12, 2011. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec174.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec174.mp3 Sun, 15 May 2011 17:03:00 GMT clean 1:02:40 debt, economic growth, economic outlook, macroeconomy Paul Fronstin, Director, Health Research and Education Program, Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). Since PPACA was passed one of the most important questions has become “how are employers going to react?”   The CBO assumed very little change in the number of workers with job-based health coverage, but a case can be made for less employer involvement in health coverage.  In this discussion, the impact of PPACA will be examined as will the implications of future debt reduction. Recorded May 5, 2011. Paul Fronstin, Director, Health Research and Education Program, Employee Benefit Research Institute (EBRI). Since PPACA was passed one of the most important questions has become “how are employers going to react?”   The CBO assumed very little change in the number of workers with job-based health coverage, but a case can be made for less employer involvement in health coverage.  In this discussion, the impact of PPACA will be examined as will the implications of future debt reduction. Recorded May 5, 2011. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec173.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec173.mp3 Mon, 9 May 2011 01:36:00 GMT clean 58:08 benefits, healthcare, reform, PPACA Beethika Khan, Ph.D., Economist, U.S. Dept of Commerce/ESA. The presentation will summarize the main findings from the November 2010 Commerce Department report, Exploring the Digital Nation: Home Broadband Internet Adoption in the U.S.Recorded 4/28/2011. Beethika Khan, Ph.D., Economist, U.S. Dept of Commerce/ESA. The presentation will summarize the main findings from the November 2010 Commerce Department report, Exploring the Digital Nation: Home Broadband Internet Adoption in the U.S.Recorded 4/28/2011. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec172.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec172.mp3 Mon, 02 May 2011 01:06:00 GMT clean 43:09 broadband, Internet, residential Nayantara Hensel, Chief Economist, U.S. Dept of the Navy. The defense industrial base in the US has witnessed many changes over the past twenty years, following the end of the Cold War and has been reshaped by a variety of significant forces. This presentation examines the impact of the recent shift in defense priorities toward irregular warfare on the defense industrial base, the globalization of the defense sector, and, especially, the impact of the financial crisis in Europe on the orientation of the US and European industrial bases. The presentation also explores the increasing reliance of the defense sector on rare earth minerals from China, and discusses recent developments in the rare earth sector, as well as current challenges. Recorded 4/21/11.Recorded 4/21/2011. Nayantara Hensel, Chief Economist, U.S. Dept of the Navy. The defense industrial base in the US has witnessed many changes over the past twenty years, following the end of the Cold War and has been reshaped by a variety of significant forces. This presentation examines the impact of the recent shift in defense priorities toward irregular warfare on the defense industrial base, the globalization of the defense sector, and, especially, the impact of the financial crisis in Europe on the orientation of the US and European industrial bases. The presentation also explores the increasing reliance of the defense sector on rare earth minerals from China, and discusses recent developments in the rare earth sector, as well as current challenges. Recorded 4/21/11.Recorded 4/21/2011. http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec171.mp3 http://www.national-economists.org/podcasts/nec171.mp3 Fri, 22 Apr 2011 22:55:00 GMT clean 56:38 defense, manufacturing, globalization, rare earth metals