Daily Policy Digest
Economic Issues
| Flat U.S. Wages Help Fuel Rebound in Manufacturing Manufacturers' labor costs were 2.7 percent lower in the first quarter of 2012 than in 2005, when the economy was stronger and unemployment lower... |
| Small Is Best: Lessons from Advanced Economies Gross domestic product grew for small governments at a 3.1 percent average annual rate from 2003-2012, compared to 2.0 percent per year for big governments... |
| USDA Is a Tough Collector When Mortgages Go Bad Since the mortgage crisis began in 2007, the U.S. Department of Agriculture's mortgage loan volumes have tripled: the agency guaranteed $16.9 billion in loans in fiscal 2011, and issued $1.1 billion in direct loans... |
| America's Small Business Fetish Researchers have found that there is no correlative link between businesses being small and their growth potential... |
| The Unemployment Crisis for Younger Workers A recent study found that graduating in a recession leads to earnings losses that last for 10 years after graduation... |
| Fewer Americans Draw on Federal Relief Programs The food stamp program grew by 47 percent over three years, but by February, the latest month available, it had dropped slightly... |
| America Doesn't Need NASA to Stay On Top in Space Despite NASA's decades of monopolization, the Federal Aviation Administration earlier this year said it expects the space tourism business to be a $1 billion industry by 2022... |
| Licensed to Decorate New York barbers need 884 days of education and apprenticeship before they can practice, whereas New Jersey requires only 280 days and Alabama has no requirement at all... |
| How Entitlements Can Perpetuate Youth Unemployment Social Security and Medicare are shifting wealth away from younger generations, discouraging saving and therefore education and skill acquisition... |
| It's Time to End the Job-Killing U.S. Sugar Policy An Iowa State University study has found that the federal sugar program costs U.S. consumers roughly $3.5 billion a year... |
