That’s the title of a new working paper by Xiaoli Chen (Shandong University) and Yin-Wong Cheung (UCSC). Readers might recognize Cheung as a co-author with G. Ma and R. McCauley on a 2010 BIS paper, discussed in this May 2010 Econbrowser post, and just published in Pacific Economic Review. For anybody who is interested in the latest developments in the Chinese government’s attempts to internationalize the Renminbi, this is essential reading. From the summary of the paper.
Commodity prices in pictures
A few graphs I found interesting.
National Journal: Ag Committee Supports Cuts to Food Assistance, Not Farm Subsidies
From National Journal (h/t Ezra Klein):
The House Agriculture Committee endorsed a letter this week to Budget Chairman Paul Ryan arguing that the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, which helps low-income Americans purchase food, would make a better target for cuts than automatic subsidies to farms.
Musing about Shocks and Trends in an Era of Production Fragmentation
Yesterday’s NYT article, Crises in Japan Ripple Across the Global Economy noted:
In the wake of Japan’s cascading disasters, signs of economic loss can be found in many corners of the globe, from Sendai, on the battered Japanese coast, to Paris to Marion, Ark.
Dispatches (X): The Economic Impact of Governor Walker’s Plans
And Walker (Still) Plans No-Bid Sales of Power Plants, the $7.5 million worth of damages to the Capitol building becomes $347,000 (maybe), and the expanding politicization of the civil service.
Economy-wide Impacts
From Wisconsin State Journal:
Gov. Scott Walker’s plans to balance the state budget by cutting spending and public workers’ take-home pay will slow the state’s economic recovery, according to projections by a UW-Madison economist.
Price dynamics
A dominant class of economic theories is built on the assumption that prices respond only sluggishly to new economic conditions. It’s an interesting challenge to try to reconcile that premise with what we see in the data.
Coordinated Forex Intervention “Works”
From Reuters:
A coordinated move by central banks of rich nations to stabilize the yen’s value appeared to be having a decisive effect on Friday, after a sharp rise in the yen after Japan’s devastating earthquake and nuclear crisis raised fears about the global economy.
Real Interest Rates and Crowding Out: Reagan Era vs. Now
Recent commentary on whether real interest rates rose during the Reagan era tax cuts — Kling responding to Krugman — impelled me to look at the data…
Employment Prospects for Lower Wage Workers
I spent the better part of last Friday at an Institute for Research on Poverty conference, entitled “Employment Prospects for Lower Wage Workers: Easing the Implications of a Slow Recovery Conference”. It was a tremendous learning experience for me (since I’m not a labor economist), and a chance to be reminded of the full enormity of the challenges facing policymakers, as the economy limps in a fitful recovery, with little succor from further aggregate demand stimulus measures, and threatened by supply shocks as well as incoherence in fiscal policymaking. I mentioned the conference in a post last week, but the presentations and papers are now online.
More on Japan
I wanted to add a few quick additional comments to Ilan Noy’s reflections on the possible economic implications of the tragedy in Japan.