Conservatives should see that there is a role for macroeconomic stimulus in getting the labor market back on its feet. Some limited, targeted, and independently beneficial federal spending can help increase long-term growth and mobility. And monetary policy with its eye on enabling growth can make a big difference. While such efforts can help establish … Continue reading
We Americans must be a remarkably patient people. It ‘s been four years since Wall Street ruined the economy, we’re nearly nine million jobs behind where we need to be, and for years our politicians have debated how much less – not how much more – they’ll do about it. We’ve patiently endured lectures about … Continue reading
Every business faces ups and downs, and how a business reacts and adapts to a downturn plays a large part in its success. During tough economic times, businesses often face difficult decisions and can be forced to lay off valuable, trained employees in order to survive. Not only do businesses lose their skilled employees and … Continue reading
In the mid to late 1990s, Sweden’s economy staged a remarkable resurgence from a three-year-long recession which had left it with the largest government budget deficit in the OECD. In this essay for IPPR, former Swedish finance minister Par Nuder reflects on the policies and politics that enabled his country’s recovery. In the early 1990s, … Continue reading
Sri Lanka Tuesday launched the National Human Resources and Employment Policy (NHREP), a policy document that aims to assure equal opportunity employment for all its citizens. Senior Minister of Human Resources presented the first copy of the policy document to the President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Temple Trees today (30) with the participation of Country … Continue reading
One of the main policies to reduce long-term unemployment is an active labor market policy. The OECD publishes each year data on Government investments in labor market programs like training and wage subsidies.
Gemany and the Scandinavian countries are champions of active labor market policies. This is well known. But, less known is the fact that the US are not. US investment in active labor market programs before the Great recession wasbelow the OECD average, nearly 4 times lower: 0.13% of GDP vs 0.48%.
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Faced with a jobs crisis, policymakers the world over are digging deep into their policy toolkits to generate more employment. A recent study by the IMF’s Fiscal Affairs Department argues that reforms of tax and expenditure policies offer great promise in helping countries confront the jobs crisis, including in the short term. The study argues … Continue reading
Employment policy is also health policy according to a University of British Columbia study that found that workers experienced higher mortality rates if they didn’t have access to social protections like employment insurance and unemployment benefits. Researchers with the Human Early Learning Partnership and the School of Population and Public Health at UBC found that … Continue reading
Seeking to make good on past threats in Congress to rein in the Federal Reserve’s powers, a prominent Republican lawmaker said on Thursday he will introduce legislation to focus the U.S. central bank on a single mandate to fight inflation and protect the dollar’s value. Representative Kevin Brady, vice chairman of the Joint Economic Committee, … Continue reading