| [Column] The economics of the FTA
I don't know how they did their survey, but according to an article I once read in a foreign academic journal, 97 percent of economists support free trade theory. The problem is most of the economists I know are opposed to the FTA with the United States; or, to be more precise, are opposed to the agreement in its current form, so I guess they make up the remaining 3 percent who didn't learn their economics right. The FTA is already more than the subject of debate about economics in Korea. It has become a political issue, and everyone is being forced to choose a position. Have you noticed how there is a clear taking of sides in the way the media covered the story of a working man who committed self-immolation in protest? That may be the fate of social science theory, but various economic theories are being degraded and used as tools for justifying political positions.
NAACP and National Association of Home Builders Address Affordable ...
Co-hosted by the NAACP and the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB), the roundtable discussion drew expertise from leadership at the nation's leading housing advocacy groups. "The roundtable discussion was a critical first step in determining how we move the affordable housing issue from a policy discussion at the national level to a movement that makes a real difference in the lives of families across the nation," said Dennis Hayes, Interim President and CEO of the NAACP. "We view this issue from a broader context, and seek to determine the larger social costs of current development patterns. We don't want to encourage policies that promote economic disassociation." Discussion ranged from sub-prime lending to the production of affordable rental housing, from weak federal housing programs to local zoning practices.
IMF: Global economic growth still solid
The global economy will remain resilient, despite an economic slowdown in the U.S, the International Monetary Fund concluded in its semi-annual World Economic Outlook, released Thursday. The IMF expects the global economy to grow about 5% in 2007, which is a healthy economic expansion rate. Further, the IMF report argued that concerns about a global recession triggered by a substantial slowdown in the U.S. economy were not supported by historical evidence, if previous global recessions are any indicator of the phenomenon. Global growth typically declines sharply when there are synchronized adverse events that affect many countries at the same time, said IMF Chief Economist Simon Johnson. None of the three major economic regions of the world: the U.S., European Union, and Japan-China is in recession, a strong argument against any conclusion predicting a global slowdown, let alone a global recession.Specifically, the U.S economy is projected to grow 2.6% in 2007, although it is probably growing at a slower rate currently, in Q2.
Words of Wisdom From Sista Souljah
In celebration of International Woman's History Month we went digging in the crates and pulled up some old yet timeless tapes of Sista Souljah. Many of y'all may know her as an author. She's given us two incredible books called 'No Disrespect' and the 'Coldest Winter Ever'. Others may know Souljah as an uncompromising activist/ Freedom Fighter who was the brunt of unsavory remarks from former President Bill Clinton back in 1992 after the Rodney King uprisings. Homeboy was definitely out of line as we later came to discover that Clinton took her remarks out of context and then dissed her as a way to show white America that he was willing and able to stand up to Black people and Black interests. She was the convenient scapegoat. His repudiation of her became known as a Sista Souljah moment.
Faculty approves Rhodes Center, adult education program
The faculty approved the creation of the William R. Rhodes Center in International Economics and the establishment of continuing studies certificate programs on a pilot basis in its meeting Tuesday. A summary of the University's budget plans - which outlined the University's increasingly aggressive spending - was also presented.
The Rhodes Center, which will be housed in the Watson Institute for International Studies, will "promote research into international trade and international finance and will build a stronger relationship between Watson and the (economics) department," said Barbara Stallings, director of the Watson Institute.
The creation of the center - made possible by a $10 million donation by trustee emeritus and Citigroup executive William Rhodes '57 - will include the hiring of a new professor in the economics department and will provide research grants on a competitive basis, said Professor of Economics Ross Levine, who presented the motion to the faculty.
Missing link between university education and economic growth
EDUCATION: Until 1960s, universities in Sri Lanka had earned the reputation of centres of excellence in arts, culture, and sciences. Now these universities are still centers, but certainly not of excellence. According to development economists, investments on knowledge and human capital stimulate the economic growth. But they did not explain how and why knowledge spillover takes place. This article attempts to draw attention of the academia, policy makers, and general public on how universities can be made centers of economic growth and development citing example from other countries. In the year 2004 Sri Lankan Government has spent around 2.7 percent of its GDP for education out of which around 0.42 is for university education. According to the University Grant Commission's Statistics the amount spent for university education, as a percentage of government expenditure, is around 1.6 percent (9.82 percent is for education including tertiary education).
Transportation task force report touts road progress
CANTON, Mo. Much has changed since October 1996 when the Tri-State Development Summit held its first gathering in Canton. Dan Wiedemeier of Burlington, Iowa, said 1,149 miles of highway projects that were listed as priorities in 1996 have been completed, are under construction or are scheduled for construction in the summit region. Only 370 miles remain to be addressed from the summit group's original priority list. "We have completed 75 percent of our target miles," Wiedemeier said. More than 400 people attending the summit traveled along U.S. 61, which is still being upgraded to four-lanes as the Avenue of the Saints project. Wiedemeier said a four-lane U.S. 61 bypass near Hannibal is the only section of the 410-mile Avenue of the Saints that is not on a construction schedule.
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