This study inspects if there is greater convergence with Germany amongst the eurozone founding members and if their relations with the hegemonic economy have been more symmetrical after euroization. The dimensions explored are those inspired by the optimum currency areas (OCA) framework. To some...

We quantify the effects of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) using a stochastic general equilibrium overlapping generations model with endogenous health capital accumulation calibrated to match U.S. data on health spending and insurance take-up rates. We find that the introduction of an insurance...

This testimony makes three main points. First, inheritances tend to exacerbate existing economic disparities and may be the most important barrier to intergenerational economic mobility. These tendencies are most pronounced at the top of the income distribution. While inherited income is...

The U.S. tax policy on health insurance is regressive because it favors only those offered group insurance through their employers, who tend to have a relatively high income. Moreover, the subsidy takes the form of deductions from the progressive income tax system, giving high-income earners a...

In economic unions the fiscal authority consists not of one, but many governments. We analyze whether partisanship of state-level politicians affects federal policies, such as fiscal stimulus in the U.S. Using data from close elections, we find partisan differences in the marginal...

We study the efficacy of releases from the U.S. Strategic Petroleum Reserve (SPR) within the context of fully specified models of the global oil market that explicitly allow for storage demand as well as unanticipated changes in the SPR. Using novel identifying strategies and evaluation methods,...

Rice is the world's most important food commodity and also the most protected and subsidized. The U.S. rice program is no exception. The U.S. government supports domestic rice production through tariffs on imported rice and direct taxpayer subsidies based on production, prices, and historical...

The authors distributed a survey instrument to university students in Colombia, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic and the United States to determine their views on the ethics of tax evasion. Participants were asked to indicate the extent of their agreement or disagreement with each...

This testimony makes three main points. First, income volatility, especially when it involves income declines, imposes significant hardships on American families. It heightens stress about finances and may increase household living expenses. These hardships are most pronounced for middle-and...

The US Government is the largest purchaser of goods and services in the WORLD spending over $400 Billion annually. This figure does not take into consideration the 2009 American Reinvestment and Recovery Act/Stimulus Funding. The government purchases everything from products to services...