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Plan C: ‘All Roads Lead Back to Boehner’ – UMD’s Kettl

By Guest PostDecember 26, 2012Economy, Politicsboehner, dean, democrats, don kettl, election, fiscal cliff, house democrats, house republicans, maryland, negotiation, plan b, policy, public, republicans, schadenfreude, senate, university

University of Maryland School of Public Policy Dean Don Kettl on where the fiscal cliff negotiations head after Plan B fails:

“For the Republicans, this is a very weak situation. They’re struggling to get their mojo back after the election. It’s very clear they don’t know which way to go and they aren’t willing to follow anyone to get them there.

For the Democrats, there will be a powerful temptation to allow the Republicans to swing in the wind. It’s hard to beat something with nothing, and right now the Republicans have nothing to bring to the table. The Democrats will surely enjoy watching this for a few days, and watching the approval ratings of the House Republicans drop a few more notches. (more…)

Fiscal Cliff, Slow Progress Darken Housing Forecast: UMD Expert

By Guest PostDecember 19, 2012Economycredit history, first time buyers, fiscal cliff, home inventories, home prices, housing crisis, housing market, mortgage interest, mortgage rates

COLLEGE PARK, Md. – After its greatest collapse in 80 years, the housing market appears to be bottoming out with stabilizing home prices and many markets experiencing price gains. Still, “it may be premature to call this a ‘real recovery,’” says Cliff Rossi, Tyser Teaching Fellow and executive-in-residence for the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. “Looking into 2013, the ‘fiscal cliff,’ regulatory reform and other factors could put a drag on markets through the year.” (more…)

Questions for Clyde Briant: What Does the Fiscal Cliff Mean for Research?

By Guest PostDecember 15, 2012Economyfederal spending cuts, fiscal cliff, income tax rates, tax benefits

The so-called “fiscal cliff” — an increase in income tax rates, expiration of many tax benefits and automatic federal spending cuts known collectively as sequestration — still looms as a possibility come January 2. Unless a deal is reached, universities across the country will face unprecedented cuts in federal funding, including cuts to research and development funding. Kevin Stacey spoke with Clyde Briant, vice president for University research, about the implications of the fiscal cliff. (more…)

Mercy Cards

By Guest PostDecember 14, 2012Economygeneration of homeless, homeless, homeless families, homeless person, mercy cards, pre paid cards, united states

Alum’s idea could revolutionize how the world helps the homeless

On a single night in January this year 633,782 people were homeless in the United States, according to a press release issued by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Dec. 10. (more…)

Hedge Funds Manipulate Stock Prices, New Research Shows

By Guest PostDecember 13, 2012Economyhedge funds, portfolio pumping, stock price manipulation

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Some hedge funds manipulate stock prices at the end of the month to improve the returns that they report to their investors, a new study suggests. (more…)

After the Storm, Haiti’s Food Situation Looks Bleak

By Guest PostDecember 11, 2012Economy, Environment, Politicsafter the storm, aftermath, agriculture, athena kolbe, bleak outlook, chronic underdevelopment, destruction, economic efforts, Economy, education, employment, farmers, financial assistance, food crisis, food insecurity, haiti leaders, households, hurricane sandy, marie puccio, michigan, natural disaster, natural disasters, political scienc, rain triggered mudslides, robert muggah, southern haiti, university, urban center, village market, violent crime

ANN ARBOR — The aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, which ripped through southern Haiti in October, will extend beyond destruction and injury. The current and future food security looks bleak barring significant intervention during the next year, according to a University of Michigan report.

Rain-triggered mudslides throughout the country from the hurricane has not only washed out homes, but also roadways and bridges—bringing transportation to a near standstill, says Athena Kolbe, the report’s lead author and a U-M doctoral candidate in social work and political science. The natural disaster compounded Haiti’s long struggles to transport enough produce from the countryside to village markets and major urban centers. (more…)

Frontline Employees Can Make or Break Retail and Service Companies

By Guest PostDecember 7, 2012EconomyAmazon, analyst, best buy, chris derose, commercial workforce, company leader, down, employee, Google, hewlett packard, j c penney, management structure, michigan, noel tichy, retailers, ritz carlton, service companies, shopping cart, top, university, US, zappos

ANN ARBOR — Retailers and service companies still utilizing a top-down management structure likely don’t see the connection between the frontline and the bottom line until it’s too late, according to University of Michigan professor Noel Tichy.

In the U.S. alone, retail and service workers are estimated to total more than 15 million people, or nearly one-fifth of the U.S. commercial workforce. Despite the common corporate tag line about “people are our most important asset,” we don’t see many company leaders tap into more than a tiny percentage of the knowledge, creativity and judgment of their largest group of employees. (more…)

Category Archives: Economy