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Imagine Cup Competitors Fired Up by Ballmer, Sachs, and Crowley; Finalists Announced

By Guest PostJuly 12, 2011Technologyarthur vanderveen, Bangladesh, brazil, bulgaria, columbia university, cyber knightz, dennis crowley, earth institute, economist, foursquare, france, imagine cup, imagine cup 2011, India, information technology, Japan, jeffrey sachs, limits of ecosystems, limits of food supply, malaysia, Microsoft, microsoft ceo, Netherlands, new york city, new york city department of education, new zealand, resource limits, romania, senegal, steve ballmer, Thailand, wai lun chan, world finals

*Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer, economist Jeffrey Sachs, and Foursquare founder and CEO Dennis Crowley opened the Imagine Cup 2011 World Finals on Friday night. The competition heated up over the weekend with the first set of finalists being announced Sunday night.*

NEW YORK CITY – Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer inspired them to be great, economist Jeffrey Sachs gave them the homework assignment of saving the world, and Foursquare founder and CEO Dennis Crowley showed them how tangibly close they are to success.

Students representing 70 countries and regions descended on New York City over the weekend to participate in the Imagine Cup 2011 Worldwide Finals, which challenges students from across the globe to use technology to solve world problems like feeding the hungry, fighting disease, and creating new forms of energy. Finalists in the competition’s nine categories were announced on Sunday and the overall winners will be announced on Wednesday. (more…)

Harris School Economist: Refunds Don’t Always Help Lower-Income Taxpayers

By Guest PostMay 8, 2011Economyamericans, behavioral economics, damon jones, economist, federal government, financial livelihoods, harris school, irs estimates, public finance, tax refund, taxpayers, us tax system, world war

Getting a tax refund from the federal government at the end of the year may not always be the best option for lower-income populations, according to the research from Harris School economist Damon Jones.

About 80 percent of Americans who file taxes receive money back—income that was over-withheld throughout the year—said Jones, who studies the intersection of public finance, household economics and behavioral economics. On average, the IRS estimates that taxpayers who receive these refunds get back about $1,000 every year. That average is about $3,000 this year, thanks to temporary stimulus efforts. (more…)

Researchers Skeptical About Bank Taxes, Regulations Still Needed

By Guest PostDecember 17, 20101 commentEconomy, Politicsbanking, banks, economic analysis, economist, executive bonuses, finance industry, financial crisis, financial sector, financial transactions, government regulation, joel slemrod, political rhetoric, profits, revenue, role of taxation in the financial sector, shareholders, tax, tax instruments, tax journal

ANN ARBOR, Mich.— Taxes on executive bonuses, financial transactions and excess profits are a few of the taxes proposed or enacted to punish banks for their role in the recent financial crisis, but most of these ideas have shortcomings, says a University of Michigan economist.

“A number of potentially complicated and ambitious new taxes on the financial sector are currently being discussed,” said Joel Slemrod, professor of economics and the Paul W. McCracken Professor of Business Economics and Public Policy at Michigan’s Ross School of Business. “While the recent financial crisis shows how important it is to consider whether such instruments might help to improve incentives, reform efforts should not unduly focus on the exotic and new at the expense of the familiar and old. (more…)

‘Nightmare’ Economy Still a Source of Restless Nights, says Krugman

By Guest PostNovember 11, 2010Economyben bernacke, China, columnist, economist, Economy, federal reserve, global markets, Great depression, japan worriers, japanese economy, martin luther king, microeconomic, new york times, nobel prize, obama administration, paul krugman, richard c levin, sprague hall, united states

Paul Krugman. Image credit: Yale University

Nobel Prize-winning economist and New York Times columnist Paul Krugman had some generally dismal news for the near capacity audience that came to Sprague Hall on Tuesday for his Jackson Institute-sponsored town hall meeting.

The gathering, aimed at undergraduates, was held in conjunction with Krugman’s visit to Yale to receive the Henry E. Howland Memorial Prize, one of the highest honors that the University bestows.

Krugman was introduced by President Richard C. Levin; the two were briefly colleagues in Yale’s Department of Economics in the 1970s. He kicked off the Q&A with background on the current economic situation. (more…)

Tag Archives: economist

Imagine Cup Competitors Fired Up by Ballmer, Sachs, and Crowley; Finalists Announced

Harris School Economist: Refunds Don’t Always Help Lower-Income Taxpayers

Researchers Skeptical About Bank Taxes, Regulations Still Needed

‘Nightmare’ Economy Still a Source of Restless Nights, says Krugman