Does Immigration Increase Economic Growth?

The question of how many legal immigrants should be admitted to the United States -- and what level of skills these immigrants should have --is among the most divisive issues in the current U.S. domestic policy landscape. Much of the controversy that it sparks can be traced to a single question: Do immigrants help or harm the economy?This paper reviews scholarly literature and examines government data on immigration's contribution to economic growth and finds that both high- and low-skill immigration, on net, boosts economic growth. The paper concludes with a series of pro-growth, long-term policy reforms that Congress would do well to include in immigration reform legislation.  (This is not to imply an endorsement of the granting of legal status to nonlegal immigrants by executive action, as pledged by the White House at the time of the release of this report.

Strengthening Community Colleges' Influence on Economic Mobility

Examines the role of community colleges in enhancing upward mobility. Compares family incomes of community college and four-year college students and incomes by degree attained. Recommends ways to help more students obtain degrees in high-earning fields

ELIMINATING THE MARRIAGE PENALTY THROUGH FLATTER TAXATION

FORUM ON MARRIED WOMEN AND THE INCOME TAX: MARRIAGE PENALTIES AND MARRIAGE BONUSES OF THE 105 H CONGRESS PANEL I: OBSERVING MONEY, MARRIAGE AND TAXATIO

Improving Union Financial Transparency

This paper uses data newly-available from labor union LM-2 forms available on the Department of Labor website, and Bureau of Labor Statistics data to deconstruct several long-running myths about the actions and prominence of labor unions in America. It then discusses the current debate centering around union democracy and the card check campaign

A bibliography on formal methods for system specification, design and validation

Literature on the specification, design, verification, testing, and evaluation of avionics systems was surveyed, providing 655 citations. Journal papers, conference papers, and technical reports are included. Manual and computer-based methods were employed. Keywords used in the online search are listed

Regulating the Raters: The Law and Economics of Ratings Firms

Consumers and producers frequently rely on product ratings, such as college rankings, restaurant reviews and bond ratings. While much has been written about the structure of ratings in particular industries, little has been written on the general structure of different ratings industries and whether government intervention is typically needed. This paper begins that inquiry by examining the market structure of different ratings industries, and considering the circumstances under which firms that provide ratings should be regulated. The issue is particularly timely in light of recent calls to rethink the regulation of media ratings and credit ratings. We find that ratings firms in different industries share several common features. For example, most ratings firms operate in highly concentrated markets. Some factors that could make ratings markets more concentrated include economies of scale, benefits from having a single standard, and general agreement on what should be measured. We also find that most ratings firms determine their own testing standards and methods, although some industries have self-governing oversight bodies that offer their own accreditation standards. While the government regulates firm entry for a few ratings industries, this is relatively rare. The vast majority of ratings firms are unregulated. We analyze the question of regulation using an economic framework that focuses on the viability and effectiveness of a proposed policy. Despite the finding that many ratings industries are concentrated, our analysis suggests that market forces generally appear to be an effective mechanism for providing consumers and producers with useful ratings. In most cases, such markets do not require government intervention. Moreover, in industries characterized by rapid technological change the government is likely to do more harm than good by intervening. As an alternative to government regulation, voluntary industry oversight bodies may be effective in improving communication between the parties and in improving transparency in rating procedures.

The Art of Writing Good Regulations

In this introduction to the three pieces that follow, Commissioner Harold Furchtgott-Roth proposes his view that the regulation-drafting process relies more on art than science. The Commissioner sets out a four-category sliding scale to evaluate regulations, and lists the most frequently noted problems with FCC-promulgated rules

METAPHOR: Programmer's guide, Version 1

The internal structure of the Michigan Evaluation Aid for Perphormability (METAPHOR), an interactive software package to facilitate performability modeling and evaluation is described. Revised supplemented guides are prepared in order to maintain an up-to-date documentation of the system. Programmed tools to facilitate each step of performability model construction and model solution are given

Hudson Institute Economic Report 04-18-2008

A weekly summary of general economic indicators, employment indicators, housing indicators, price and interest rate indicators, and surveys of economic outlook for the United States. The Economic Report includes a summary and analysis of the week's economic data