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Report
Living beyond our means
Both the current account deficit and the federal fiscal deficit are symptoms of living beyond our means. In this essay, we first provide the basic conceptual background, starting with some elements of national income accounting. We show how the two deficits are related to each other, and how they may be affected by public policy and private actions that impact economic behavior. We then cover the facts about the two deficits--their magnitude and their recent history. Next comes the question of sustainability and the long term consequences of the deficits. We conclude with an overview of the ...
Report
Small steps in the right direction?: restructuring public education
When the term "knowledge-based economy" first entered popular discussion - sometime around the early 1980s - the focus was exclusively on scientific, technological, and business leadership. Only gradually did our society come to appreciate the pervasiveness of the knowledge-based economy. It affects not just the demand for high-level technical and entrepreneurial talent but, indeed, the job requirements for virtually all types of work. This growing realization has laid the foundation for broad-scale reforms of education in the United States and many other nations.
Journal Article
Reasons for optimism
President Minehan delivered these remarks during the July convening of the Bank's Community Development Advisory Council in Haverhill, Massachusetts.
Journal Article
Reaching the top: challenges and opportunities for women leaders: an introduction
Women have made great strides in the business and professional world.
Report
Trade and growth in New England
From the time when New England timber built the British navy and Salem boys sailed ginseng root to China and returned as wealthy men, New England?s growth has been tightly linked with international trade. The ties are no less compelling today. Trade raises living standards by promoting the efficient use of resources and encouraging the adoption of new technologies and productivity improvements. New England is a region that specializes in new technologies, a region with limited natural resources, and trade is essential to its future well-being. However, like technological change, increased ...
Conference Paper
Foreword
This year's conference topic, "Seismic Shifts: The Economic Impact of Demographic Change," at first glance may seem of less than immediate relevance to the Federal Reserve System. As a central bank, we usually focus on developments that take place in the short and medium run and directly affect our role in conducting monetary policy or supervising banking and financial institutions. But the ultimate goal of the Federal Reserve System is to provide an economic and financial environment that is conducive to economic growth and rising living standards. It is important that we occasionally ...
Report
Building communities: making a difference
One of the most vexing economic problems facing the United States has been the persistence of pockets of poverty in the midst of prosperity. The reasons for this are many and complex. Prominent among them are economic isolation in the case of rural areas, and language and cultural barriers in the case of many inner-city communities. Discrimination has played a role, but so too has simple ignorance. Resources and opportunities exist in these communities, but getting the recognition from market sources necessary to leverage these assets is difficult. For whatever reason, human and physical ...