[PDF] The Economic Performance Index Epi eBook

Author : Mr.Vadim Khramov
Publisher : International Monetary Fund
Page : 60 pages
File Size : 45,81 MB
Release : 2013-10-23
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 1484381297

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Existing economic indicators and indexes assess economic activity but no single indicator measures the general macro-economic performance of a nation, state, or region in a methodologically simple and intuitive way. This paper proposes a simple, yet informative metric called the Economic Performance Index (EPI). The EPI represents a step toward clarity, by combining data on inflation, unemployment, government deficit, and GDP growth into a single indicator. In contrast to other indexes, the EPI does not use complicated mathematical procedures but was designed for simplicity, making it easier for professionals and laypeople alike to understand and apply to the economy. To maximize ease of understanding, we adopt a descriptive grading system. In addition to a Raw EPI that gives equal weights to its components, we construct a Weighted EPI and show that both indexes perform similarly for U.S. data. To demonstrate the validity of the EPI, we conduct a review of U.S. history from 1790 to 2012. We show that the EPI reflects the major events in U.S. history, including wars, periods of economic prosperity and booms, along with economic depressions, recessions, and even panics. Furthermore, the EPI not only captures official recessions over the past century but also allows for measuring and comparing their relative severity. Even though the EPI is simple by its construction, we show that its dynamics are similar to those of the Chicago Fed National Activity Index (CFNAI) and The Conference Board Coincident Economic Index® (CEI).

Author : Vadim Khramov
Publisher : Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Page : 274 pages
File Size : 15,24 MB
Release : 2016-10-29
Category :
ISBN : 9781536825749

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What's going on with the US economy? Who's better is managing the economy: Democrats or Republicans? Does Immigration Help Or Hurt State Economies? Who was the best president in managing the economy? Has the US lost to China? The 5-Minute Economist shows you how to quickly "score" the economy's performance with just a few variables. It is a book that everyone with an interest in the economy should read. No bias, no media spin, just numbers and grades to help you gain a better insight. You Don't need a PhD to Understand the Economy Every news report and newspaper article say something different about what is going on in the economy. One economist says things are great, but another says things look bleak. Regardless of the deluge of statistics and the amount of time that the media devotes to discussing the economy, most people remain bewildered by it all. Rather than informing them, it only serves to confuse them at best and mislead them at worst. How is the average person supposed to know what's really going on in the economy? Wouldn't it be great if there were an easy way anyone could see how the economy was really doing? That's why the authors created the Economic Performance Index, or EPI, currently the only patented index of economic activity, that was published at the International Monetary Fund, the largest global economic policy institution in the world. It uses four macro-indicators (easily found online) that capture the broad health of nearly any economy-from individual US states to regional country blocs-at any point in modern history! Five years of research along with EPIs publication at the IMF gives you certainty that it will provide you with a clear, unbiased and competent understanding of the economy. Not only does The 5-Minute Economist show you how to use the Index for yourself, where you can apply it to the US economy and individual states as well as other countries, but it answers major questions that everyone wants to know: Who's better: Democrats or Republicans? Is war good for the economy? Is the media biased? Has the US lost to China? Do high taxes help or hurt? Should we model Texas or California? Who was the best president in managing the economy? And many more! In short, this book provides the reader with a clear but powerful method of evaluating the performance of any economic entity, in a way that will change your understanding of the economy, as well as that of millions of other people. Don't wait for the "experts" to tell you how the economy is doing-find out for yourself!

Author : Lawrence R. Mishel
Publisher : Comstock Publishing Associates
Page : 448 pages
File Size : 27,61 MB
Release : 2007
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 9780801445293

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Praise for previous editions of The State of Working America: "The State of Working America remains unrivaled as the most-trusted source for a comprehensive understanding of how working Americans and their families are faring in today's economy."--Robert B. Reich"It is the inequality of wealth, argue the authors, rather than new technology (as some would have it), that is responsible for the failure of America's workplace to keep pace with the country's economic growth. The State of Working America is a well-written, soundly argued, and important reference book."--Library Journal "If you want to know what happened to the economic well-being of the average American in the past decade or so, this is the book for you. It should be required reading for Americans of all political persuasions."--Richard Freeman, Harvard University "A truly comprehensive and useful book that provides a reality check on loose statements about U.S. labor markets. It should be cheered by all Americans who earn their living from work."--William Wolman, former chief economist, CNBC's Business Week "The State of Working America provides very valuable factual and analytic material on the economic conditions of American workers. It is the very best source of information on this important subject."--Ray Marshall, University of Texas, former U.S. Secretary of Labor"An indispensable work . . . on family income, wages, taxes, employment, and the distribution of wealth."--Simon Head, The New York Review of Books "No matter what political camp you're in, this is the single most valuable book I know of about the state of America, period. It is the most referenced, most influential resource book of its kind."--Jeff Madrick, author, The End of Affluence "This book is the single best yardstick for measuring whether or not our economic policies are doing enough to ensure that our economy can, once again, grow for everybody."--Richard A. Gephardt "The best place to review the latest developments in changes in the distribution of income and wealth."--Lester ThurowThe State of Working America, prepared biennially since 1988 by the Economic Policy Institute, includes a wide variety of data on family incomes, wages, taxes, unemployment, wealth, and poverty-data that enable the authors to closely examine the effect of the economy on the living standards of the American people.

Author : Alan H. Peters
Publisher : W.E. Upjohn Institute
Page : 360 pages
File Size : 34,98 MB
Release : 2002
Category : Business & Economics
ISBN : 0880992506

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Enterprise zones have been part of American urban policy for over 20 years. In this book, the authors (urban and regional planning, the University of Iowa) use a hypothetical firm methodology to measure the value of enterprise zone incentives to business, involving construction of a set of financial statements for typical firms and application of tax code and incentives to those firms. They briefly discuss this model (with technical information on the model included in an appendix), and look at the results of enterprise zone programs in place in 13 states. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Author : Simon Bell
Publisher : Routledge
Page : 252 pages
File Size : 25,72 MB
Release : 2012-05-04
Category : Architecture
ISBN : 113655601X

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Praise for the first edition: 'This book should be of interest to anyone interested in sustainable development, and especially sustainability indicators. Bell and Morse easily succeed in exposing the fundamental paradoxes of these concepts and, more importantly, they offer us a way forward. Readers ... will find their practical recommendations for those attempting to do sustainability analysis in the field most welcome, which is also the book's greatest strength.' Local Environment: The International Journal of Justice and Sustainability 'This book makes a valuable contribution to the theory and practice of using indicators for sustainability. It introduces systems ideas and a range of tools and techniques that have the potential to broaden and deepen our understanding of a whole range of complex situations. Well worth a closer look.' Christine Blackmore, Open University 'This is a book that explores new ways of thinking about how to measure sustainability... It offers stimulating food for thought for environmental educators and researchers.' Environmental Education Research 'This book tells me, as an SI 'practitioner', where I have been and why, and more importantly how I should be thinking in order to effectively present to and empower the local community in the years ahead.' David Ellis, Principal Pollution Monitoring Officer, Norwich City Council 'A practical guide to the development of sustainability indicators which offers a systemic and participative way to use them at local scale. Our preliminary results are highly positive and the approach is applicable in many contexts.' Elisabeth Coudert, Programme Officer Prospective and Regional Development, Blue Plan The groundbreaking first edition of Sustainability Indicators reviewed the development and value of sustainability indicators and discussed the advantage of taking a holistic and qualitative approach rather than focusing on strictly quantitative measures. In the new edition the authors bring the literature up to date and show that the basic requirement for a systemic approach is now well grounded in the evidence. They examine the origins and development of Systemic Sustainability Analysis (SSA) as a theoretical approach to sustainability which has been developed in practice in a number of countries on an array of projects since the first edition. They look at how SSA has evolved into the practical approaches of Systemic Prospective Sustainability Analysis (SPSA) and IMAGINE, and, in particular, how a wide range of participatory methodologies have been adopted over the years. They also provide an assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of projects that undertake work in the general field of sustainable development.

Author : James Eric Foster
Publisher :
Page : 30 pages
File Size : 12,38 MB
Release : 2011
Category : Economic development
ISBN : 9781921745201

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This paper evaluates the robustness of rankings obtained from composite indices that combine information from two or more components via a weighted sum. It examines the empirical prevalence of robust comparisons using the method proposed by Foster, McGillivray and Seth (2010). Indices examined are the Human Development Index, the Index of Economic Freedom and the Environmental Performance Index. Key theoretical results demonstrate links between the prevalence of robust comparisons, Kendall's correlation coefficient, and statistical association across components. Implications for redundancy among index components are also examined.

Author : Richard Rothstein
Publisher : Teachers College Press
Page : 280 pages
File Size : 14,67 MB
Release : 2008-12-14
Category : Education
ISBN : 9780807749395

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Yes, we should hold public schools accountable for effectively spending the vast funds with which they have been entrusted. But accountability policies like No Child Left Behind, based exclusively on math and reading test scores, have narrowed the curriculum, misidentified both failing and successful schools, and established irresponsible expectations for what schools can accomplish. Instead of just grading progress in one or two narrow subjects, we should hold schools accountable for the broad outcomes we expect from public education —basic knowledge and skills, critical thinking, an appreciation of the arts, physical and emotional health, and preparation for skilled employment —and then develop the means to measure and ensure schools’ success in achieving them. Grading Education describes a new kind of accountability plan for public education, one that relies on higher-quality testing, focuses on professional evaluation, and builds on capacities we already possess. This important resource: Describes the design of an alternative accountability system that would not corrupt education as does NCLB and its state testing systems Explains the original design of NAEP in the 1960s, and shows why it should be revived. Defines the broad goals of education, beyond math and reading test scores, and reports on surveys to confirm public and governmental support for such goals. Relates these broad goals of education to the desire for accountability in education.