Mon 7/27: Online Panel “Housing, Homelessness, and the Pandemic”

Monday, July 27, 5 – 6:30pm (EST)

REGISTER in ADVANCE for LINK and PASSWORD: jack.ventura@verizon.net

  • Andrew Aurand, Vice President for Research, National Low Income Housing Coalition
  • Martha Galvez, Principal Research Associate, Urban Institute

According to the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, there are over 600,000 homeless people in the U.S., at least a third of whom are living on the streets.  The lack of affordable housing and HUD reductions to subsidized low-income housing is now exacerbated with the COVID-19 pandemic. The risk of evictions has risen sharply in the face of massive unemployment.

The seminar panelists will discuss the housing and homeless crises, the impact of the pandemic and innovative policy proposals to house vulnerable people.

  • Dr. Andrew Aurand leads the research team and publishes NLIHC’s annual reports on housing – The Gap and Out of Reach – and policy research. 
  • Ms. Martha Galvez’ research focuses on housing policy intervention impacts on families at the Urban Institute’s Metropolitan Housing and Communities Policy Center.

The Zoom seminar is free, but pre-registration is required.

Please email SGE seminar co-chair Jack Ventura at jack.ventura@verizon.net and provide your name and email.

Pre-registrants will receive sign-in information before the Zoom seminar.

Posted in Announcements, Seminars

Fri 5/29 noon: Online Panel “Disparities in Access to Higher Education”

Friday, May 29, 12:00 pm. – 1:15 pm (EST)

Zoom Webinar – Sign-up here: https://forms.gle/PGouSSGN8f34RhwM8

This webinar presents research on policies that aim to reduce the racial gap in college graduation rates, merit-based admissions to postsecondary institutions, interventions that improve college access for low-income students, and the relationship between college costs and the parental labor supply. The panelists will present their papers in the following order with a time reserved for Q&A at the end.

Understanding Equity Gaps in College Graduation Tomas Monarrez, Urban Institute

Closing the Gap: The Effect of Reducing Complexity and Uncertainty in College Pricing on the Choices of Low-income Students C.J. Libassi, College Board

Admissions Policies, Cohort Composition, and Academic Success: Evidence from California Michel Grosz, Federal Trade Commission

Hope for the Family: The Effects of College Costs on Maternal Labor Supply Breno Braga, Urban Institute

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Posted in Announcements, Seminars

ASSA Call for Papers – Deadline May 30, 2020

Society of Government Economists
2021 ASSA/SGE Sessions in Chicago: Call for Papers

SGE’s mission is to support the professional development of government economists, and those who are interested in public policy and economics, by providing them with research, publication, and professional communication opportunities.

SGE will sponsor seven sessions in the 2021 ASSA meeting. These sessions will provide economists the opportunity to present their research, discuss it with their peers, and receive feedback as well as to meet other economists and be informed about the latest topics in economics. This call for papers and sessions is open to all individuals (applicants need not be government economists).  Please note that ASSA is considering holding the 2021 annual conference in a virtual format but a decision has not yet been made. Sessions will be designed to provide valuable contributions to existing knowledge and understanding, and to improve how economics is practiced. They should better enable economists to observe and understand the nature and causes of economic factors, which will, in turn, enhance their ability to contribute to public decision making. In the case of proposed papers, the Society will organize selected papers into sessions and invite discussants and chairs to those sessions. All participants are required to register and pay for the ASSA conference that they attend. In addition, for each submission, at least one author of each paper must have an active SGE membership. A submission will not be considered by the selection committee if the requirement is not met. An annual membership fee of $30 can be purchased using PayPal on the SGE website.

To propose an individual paper, include: (1) a brief sentence describing the paper, (2) the title of the paper and the names and contact information (including email addresses) and affiliations for each of the authors, (3) a brief abstract (of no more than 300 words) describing the paper, and (4) 2 JEL codes. Do NOT send a draft of the paper. To propose an entire session, include: (1) The title, organizer, and chair of the session, (2) all of the above-mentioned information required of individual-paper proposals for each of the papers in the session (for 4 papers), and (3) the names and contact information for all discussants and which papers they will discuss.
The due date is May 30, 2020 (Saturday). To submit papers or sessions, please click on the appropriate link below.

Please direct all questions or concerns to Wendy Li, wendycyli@gmail.com.
Best Regards,
Susan Fleck, Wendy Li, Austin Nichols, and Sabrina Pabilonia
2021 ASSA/SGE Sessions Organizers

To submit a session click here.

To submit an individual paper click here.

Posted in Uncategorized

SGE 2020 Annual Conference Cancelled; Board Elections Ongoing

With an abundance of caution for all attendees to the 2020 Society of Government Economists Annual Conference, the Board of Directors made the difficult decision to cancel the conference due to the COVID-19 global health crisis. Unfortunately, with the uncertainty surrounding the virus and additional factors, we were unable to postpone or reschedule the conference for a later date in 2020. 

Elections for the SGE Board are ongoing and the deadline for voting has been extended until April 30. See http://www.sge-econ.org/nominees-for-sge-board-2020/ for nominees, bios, and a link to the ballot. Members should have received an email telling them about the election.  If you did not receive the email please contact the current Membership Director Wenhua Di by email.  Members who have already voted need take no action, but we are extending the election period because some members apparently didn’t receive the notification email.

Posted in Announcements, Conferences

2020 SGE Conference Sessions at the ASSA in San Diego, CA

Society of Government Economists Conference Sessions at the Allied Social Science Meetings (ASSA) in San Diego, CA

January 3-5, 2020

Manchester Grand Hyatt San Diego, Mission Beach B for all SGE sessions

1 Market Place, San Diego, CA, 92101, USA

SGE has organized 7 sessions as part of the ASSA meetings. This is a handy reference to keep track of the times and topics.

Click here to see the program.

Posted in Announcements, Conferences

Mon 10/7 eve: Sinclair and Stone on “Probability of the U.S. or World Entering a Recession in 2020”

Probability of the U.S. or World Entering a Recession in 2020
Monday, October 7, 2019 5:45 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Rm 483 Ford House Office Building
2nd and D Streets, SW
Washington, DC 20515
Metro: Federal Center SW Station

Panelists:
 Dr. Tara Sinclair, Co-director of the Research Program on Forecasting, George Washington University
Dr. Chad Stone, Chief Economist, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities

Light refreshments will be served at 5:45 pm, and the seminar begins at 6:00 pm.    The seminar is free but please email Mel Sacks at MelSacks@verizon.net for reservations. After panelists have made their presentations, time will be available for Q&A and discussion.

According to the IMF World Economic Outlook global growth is now projected to slow from 3.6 percent in 2018 to 3.3 percent in 2019, before returning to 3.6 percent in 2020. However, possible further disruptions in oil supplies in the Middle East, continued conflicts with Iran, the slowdown in China, uncertainties of Brexit on Britain and the European Union, the economic effects of global warming, or other contingencies may seriously affect growth prospects. In the U.S. a tariff war, especially with China, may help bring about a recession in 2020.

Dr. Chad Stone and Dr. Tara Sinclair will explore the possibilities of recession occurring in the U.S. or internationally in 2020. Please join us for this interesting evening.

Posted in Announcements, Seminars

Mon 5/13 eve: Meltzer and Destler on “Bilateral v. Multilateral Trade, and Tariffs”

Bilateral vs. Multilateral Trade, and Tariffs
Monday, May 13, 2019 5:45 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.
Rm 483 Ford House Office Building
2nd & D Streets, SW
Washington, DC 20515
Metro: Federal Center SW Station

Panelists:
 Joshua Meltzer, Senior Fellow, Brookings Institution
I.M. ‘Mac’ Destler, Saul Stern Professor, University of Maryland

Light refreshments will be served at 5:45 pm, and the seminar begins at 6:00 pm.    The seminar is free but please email Mel Sacks at MelSacks@verizon.net for reservations. After panelists have made their presentations, time will be available for Q&A and discussion.

The present administration has made lessening the trade deficit a priority and has imposed tariffs, mainly with China and the European Union, Mexico and Canada if the U.S, trade deficit with those countries has not ameliorated. The target countries have in turn imposed their own tariffs on U.S. goods.  The administration has not pursued multilateral agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement, and some contend this has left trade with the United States isolated in Asia and other regions.

What effects would a trade war have on the U.S. and the global economies, and would any benefits accrue to the administration’s actions is one of the questions the panelists would attempt to answer.  Joshua Meltzer and I.M. ‘Mac’ Destler will  offer their perspectives and analysis on these issues.

Posted in Announcements, Seminars

Call for Papers: 2020 ASSA/SGE Sessions in San Diego, CA, January 3-5, 2020

Call for Papers (due date is May 16th, 2019)
2020 ASSA/SGE Sessions in San Diego, CA, January 3-5, 2020

The Society of Government Economists’ mission is to support the professional development of government economists, and those who are interested in public policy economics, by providing them with research, publication, and professional communication opportunities. SGE has seven sessions in the 2020 ASSA meeting. These sessions will provide economists the opportunity to present their research, discuss it with their peers, and receive feedback as well as to meet other economists and be informed about the latest topics in economics. This call for papers and sessions is open to all individuals (applicants need not be government economists).

Sessions will be designed to provide valuable contributions to existing knowledge and understanding, and to improve how economics is practiced. They should better enable economists to observe and understand the nature and causes of economic factors, which will, in turn, enhance their ability to contribute to public decision making.

In the case of proposed papers, the Society will organize selected papers into sessions and invite discussants and chairs to those sessions.

All participants are required to register and pay for the conference that they attend. In addition, for each submission, at least one author of each paper has an active SGE membership.  The submission will not be processed if the requirement is not met. The annual membership fee of $30 can be purchased using PayPal on the SGE website.

To propose an individual paper, include: (1) a brief sentence describing the paper,  (2) the title of the paper and the names and contact information (including email addresses) and affiliations for each of the authors, (3) a brief abstract (of no more than 300 words) describing the paper, and (4) 2 JEL codes. Do NOT send a draft of the paper. To propose an entire session, include: (1) The title, organizer, and chair of the session, (2) all of the above-mentioned information required of individual-paper proposals for each of the papers in the session (for 4 papers), and (3) the names and contact information for all discussants and which papers they will discuss.

The due date is May 16th, 2019 (Thursday). To submit papers or sessions, please go to http://www.sge-econ.org/.

Please direct all questions or concerns to Wendy Li, wendycyli@gmail.com.

Posted in Uncategorized

SGE Conference April 5, 2019

The Society of Government Economists Annual Conference includes papers and sessions on economic topics relating to 1) government programs or public policy at local, national and international levels, 2) improvements and changes in government economic surveys, data, and measures, and 3) research on microeconomic and macroeconomic trends and issues that inform and impact policy.

Take a look at the program at this link, and register at this link.

The Conference will occur Friday, April 5, 2019, 8:30am-4:30pm, at the Janet Norwood Conference and Training Center, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2 Massachusetts Ave, NE, Washington, DC.

Registration fee is $65. Regular registration has been extended through April 2, to accommodate processing of training requests for some agencies. On -site registration will cost $85. (If you have problems with online registration of conference fee please contact conferencechair@sge-econ.org for assistance.)

Fees this year are the same for presenters and attendees, and students can register for free.

Posted in Announcements, Conferences

Thurs 2/7 Noon: William Wiatrowski, “Update on the labor market from BLS” at 618 H Street NW

Speaker: William Wiatrowski, Deputy Commissioner (Acting Commissioner), Bureau of Labor Statistics

William J. Wiatrowski is Deputy Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the senior career employee in the agency responsible for measuring labor market activity, working conditions, and price changes in the economy. Bill began his career at BLS in 1980 and served in a number of positions before his selection as Deputy Commissioner in June 2015. Mr. Wiatrowski received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics and the History of Art from Yale University and a Masters of Business Administration degree from the George Washington University.

Abstract of talk:

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) carries out surveys to measure U.S. labor market conditions. Deputy Commissioner William Wiatrowski will provide an overview of current activities at BLS and give an update on current economic and labor conditions using data from several BLS programs.

Note: 

Registration is open through Wednesday, 2-6-19, but walk-ins are welcome.  The lunch is hosted jointly with the NEC. Lunch is included. The cost is $20 for NEC and SGE members, and BLS employees can use code BLS2019 when you register to get the member price.  The cost is $35 for non-members. Credit Card payment is non refundable but you may substitute someone in your place for attendance. Visit https://www.national-economists.org/nec-events/ for registration information.

Posted in Lunches

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