If you had the opportunity to interview Federal Reserve chairman Ben Bernanke, what questions might you ask?
-- John Maggs, NationalJournal.com
4 responses: Nancy Cleeland, Nicolas Véron, J.D. Foster, Desmond Lachman
This post on TheAtlantic.com sorts some evidence for how much the recession so far resembles the Great Depression, with some surprising results. In particular, it is interesting to think about the distinction between the United States and the global economy, and the role of industrial output. Is it right to compare things this way? Is any of this evidence compelling?
-- John Maggs, NationalJournal.com
4 responses: Edward Leamer, Gary Burtless, Grover Norquist, Martin Baily
President Obama has proposed giving the Federal Reserve new authority to regulate systemic financial risk and creating an oversight council of financial regulators. He wants to give the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. the power to wind down complex financial institutions. And he plans to create a new agency to protect consumers in financial transactions. Are the president's proposals necessary, and if so, why? Are they sufficient, and if not, why not?
-- Bruce Stokes, NationalJournal.com
7 responses: Alan Meltzer, Bruce Josten, Nicolas Véron, Bruce Stokes, John Berlau, Nancy Cleeland, Simon Johnson
Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben Bernanke recently urged Congress to focus on "fiscal sustainability" -- which he defined as achieving a stable ratio of government debt and interest payments to gross domestic product, and setting tax rates at levels that don't impede economic growth. But "fiscal sustainability" is also a political concept. How would you define it? Should federal revenues be expected to stay near historical norms even as government programs bear the brunt of an aging society? Does it matter whether the societal costs of aging are borne publicly or privately?
-- Julie Kosterlitz, NationalJournal.com
7 responses: James K. Galbraith, Alan J. Auerbach, Gene Steuerle, Desmond Lachman, Fred Smith, Grover Norquist, Robert Reischauer
The Obama administration says it plans to be a hands-off majority owner of General Motors, and that the executives it appoints will be free of government influence in their management decisions. Is this possible or likely? After the company emerges from bankruptcy, will GM managers be allowed to move plants overseas, or shut some down? Can a company be well-run when its owners refrain from influencing management?
-- John Maggs, NationalJournal.com
4 responses: Nicolas Véron, Alan Meltzer, J.D. Foster, Guy de Jonquières
