Unemployment: Keynesian Ideas and Fiscal Policy Essay -- Economics, Un

Fiscal policy, as we know it today, is meant to mitigate unemployment and stabilize the economy through aggregate demand. Despite dismal unemployment numbers, politicians and policy-makers continue to use and be optimistic about the effectiveness of fiscal policy in this regard. Policy as we have seen over the past five years has had dismal effect on the unemployment numbers we are seeing today. It seems we need a policy that will tackle lagging aggregate demand as well as the employment problems. A direct-job creation effort will work to create the differences in aggregate demand and effective demand creating equilibrium and filling the void that the current Keynesian fiscal policy leaves. Keynesian Ideas The origins of many ideas seen in fiscal policy come from John Maynard Keynes a revolutionary economist who tackled the idea of aggregated demand through Keynesian economics. Aggregate demand is the demand for gross domestic product or goods and services that the country has to offer. It is represented by the formula GDP=AD= C + I + GS+ X or (C) Consumption, (I) Investment, (GS) Government Spending, (X) Net exports. Fiscal policy in essence is using tactics such as government spending and tax cuts in order to affect the right side of this equation and increase aggregate demand. The general agreement across Keynesian theory is that boosting aggregate demand is the precise thing to do when facing an economy with lackluster growth and on the shores of recession. Leading up to most recessions there is a significant reduction in demand for goods and services offered in the country. This lower demand leads to inventory reductions, lower production levels, layoffs and increased unemployment. In order to stabilize the economy, th... ...y/jobless-rate-rose-to-73percent-during-government-shutdown-economy-added-204k-jobs/2013/11/08/f51fa1de-481f-11e3-b6f8-3782ff6cb769_story.html) National Economic Council. 2010, â€Å"Jobs and Economic Security For America’s Women.† October. Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/Jobs-and-Economic-Security-for-Americas-Women.pdf Plumer, Brad (2013). The U.S. labor force is still shrinking. Here’s why. Retreived from Tcherneva, P. 2011. â€Å"Permanent on-the-spot job creation—the missing Keynes Plan for full employment and economic transformation.† Review of Social Economics, forthcoming. Tcherneva, Paulina. 2011. â€Å"Fiscal Policy Effectiveness: Lessons from the Great Recession.† Levy Economics Institute of Bard College. Unemployment: Keynesian Ideas and Fiscal Policy Essay -- Economics, Un Fiscal policy, as we know it today, is meant to mitigate unemployment and stabilize the economy through aggregate demand. Despite dismal unemployment numbers, politicians and policy-makers continue to use and be optimistic about the effectiveness of fiscal policy in this regard. Policy as we have seen over the past five years has had dismal effect on the unemployment numbers we are seeing today. It seems we need a policy that will tackle lagging aggregate demand as well as the employment problems. A direct-job creation effort will work to create the differences in aggregate demand and effective demand creating equilibrium and filling the void that the current Keynesian fiscal policy leaves. Keynesian Ideas The origins of many ideas seen in fiscal policy come from John Maynard Keynes a revolutionary economist who tackled the idea of aggregated demand through Keynesian economics. Aggregate demand is the demand for gross domestic product or goods and services that the country has to offer. It is represented by the formula GDP=AD= C + I + GS+ X or (C) Consumption, (I) Investment, (GS) Government Spending, (X) Net exports. Fiscal policy in essence is using tactics such as government spending and tax cuts in order to affect the right side of this equation and increase aggregate demand. The general agreement across Keynesian theory is that boosting aggregate demand is the precise thing to do when facing an economy with lackluster growth and on the shores of recession. Leading up to most recessions there is a significant reduction in demand for goods and services offered in the country. This lower demand leads to inventory reductions, lower production levels, layoffs and increased unemployment. In order to stabilize the economy, th... ...y/jobless-rate-rose-to-73percent-during-government-shutdown-economy-added-204k-jobs/2013/11/08/f51fa1de-481f-11e3-b6f8-3782ff6cb769_story.html) National Economic Council. 2010, â€Å"Jobs and Economic Security For America’s Women.† October. Available at http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/Jobs-and-Economic-Security-for-Americas-Women.pdf Plumer, Brad (2013). The U.S. labor force is still shrinking. Here’s why. Retreived from Tcherneva, P. 2011. â€Å"Permanent on-the-spot job creation—the missing Keynes Plan for full employment and economic transformation.† Review of Social Economics, forthcoming. Tcherneva, Paulina. 2011. â€Å"Fiscal Policy Effectiveness: Lessons from the Great Recession.† Levy Economics Institute of Bard College.

juveniles and the death penalty :: essays research papers

The American Revolution: Revolutionary or Not? In determining whether or not the American Revolution was a true revolution, one must clearly define the term ?revolution?. Historians believe that for a war to be deemed a revolution it must encompass social, religious, economic, and intellectual dimensions as well as political change. I believe that the American Revolution conclusively exhibited all of these dimensions. Socially, America began with modern values unlike those of their British ancestry. The moral of equality was the foundation on which our nation began. When the tension grew between the colonies and England, the new ideology spread and began to widen to include almost all people. First, people began to realize that they did not necessarily live in a way which modeled their belief in equality. This, in itself shows the beginnings of a true revolution in that the people begin to see the need for change even within their own families, social groups, and lifestyles. After recognizing changes were needed, transformations began to occur in the colonies. For instance, a new position for women as upright citizens and leaders of the society emerged, and most states granted women equality of inheritance. Also, social distinctions such as status-seating at church and membership to private social clubs were attacked and diminished. People began referring to themselves as Mr. or Mrs., terms that illustrated the equality of all people, regardless of class or prestige. In addition, because most men were allowed a vote, education of the population became a priority. Nationalism spread as the people of America came to understand their common goals and needs. The concept of constituent power allowed for social changes also, as the people came to believe that the power rested in the will of the people, which caused them to gain self trust and esteem. People focused so much on equality and the rights of all people that in the south, several states passed laws which repressed the importation of slaves and made it easier to free slaves; in the north, slavery was outlawed in most states, and abolitionist groups arose. During the Revolution, the American people also formed new intellectual standpoints. The most respected thinkers of the time began to shift their focus to concentrate on creating political change. Men such as Ben Franklin, and other inventors theologists, and philosophers began to focus on concerns such as economic growth, constitutional revision, and westward expansion, rather than philosophy and theology.

Cell phones aloud in school Essay

Most school administrators regard cell phones use as disruptive and distracting devices in class, as well as a form of cheating during tests; so schools made the policy that prohibit cell phones on school properties. But I believe that there are a few reasons why cell phones should be allowed in schools. Restriction of bringing cell phones to school may be good, but it also causes resentment among parents and officials. In the first place, nowadays increasing numbers of parents are purchasing cell phones for their children. They want them to bring along their cell phones at any time, in order to know their whereabouts and enable their children to make contact with them in case of emergencies. Of equal importance, students occasionally must inform their parents or drivers if they have last minute school schedule changes or something has to be done after school hours. Furthermore, there’re only disadvantages to go against parents, and prohibiting cell phones can also lead to inconvenience for students. Most schools only take in the negative effects of allowing cell phones into consideration but never think of the problems it may cause if cell phones are prohibited in school. Likewise the numbers of students that use cell phones to cheat on tests; distract and escape classes are just a few. Therefore there’s no reason for others to pay the price for those who make the mistakes. The teacher shall confiscate one’s cell phone if he or she has done the following things. This will then make the students feel that they’ve received fair treatment. Another reason cell phones should be allowed in school is because students are old enough to know what can be done and what cannot be done. In support of this, students aren’t happy about the fact that only teachers have the privilege of bringing cell phones to school. They feel that they are not being trusted and treated equally by the adults. Subsequently, more of them begin to violate school rule by bringing in cell phones illegally. I often heard them discussing about finding a perfect location to hide their cell phones when they overheard the principal is coming for checking up. Also students should be able to take responsibilities for their own things and actions; so allowing cell phones in school will be a good example. Now that we have discussed the problems of prohibiting cell phones in school, setting general guidelines will be the solution to these problems, using cell phones on appropriate time and location while allowing students to have the freedom to make calls. It does not only eliminate resentment; thus it’s a way to prove that whether students can be trusted or not. Should cell phones be allowed in school?

BAA’s Communication Breakdown

The biggest challenge facing the British Airports Authority, or BAA, is allowing itself to move forward without sacrifice. Group leaders want to expand their authority while being a good community neighbor. Problems exist considering that the organization proposed to enlarge Heathrow Airport. BAA officials knew they could not start those improvements until area residents complied with their requests. (Olivant, 2000) Most companies put in this situation would follow their agendas because they (a) had their shareholders’ position in mind (b) their own interest in mind or (c) they could.(Olivant, 2000) What BAA executives did instead was speak with affected groups to determine what could be done to please everyone. The solution was a â€Å"Contract with the Community† that openly addressed public concerns ranging from air pollution to runway expansion. The results were increased community support and the backing to continue serving its customers. (Olivant, 2000) This move became telling, as the BAA switched leaders in March 2008 to streamline best practices and to bolster travel in and out of Heathrow Airport.(Pagano, 2008) The hiring of Colin Matthews as the CEO was instituted to get those changes and attitudes about the airport done. Getting security in line with modern technology and addressing the expansion issues in making the airport more suitable for travel. (Pagano, 2008) Whether this move pans out for the BAA remains to be seen. It was perceived that should the move to change the CEO at the BAA be unsuccessful, then it would make for a real communications problem because the BAA Chairman Sir Nigel Rudd would also resign. BAA 2 List of ReferencesOlivant, S. (200). â€Å"A business case for corporate citizenship. † Best Practices: Best Enterprises for Sustainable Travel. New York: The Conference Group. Retrieved May 11, 2009 from: http://www. sustainabletravel. org/docs/pdf_BAA. pdf Pagano, M. (2008). â€Å"Bloodletting at BAA: the new regime that must take on a jumbo sized challenge. † The Independent. Retrieved May 11, 2009 from: http://www. independent. co. uk/news/business/analysis-and-features/bloodletting-at-baa-the-new-regime-that-must-take-on-a-jumbosized-challenge-790176. html

Financial Position of Gap Inc.

The gross margins have also Increased for fiscal 2009 here It was 40. 32 percent as compared to 2008 of 37. 5 percent and 2007 of 36. 1 1 percent. The operating margins also continue to grow for fiscal 2009 Gap had an operating margin on 12. 8 percent as compared to 10. 7 percent from 2008 and 8. 3 percent In 2007. Gap has also been able to grow Its cash not only each year but also 29. 4 percent of Its total assets as compared to 2008 where cash was only at 1. 7 billion and 22. 6 percent of total assets.Gap also has worked to reduce their debt down to ere by 2010 and they have done so, currently they have no long-term debt and 2. 3 billion in cash. The 2009 current ratio for Gap is 2. 19 as compared to 1. 88 in 2008, and 1. 67 in 2007. Gap is increasing their liquidity from year to year while net sales are still decreasing. Gaps merchandise inventory has also seen a decrease not only in value but also as a percentage of total assets 2007 Gap had merchandise inventory valued TTL . 57 billion and that represented 20. Percent. Inventory was 1. 50 billion and represented 19. Percent of total assets in 2008. In 2009 the merchandise inventory was 1. 47 billion and represented 18. 5 percent of total assets. The operating expenses for Gap have maintained constant from 2005-2009 when looking at them as a percentage of sales. The difference in percentage from year to year changed only by a few tenths of percentage. Income from operations however has increased since 2006 where it had fallen 29 percent from 2005.Operating expenses include the following: I payroll and related benefits (for our store operations, field management, striation centers, and corporate functions); I marketing I general and administrative expenses; costs to design and develop our products; I merchandise handling and receiving In dilutions centers and stores; I distribution center general and administrative expenses; I rent, occupancy, depreciation, and amortization for corporate facilities: and othe r expense (income). I gross margins previously stated. Gap had cost of goods sold at 59. 68 percent of sales in 2009 compared to 62. Percent in 2008 and 63. 89 percent in 2007. Gap has been working to drive their costs down and thus far have been successful. Cost of goods sold and occupancy expenses include the following: I the cost of merchandise; I I inventory shortage and valuation adjustments; I I freight charges; I I costs associated with our sourcing operations, including payroll and related benefits;

Emergency Response to Nuclear Disasters Research Proposal

Emergency Response to Nuclear Disasters - Research Proposal Example Nearly three million people live within 10 miles (16 kilometers) of an operating nuclear power plant.1 Nuclear power plants use the heat generated from nuclear fission in a contained environment to convert water to steam, which powers generators to produce electricity, also producing by-products in the wake of this procedure like, radiation and release radioactive particles into the air which can be harmful to people, animals, crops, and the environment overall. Mutation of humans and animals, deaths of plants and infection of various species resulting in an entire food chain getting irrevocably poisoned, severely erosive acid rain, contamination of the water cycle and air as radioactive particles diffuse into the surrounding regions are some of the many devastating effects that disrupt the ecosystem of our planet. Although the construction and operation of nuclear power plants are closely monitored and regulated by the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC), accidents at these plants are possible due to flaws in the design of the power plant, human error of the operators and electrical engineers involved etc. The worrying thing about these power stations is that when something goes wrong due to human error or a fault not fixed, an irreversibly massive accident can occur destroying many kilometers of area in its vicinity, contaminating it almost forever. The magnitude of its effects is determined by the amount of radiation released from the explosion, wind direction and speed, and weather condition. After Hiroshima and Nagasaki (1945) nuclear bombings, two of the most famous nuclear accidents at these power stations occurred at the Chernobyl reactor 4 (Ukraine - 1986) in the former Soviet Union and the Three Mile Island (US - 1979) reactor 2 in the United States. Categorized as the most intense nuclear disaster ever, the Chernobyl nuclear explosion (1986) destroyed the unit in its entirety and released an incredible amount of radiated fallout, into the environment resulting in about 600000 deaths due to radiation exposure as revealed by IAEA and WHO studies with 56 direct deaths off the explosion. The 4000 cancer deaths due to exposure to nuclear carcinogens are just a meager part of the expected 100000 fatalities. The after effects of this nuclear power plant disaster were Nuclear rain in places like Ireland as the radioactive fallout traveled over an extensive geographical area spreading all through the Western Europe in just a span of 1 week resulting in contamination in large areas of Ukraine, Belarus and Russia. Four square kilometers of pine land forests turned brown and died in addition to numerous animal deaths and the remaining badly poisoned with thyroid and reproductive problems, now known as the 'Red Forest'. However, the later g enerations did not suffer these problems. About 336000 people's evacuation, resettling due to this tragedy and the horrendous large scale loss of life and lifestyle pose nuclear power catastrophe as one of the most irreversibly destructive threats in this contemporary society of technological development where precautions and safety measures direly need to be adopted to avoid a bigger loss.The Kyshtym (1957) disaster in a Russian nuclear fuel reprocessing plant in Mayak, the Windscale fire (UK - 1957)

Life Cycle Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions Literature review

Life Cycle Assessment of Greenhouse Gas Emissions - Literature review Example This increase in demand will lead to construction of new power plants; this means that more greenhouse gas will be released into environment; and the environment will continue to be affected by the greenhouse emissions. Generally, there exists a number of ways in which electric energy (electricity) is produced; and each method of production has benefits and disadvantages in relation to operation cost, and impact on the environment, among other factors. For example, the major sources of electric energy include: nuclear energy, coal, natural gas, hydroelectric, oil, biomass, solar and wind among others. Therefore, there is a great need that the future power plants are built such that greenhouse emissions are kept as minimum as possible, and environmental impact is minimized. In this regard, this research paper has carried out a life cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from four natural gas and biomass power plants in United Kingdom. The plants investigated in this research inc lude: Elean, Knapton, Sleaford and Sutton Bridge power plants. These power plants source electricity from natural gas, oil, and/or biomass among others. Table of Contents 1.INTRODUCTION 5 1.1 Aims 6 1.2 Problem statement 6 2.LITERATURE REVIEW 7 2.1 Understanding Lifecycle assessment 7 2.2 Lifecycle assessment of the various energy sources 8 2.2.1 Fossil Fuel 8 2.2.2 Lignite 8 2.2.3 Coal 8 2.2.4 Oil 9 2.2.5 Biomass 9 3.METHODOLOGY 9 4.ELEAN POWER PLANT 10 4.1 Power plant’s Brief preview 10 4.2 Characteristics of straw used on the power (the major source of fuel) 10 4.3 Life cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from Elean Power Plant 12 4.3.1 The source of Straw used in Elean Power Plant 12 4.3.2 Transportation of straw to the power plant 12 4.3.3 Calculation of greenhouse emissions as a result of combusion of diesel 18 4.4 Emission with carbon capture 33 4.5 MASS BALANCE FOR ELEAN POWER PLANT 34 4.6 ECONOMIC ANALYSIS OF ELEAN POWER PLANT 37 5.SLEAFORD RENEWABLE ENERGY PLANT 39 5.1 Preview of sleaford power plant 39 5.2 Life cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from Sleaford Renewable Energy 41 5.3 Calculation of greenhouse emissions as a result of combusion of diesel 44 5.4 Emission with carbon capture 56 5.5 Mass Balance 56 5.6 ECONOMIC ANALYSIS FOR SLEAFORD RENEWABLE ENERGY 59 6SUTTON BRIDGE POWER STATION 60 6.1 Brief Preview of the power plant 60 6.2 Life cycle assessment of greenhouse gas emissions from Sutton Bridge Power Plant 61 6.3 Emission with carbon capture 67 Elean power plant is considered one of the major Biomass fired power stations in the world; in fact, according to Farming and Countryside Education (2013), it is the largest power plant in the world that is powered by straw. In addition, it is normally considered the first straw fired power plant in the United Kingdom. It is located in Cambridgeshire at Sutton area near Ely, and it was constructed in the period between 1998 and 2000 (that is, construction of the power pla nt begun in 1998, and was completed in 2000) (Farming and Countryside Education, 2013). It is estimated that the power plant consumes approximately 200000 tonnes of straw every year, and that it generates electric power that is enough to serve about 800000 homes (Galbraith, et al., 2006). Or according to   Farming and Countryside Education (2013), it produces electric power that is enough to power two towns whose sizes can be compared to that of Cambridge.   Elean power plant has two barns which are 18 meters high, and are used to house straw (fuel for the production of electricty); these barns are located on the either side the plants 25 meter high boiler   (Centre for Climate and Energy Solutions, 2012). In order that the plant fits perfectly into unfavourable surrounding landscape, it was constructed approximately 8 meters into the ground surface   (Brem, 2005).