If the nation truly wants to address the wild roller coaster of price swings, it's important to understand the factors that affect prices.

Ever since its founding in 1948, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea has maintained an aggressive and bellicose international security posture. Today, fully two decades after the end of the Cold War, North Korea's external defense and security policies look arguably more extreme and anomalous than ever.

American Enterprise Institute (AEI) economist Aparna Mathur explains that the way to promote income equality is to lower corporate taxes.

The main problem with the recent IMF programmes to countries such as Greece and Portugal has not been one of size or duration but rather one of policy misdiagnosis. 

Americans have the highest health spending on the planet. Why? Because they can afford to do so. What few people realize is that the U.S. has increased its standard of living vis-à-vis its biggest competitors despite rising health expenditures (figure 1.6c).

By next year, about two-thirds of American physicians will be working as salaried employees of large groups and hospitals. This movement has been underway for years. Over the last decade, the number of independent physicians was falling by about 2% a year. But these trends are now accelerating. 

The “super committee” faces a significant challenge in finding at least $1.2 trillion in savings over the next ten years. While AARP is engaged in a concerted effort to persuade the committee to keep its hands off Medicare, the reality is that reductions in projected health spending would be difficult to avoid if the committee is to reach its target.

Since the beginning of the year, the U.S. dollar has fallen significantly, especially against the euro. By raising the domestic cost of imports, the declining dollar could pose a challenge to the Federal Reserve in its quest for non-inflationary economic growth.

Participants at this seminar will consider the likelihood of...