Clark Center Forum

 

 

This week’s European Economic Experts Panel statements:

A) The ECB's asset purchases over the past two years have reduced the threat of deflation in the euro area as a whole.

B) If the economic outlook in the euro area becomes less favorable, then increasing the ECB's asset purchase program (in size or duration) would substantially increase the euro area's economic growth over the following five years. 

This week’s IGM Economic Experts Panel statements:

A)   Implementing a "destination based cash flow tax (including border adjustment)" of the type advocated by Speaker Ryan would substantially reduce the US trade deficit within the next few years.

B)   Implementing a "destination based cash flow tax (including border adjustment)" of the type advocated by Speaker Ryan would substantially raise prices for US consumers. 

This week’s European Economic Experts Panel statement:

In general, absent any inside information, an equity investor can expect to do better by holding a well-diversified, low-fee, passive index fund than by holding a few stocks. 

This week’s IGM Economic Experts Panel statements:

A) Forecasting the effects of complex legislative actions is hard, so even competent, non-ideological and non-partisan projections could differ substantially from outcomes.

B) Adjusting for legal restrictions on what the CBO can assume about future legislation and events, the CBO has historically issued credible forecasts of the effects of both Democratic and Republican legislative proposals. 

This week's European Economic Experts Panel statements:

A) Without changes in policy, a rising share of people who are over age 65 will exert a substantial downward influence on per capita real GDP in western European countries.

B) In European countries where the share of those over 65 is rising, there are net social benefits to adjusting retirement ages for state-financed (including pay-as-you-go) pension systems upwards, so that revised retirement ages better reflect longer life expectancies. 

This week's IGM Economic Experts Panel statements:

A) If the US significantly lowers the number of H-1B visas now, expected US tax revenues will rise materially over the next four years.

B) If the US significantly lowers the number of H-1B visas now, employment for American workers will rise materially over the next four years. 

This week's European Economic Experts Panel statements:

A) All else equal, there are substantial advantages to having much of Europe’s human capital and infrastructure for international financial activity clustered in a single city, as they are at present in London.

B) All else equal, Britain’s rules on hiring, firing and working hours are significantly more conducive to financial activity than those in other large European countries. 

This week’s IGM Economic Experts Panel statement:

Providing state and local subsidies to build stadiums for professional sports teams is likely to cost the relevant taxpayers more than any local economic benefits that are generated.