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Think not forever of yourselves, O Chiefs, nor of your
own generation. Think of continuing generations of our families, think of
our grandchildren and of those yet unborn, whose faces are coming from
beneath the ground.
-TS Eliot
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EPS News
Fifteenth Annual International Conference on Economics
and Security
June 16 - 17, 2011, Burwalls
Centre, University of Bristol, Clifton, Bristol UK
Hosted by EPS (UK), The University of the West of
England, the University of Bristol. Registration forms are available,
early bird registration deadline is May 20.
For more information or for
registration forms, see
http://carecon.org.uk/Conferences/Conf2011/.
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Of the 1%, by the 1%, for the 1%
By EPS Trustee Joseph Stiglitz
for Vanity
Fair
"Americans have been watching protests against
oppressive regimes that concentrate massive wealth in the hands of an
elite few. Yet in our own democracy, 1 percent of the people take
nearly a quarter of the nation’s income—an inequality even the wealthy
will come to regret.
"It’s no use pretending that what has obviously
happened has not in fact happened. The upper 1 percent of Americans are now taking in nearly a quarter of the nation’s
income every year. In terms of wealth rather than income, the top 1
percent control 40 percent. Their lot in life has improved
considerably. Twenty-five years ago, the corresponding figures were 12
percent and 33 percent. One response might be to celebrate the
ingenuity and drive that brought good fortune to these people, and to
contend that a rising tide lifts all boats. That response would be
misguided. While the top 1 percent have seen their incomes rise 18
percent over the past decade, those in the middle have actually seen
their incomes fall. For men with only high-school degrees, the decline
has been precipitous—12 percent in the last quarter-century alone. All
the growth in recent decades—and more—has gone to those at the top. In
terms of income equality, America lags behind any country in the old,
ossified Europe that President George W. Bush used to deride. Among our
closest counterparts are Russia with its
oligarchs and Iran. While many of the old centers of inequality in
Latin America, such as Brazil, have been striving in recent years,
rather successfully, to improve the plight of the poor and reduce gaps
in income, America has allowed inequality to grow."
For more by EPS Fellow
Joseph Stiglitz, see
http://www.vanityfair.com/society/features/2011/05/top-one-percent-201105.
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Crisis in the States and Cities: What Should Be Done?
An EPS Bernard Schwartz Symposium
States and cities face tax increases and sharp cuts in vital
public services, with likely harsh effects on economic activity and
competitiveness going forward.
This public symposium on April 12, organized by EPS,
discussed the budget crises faced by state and local governments
including cuts to social services and increasing taxes. Will budget
cuts help, as some claim or hurt, as others believe,
the economies of affected jurisdictions and the country?
The panelists presented action plans for a federal role,
including revenue sharing, and the possible federalization of Medicaid.
Crisis in the States and Cities: What Should Be Done? was hosted by
Economists for Peace and Security; Bernard Schwartz; and the New
America Foundation.
For transcripts, video, and
photos of the event, go to
http://www.epsusa.org/events/411conf/statecrisisprogram.htm.
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EPS raised $65 last year
with GoodSearch. The more you use
GoodSearch, the more money you can raise for
EPS, just by searching the internet or shopping online - at no cost to you.
With every search you do, EPS receives a penny; when everyone uses it,
the pennies add up.
To start using GoodSearch, see
http://www.goodsearch.com/about.aspx.
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Links
One Minute For Peace
The annual US military budget is almost $1 trillion.
Imagine what just one minute's worth of that spending could do if it
were used for peace.
Every minute, the United States government spends $2.1
million on the military.
To find out more, visit
http://www.oneminuteforpeace.org/.
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The 2011 Global Peace Index
The results reveal the world is less peaceful for the
third straight year and despite a decade-long war on terrorism, the
potential for terrorist acts has increased.
Iceland is the world’s most peaceful nation, followed by
New Zealand with Japan in third spot. The research shows that the cost
of violence in 2010 to the global economy was more than $8.12 trillion.
To view the results, see
http://www.visionofhumanity.org/gpi-data/#/2011/scor.
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In Other News
Steeper Pullout Is Raised as Option for Afghanistan
By David E. Sanger, Eric Schmitt and Thom Shanker, June 5, 2011 for The New York Times
"President Obama’s national security team is
contemplating troop reductions in Afghanistan that would be steeper
than those discussed even a few weeks ago, with some officials arguing
that such a change is justified by the rising cost of the war and the death
of Osama bin Laden, which they called new 'strategic considerations.'
"The cost of the war and Mr.
Karzai’s uneven progress in getting his forces prepared have
been latent issues since Mr. Obama took office. But in recent weeks
they have gained greater political potency as Mr. Obama’s newly
refashioned national security team takes up the crucial decision of the
size and the pace of American troop cuts, administration and military
officials said. Mr. Obama is expected to address these decisions in a speech
to the nation this month, they said."
To read more, see
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/06/world/asia/06gates.html?_r=2&hp.
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More Than 100 Economists Endorse Stronger Fuel
Efficiency and Auto Pollution Standards
June 7, 2011 from Union of Concerned Scientists News Center
More than 100 economists issued a letter today calling
for stronger pollution and fuel efficiency standards for new cars and
light trucks sold in model years 2017 through 2025. They said that
stronger standards would protect consumers, strengthen energy security,
generate new jobs, and reduce global warming emissions.
The letter, which was sent to the Environmental Protection Agency,
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the California Air
Resources Board—the three agencies developing the standards—was signed
by 114 economists from across the country, including Nobel
Prize-winner Kenneth Arrow, a Stanford University economist.
“Strong, cost-effective standards will provide consumers with a wider
choice of cleaner and more fuel efficient vehicles that save drivers
money,” the economists’ letter stated. “In the absence of standards,
market barriers prevent drivers from realizing these savings, leaving
drivers without the options they need to respond to volatile and rising
gasoline prices. Standards are the right policy approach given the
realities of this marketplace.”
To read the letter and the list
of signers, go to
http://www.ucsusa.org/news/press_release/economists-endorse-fuel-auto-pollution-
standards-6212.html.
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Call for Papers
The upcoming special issue "Political Economy
Studies on the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict" to be published on Peace
Economics, Peace Science and Public Policy.
The special issue is intended to gather contributions
that focus on political economy aspects of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. The contributions may highlight positive and/or normative
aspects of this conflict. Papers may make a theoretical or empirical
contribution to a better understanding of this conflict.
Please send papers and
inquiries to Esteban Klor
(eklor@mscc.huji.ac.il)
by September 30, 2011.
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Call for Papers.
DIW Berlin and the Economics
of Security Initiative invite submissions for a one-day workshop on The
Economics of Walls on November 9,
2011 to celebrate the 22nd anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall.
At the workshop DIW would like to discuss the economic
determinants, functions and impacts of walls from both a microeconomic
and macroeconomic perspective.
More information is
available at
http://www.diw.de/en/diw_01.c.372194.en/publications_and_events/events/calendar/calendar.html.
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EPS Publications
The Annual Budget Issue
EPS Quarterly, March 2011.
In this issue EPS takes on conservatives' and Tea Partiers'
loud cries for cuts in federal spending.
A self-described conservative and two libertarians join
their voices in two separate articles, asking for defense cuts along
with any other belt-tightening measures. To assist in sorting out the
defense budget and its relative merits, we include brief excerpts from
the new handbook-guide to the Defense Department, "The Pentagon
Labyrinth: 10 Short Essays to Help You Through It," from the
Strauss Military Reform Project. This issue also contains several pieces
which examine the Obama administration’s policies and processes. On the
back cover is our Statement on Federal Spending and the Recovery,
released February 28.
Read this issue of EPS
Quarterly at
http://www.epsusa.org/publications/newsletter/2011/mar2011/mar2011.html.
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Economics of Peace and
Security Journal Vol. 6, No 1 - On collective punishment, California water, and the
Austrian School is now
available online. Articles by Keisuke Nakao and
Sun-Ki Chai on criminal conflict and collective punishment; David Zetland on intra-organizational conflict: origin,
persistence, cost, and closure (parts I and II); and Christopher Westley, William L. Anderson, and Scott A. Kjar on War and the Austrian School: Mises and Hayek (part II of a series on war and the
Austrian School).
Contents
The Journal is a peer-reviewed online publication hosted
by EPS-UK. Published twice yearly, it raises and debates all issues
related to the political economy of personal, communal, national,
international, and global peace and security. Previous contributors
include Joseph Stiglitz, James Galbraith, and
Lawrence Klein. The Journal’s website also features book reviews
submitted by members and subscribers.
EPS members receive a 25% discount on the annual subscription to the
Economics of Peace and Security Journal. A regular one-year
subscription is $40; for EPS members, it's only $30! Non-subscribers
can access the abstracts and contents pages.
For more
information about the Journal or to subscribe:
http://www.epsjournal.org.uk/.
To become
a member of EPS (and to qualify for the subscription
discount):
http://www.epsusa.org/membership/membership.htm.
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The "War in Afghanistan:
Problems and Prospects in the Wake of Karzai’s Visit" Symposium
Issue, EPS Quarterly, October 2010. This issue contains
summaries of the proceedings from the Bernard Schwartz symposium held
at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center,
Washington DC on May 17, 2010. The Symposium was organized by
Economists for Peace and Security and co-sponsored by The New America
Foundation, and The International Trade Center, Washington DC.
To read this issue of EPS
Quarterly, see
http://www.epsusa.org/publications/newsletter/2010/oct2010/oct2010.pdf.
To watch
video of the symposium, see
http://www.epsusa.org/events/510conf/afghanprogram.htm.
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Action Corner
Keep the US Institute for Peace
On May 26, the House voted 226-194 in favor of an
amendment to the FY2012 National Defense Authorization Act that would de-authorize
the United States Institute of Peace.
USIP is the only congressionally mandated and funded national
institution dedicated specifically to building better tools for peacebuilding and prevention of deadly conflict,
and it is an essential partner of the US government and the conflict
prevention community.
To find out how your
representative voted, and to contact your representative, visit
http://capwiz.com/fconl/issues/votes/?votenum=372&chamber=H&congress=1121&
alertid=48422501.
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Get the word out on the
topics that matter most to you! The ACLU
has a tool that helps write and send letters to local papers. With such
a letter, you can help bring your message not only to your neighbors
but directly to the offices of your Members of Congress, where staffers
and our lawmakers themselves follow opinions
from home with an especially watchful eye.
For a
list of media outlets by state, with tips on how to write a letter in
your own words plus talking points for the listed topics, go to
http://action.aclu.org/site/PageServer?pagename=LTE_SOTU_2007&JServSessionIdr001=3bu4
9o8t91.app20a.
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Do you have a foreign policy
alternative that should be heard in the halls of government? Citizens for Global Solutions
provides an easy-to-use tool to find the foreign policy staffer
for your Member of Congress.
To access the Foreign Policy
Staffer Locator, go to
http://globalsolutions.org/hill/fpstaff.
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If you would like to post an EPS flyer on a
departmental bulletin board or similar venue, please contact Thea Harvey at theaharvey@epsusa.org.
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Upcoming Events
- June
16 - 17, 2011. Fifteenth Annual
Conference on Economics and Security
will be held in Bristol, UK, hosted by Economists for
Peace and Security (UK), University of West
England (Bristol), and University of Bristol.
More
information is available at
http://carecon.org.uk/Conferences/Conf2011.
- June
17 - 19, 2011. Global Network
19th Annual Space Organizing Conference: Raytheon, Missile
Offense, and Endless War will be held in North
Andover Massachusetts.
Get
the full conference program, schedule and registration brochure at
http://www.space4peace.org/.
- June
24 - 25, 2011. Department of International Economics 2011Conference
on Development Economics and Policy,
hosted by the KfW Development Bank and
DIW Berlin - German Institute for Economic Research. The keynote
speeches will be delivered by Alan Winters (Sussex University and
Chief Economist at DFID) and Eliana La Ferrara
(Bocconi University, Italy).
For
full details, please refer to
www2.vwl.wiso.uni-goettingen.de/ael/index.htm.
- June
27 - 29, 2011. 11th Annual Jan
Tinbergen Peace Science Conference, organized
by the Network of European Peace Scientists, will be held at
University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
For
more details, visit
http://www.europeanpeacescientists.org/jtinbergen.html.
- June
29 - July 1, 2011. 8th International
Conference Developments in Economic Theory and Policy.
The Department of Applied Economics V of the University of the Basque
Country and the Cambridge Centre for Economic and Public Policy,
Department of Land Economy, of the University of Cambridge, are
organizing the 8th International Conference Developments in
Economic Theory and Policy. The Conference will be held in Bilbao
(Spain).
For
more information, see
http://www.conferencedevelopments.com/.
- June
29 - July 3, 2011. The 86th Annual
Conference of The Western Economics Association International
will be held in San Diego, California.
Details
are available at
http://www.weainternational.org/.
- September
6 - 7, 2011. Conflict Research
Society Annual Conference will be held at
the Richardson Institute for Conflict and Peace Research,
Lancaster University, UK. The theme for this year's
conference is Has
War Gone Bust? Peace, Conflict and the Global Financial Crisis.
For
more information, go to
http://www.crs2011.org/index.php.
- November
11 - 13, 2011. ICAPE's 3rd
international research conference: Re-thinking economics in a time
of economic distress will be held at the
University of Massachusetts-Amherst, Amherst, MA.
The 2007-08 financial crisis and subsequent economic downturn have
raised many questions about how well prevailing economic
approaches identify and explain pressing economic problems and
suggest sound ways to solve them. Exploring what needs to change
in economics and identifying productive paths forward are the
central themes of The International Confederation of Associations
for Pluralism in Economics 3rd international research conference.
Full
details about the conference are available at
http://www.icape.org/conferences.html.
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How Can I Help?
Become a member of EPS. Your annual membership entitles you to discounts on
publications, invitations to events, our informative newsletters, and more.
Most importantly, by joining us you help to ensure that reasoned
perspectives on essential economic issues continue to be heard.
Membership dues and other donations are fully tax-deductible.
To become a member, go to
http://www.epsusa.org/membership/membership.htm.
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