Publications

The Role of Financing in International Trade during Good Times and Bad

By Silvio Contessi and Francesca de Nicola

The collapse of trade during the financial crisis can be tied, for the most part, to a drop in demand. Less talked about, however, is the role of financing—or lack thereof.

(1 Ratings)

Is Shadow Banking Really Banking?

By Bryan J. Noeth and Rajdeep Sengupta

To those who don't know, the term "shadow banking" probably has a negative connotation. This primer draws parallels between what has been termed the shadow banking sector and the traditional banking sector—showing that they are similar in many ways.

(0 Ratings)

Questions about the Budget Deficit of the U.S. Have No Easy Answers

By William R. Emmons

This Q&A on the federal deficit is a preview of the "Dialogue with the Fed" that the public is invited to Oct. 18 at the St. Louis Fed.

(0 Ratings)

Why Health Care Matters and the Current Debt Does Not

By Brett W. Fawley and Luciana Juvenal

All of the attention given to raising the debt ceiling this past summer might lead some to believe that spending by the federal government only recently became unsustainable. Hardly. We've been on this path a long time.

(0 Ratings)

Agriculture Banks Are Outperforming Their Peers, But How Long Will It Last?

By Gary S. Corner

With soaring commodity prices and farmland values in recent years, banks with an agricultural focus (where at least 25 percent of total loans are production and farmland loans) have outperformed their community bank peers. Find out what risks agriculture banks may face.

(13 Ratings)

Commodity Price Gains: Speculation vs. Fundamentals

By Brett W. Fawley and Luciana Juvenal

Commodities of all sorts have risen in price over the past few years. Some say that the prices reflect a bubble, driven by low interest rates and excessive speculation. Others say the price gains can be fully explained by supply and demand.

(0 Ratings)

Recent Accounting Standard Update Clarifies and Adds Guidance to Troubled Debt Restructurings

By Jim Warren

Although some believe the changes could lead to more loans reported as troubled debt restructurings, the update’s purpose is to explain and expand on previous guidance.

(7 Ratings)

Replicating the Harlem Children's Zone: How a Charter School Tax Credit Could Bring Human Capital Investment to Scale

By Ian Galloway

Every year, 1.2 million students drop out of high school in the United States. A clear moral and policy failure, this ongoing crisis is also an economic disaster.

(10 Ratings)

The Foreclosure Crisis in 2008: Predatory Lending or Household Overreaching?

At least early in the financial crisis, the high rate of foreclosures seemed to be due more to households' overreaching than to predatory lending. A disproportionate number of those being foreclosed on were well-educated, well-off and relatively young people.

(0 Ratings)

The Mismatch between Job Openings and Job Seekers

By Maria E. Canon and Mingyu Chen

Today's high unemployment rate is often linked to a structural imbalance—a mismatch between the skills and location required to fill vacant jobs and the skills and geographical preferences of the unemployed. But the evidence downplays the role of this mismatch.

(0 Ratings)

Cards, Cards and More Cards: The Evolution to Prepaid Cards

(0 Ratings)

Jobless Recoveries: Causes and Consequences

By Natalia A. Kolesnikova and Yang Liu

(0 Ratings)

Most Community Banks Will Pay Lower Premiums under FDIC Assessment Rules

By James W. Fuchs and Andrew P. Meyer

Find out why community banks will benefit from the new FDIC assessment base as called for under the Dodd-Frank Act.

(0 Ratings)

Prepaid Market is Small But Growing Rapidly

(0 Ratings)

Reflections on Exploring Innovation

By David C. Reiling

This issue of Bridges is devoted to topics covered during the Exploring Innovation conference in St. Louis. For more in-depth coverage of conference happenings, visit 2011.exploringinnovation.org

(17 Ratings)

Which Came First—Better Education or Better Health?

By Rubén Hernández-Murillo and Christopher J. Martinek

Better-educated people appear to be in better health than less-educated people. But does more education cause better health, or are there other factors at play – such as income and access to information?

(14 Ratings)

All I Really Need To Know About Microfinance I Learned in Bangladesh

By Daniel P. Davis

Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger once called Bangladesh the world’s “basket case.” Unfortunately, the perception that many people still have of this little country consists of one simple idea—it’s one of the poorest countries in the world. But Bangladesh—poised for record growth—is the cradle of modern-day microfinance. Daniel Davis traveled there as a participant in the 17th Biennial International Consortium on Social Development Symposium and discovered a different world, one with some potential solutions for economic development in America.

(96 Ratings)

Campus Microfinance Funds: Connecting Campuses to Communities

By Lyn E. Haralson

(50 Ratings)

Forecasters Expect Solid Growth, Low Inflation in 2011

By Kevin L. Kliesen

(21 Ratings)

Low Interest Rates Have Benefits …and Costs

In late December 2007, most economists realized that the economy was slowing. However, very few predicted an outright recession. Like most professional forecasters, the Federal Open Market Committee (FOMC) initially underestimated the severity of the recession.

(32 Ratings)

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