Many analysts seem to have missed the fact that the plunge in house prices has sharply reduced homeowners’ equity. According to data from the Federal Reserve Board, the ratio of homeowners’ equity to value at the end of the first quarter was just 38.0 percent at the end of the first quarter, the lowest on […]
Author Archive | Policy Research
Humala’s Win in Peru Consolidates Gains for Left, More Independent and Democratic South America
Ollanta Humala’s apparent presidential electoral victory in Peru represents a consolidation of the gains made by left-leaning leaders in South America over the past decade, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) Co-Director Mark Weisbrot said today. “Democracy, national and regional independence, and economic and social progress have gone hand-in-hand with South America’s leftward political […]
Haiti: UN Panel Links Cholera to MINUSTAH Base; MINUSTAH Continues to Shift Blame
The UN “independent panel” released their long awaited report (PDF) on the origin of cholera in Haiti. Although the ultimate conclusion of the panel was that “the Haiti cholera outbreak was caused by the confluence of circumstances . . . and was not the fault of, or deliberate action of, a group or individual,” the […]
Current PEs Make Risk-Free Rate of Return on Public Pensions Highly Unlikely
Debate over public pension funds continues unabated across the nation. Some have argued that states should assume a risk-free rate of return on pension fund assets, which makes funding shortfalls appear considerably larger. A new calculator from the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) demonstrates that such a low rate of return is extremely […]
Ecuador’s Expulsion of U.S. Ambassador
A declaration by the Ecuadorian government that U.S. Ambassador Heather Hodges is “persona non grata” and must leave Ecuador as soon as possible should not come as a surprise, Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, said. Weisbrot noted that the expulsion follows recent troubling revelations in cables released by Wikileaks […]
“Big Setback” for Haitian Democracy as U.S. Gets Its Way; Forces Runoff Elections between Two Right-Wing Candidates, CEPR Co-Director Says
Second Round Will Be between Candidates Who Received around 6.4% and 4.5% Percent Support from Registered Voters in First Round, Respectively Haiti’s democracy and national sovereignty were severely undermined today, Mark Weisbrot, the co-director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), said today, reacting to news that Haiti’s Provisional Electoral Council (CEP) had […]
Online Calculator Estimates Retirement Income, Showing Importance of Social Security
In his State of the Union address, President Obama insisted on the need to protect Social Security and ensure that future generations can depend on it. Nevertheless, it appears that some in Congress are considering major changes to the program. Unfortunately, many people do not understand the program’s solvency or the likely importance that it […]
Haiti: Recount and Review of Election Tally Shows Massive Irregularities
An independent recount and review of 11,171 tally sheets from Haiti’s November 28 election shows that the outcome of the election is indeterminate. The review, conducted by the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), found massive irregularities and errors in the tally. A report detailing the recount’s findings, and methodology, will be made available […]
Haiti: U.S. Providing Millions in Electoral Assistance for “Election” That Excludes Major Political Parties from Ballot
Washington, D.C. – “The Obama Administration should explain why it is contributing millions of dollars for Haiti’s November 28 presidential and legislative elections, despite the arbitrary exclusion of over a dozen political parties — including the country’s largest party — from the ballot,” Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, said […]
Proposed Amnesty Serves to Whitewash Honduran Coup
Vote Expected Next Week to Absolve Honduran Military of Crimes, Even as Murders Continue. The international community should offer no support for planned amnesty for the perpetrators of the Honduran coup, Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, said today. Noting that both ousted President Manuel Zelaya and coup leaders previously […]
Honduran Elections Marred by Police Violence, Censorship, International Non-Recognition
Elections Won’t Resolve Political Crisis; Democracy Must Be Restored Before Free Elections Can Be Held. Elections conducted in a climate of fear, human rights violations, and international non-recognition won’t resolve the political crisis in Honduras, said Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research. “Only a few governments that the U.S. State […]
U.S. Group That Supported Overthrows of Democratically Elected Governments in Haiti and Venezuela Will Observe Elections in Honduras
International Republican Institute and National Democratic Institute Plan to Observe Elections Controlled by Honduran Military and Police Cf. Eva Golinger, “The Role of the International Republican Institute (IRI) in the Honduran Coup” (Postcards from the Revolution , 6 July 2009) Washington, D.C. – The National Democratic Institute (NDI) and the International Republican Institute (IRI), organizations […]
Honduras’ Most Prominent Human Rights Expert Calls on Obama Administration to Denounce “Grave Human Rights Violations”
Too Late to Have Free Elections This Month, She Says from Washington Washington, D.C. — Bertha Oliva, the head of Honduras’ most well-known and respected human rights organization, called on the Obama administration to denounce the “grave human right violations” in Honduras. “How can it be that the United States government is silent while Hondurans […]
Agreement to Restore Zelaya, If Honored, Will Be a Victory for Democracy in the Hemisphere, CEPR Co-Director Says
Washington, D.C. — News of a deal that would effectively end the coup d’etat in Honduras and restore democratically elected President Manuel Zelaya to office would be a “victory for democracy in the hemisphere” resulting from the continued resistance of the Honduran people and pressure from Latin American governments, Center for Economic and Policy Research […]
Brazil, at Organization of American States, Accuses Honduran Coup Regime of “Torture”
Washington, D.C. — The Brazilian government’s Ambassador to the Organization of American States, Ruy de Lima Casaes e Silva, accused the Honduran coup regime of “torture” in its ongoing attacks on Brazil’s embassy in Honduras. Ambassador Lima Casaes described an elaborate series of measures taken by the Honduran security forces surrounding the Embassy to cause […]
State Department Officials Signal Moves towards Recognizing November Elections in Honduras
Washington, D.C. — Although the official policy of the Obama administration is that it will not recognize next month’s elections in Honduras if democracy is not restored first, it became clear last week that some State Department officials are undermining this position and signaling that the U.S. could accept the results of the November 29 […]
Honduras Coup Regime Suspends Constitutional Rights, Closes Media, Threatens Brazil: Will Obama Administration Break Its Silence?
Washington, D.C. – The Honduran de facto regime suspended constitutional guarantees to civil liberties, including freedom of assembly and freedom of the press, for 45 days on the eve of mass protests planned to mark the three-month anniversary since the coup d’etat against President Manuel Zelaya took place. The regime has also shut down Radio […]
Zelaya Reported Back in Honduras: Washington Will Have to Choose Sides, Says CEPR Co-Director Mark Weisbrot
September 21, 2009 Washington, D.C. — President Manuel Zelaya’s reported return to Honduras would be a significant move and could force an end to the political crisis that followed the June 28 coup d’etat, Mark Weisbrot, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research, said today. “This could be the moment of truth for […]
U.S. Continues to Provide Honduran Regime with MCC Aid Money, Despite Having Cut Off Other Countries Following Coups
The U.S. continues to provide the coup regime in Honduras with tens of millions of dollars in aid money through the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC), despite having cut off MCC assistance to Mauritania and Madagascar following coups d’etat in those countries, the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) describes in a new issue brief. […]
Obama Administration Should Demand an End to Coup Regime’s Killings in Honduras
13 August 2009, Washington, D. C. — The Obama administration has an obligation to demand that the de facto regime in Honduras stop ongoing political killings and other human rights abuses, Center for Economic and Policy Research Co-Director Mark Weisbrot said today. Weisbrot noted that human rights observers and international media have documented the killings […]
