Macroeconomic Modeling of Tax Policy: A Comparison of Current Methodologies

The macroeconomic effects of tax reform are a subject of significant discussion and controversy. In 2015, the House of Representatives adopted a new “dynamic scoring” rule requiring a point estimate within the budget window of the deficit effect due to the macroeconomic response to certain proposed tax legislation. The revenue estimates provided by the staff of the Joint Committee on Taxation (JCT) for major tax bills often play a critical role in Congressional deliberations and public discussion of those bills. The JCT has long had macroeconomic analytic capability, and in recent years, responding to Congress’ interest in macrodynamic estimates for purposes of scoring legislation, outside think tank groups — notably the Tax Policy Center and the Tax Foundation — have also developed macrodynamic estimation models. The May 2017 National Tax Association (NTA) Spring Symposium brought together the JCT with the Tax Foundation and the Tax Policy Center for a panel discussion regarding their respective macrodynamic estimating approaches. This paper reports on that discussion. Below each organization provides a general description of their macrodynamic modeling methodology and answers five questions posed by the convening authors

Transportation Module of Global Change Assessment Model (GCAM): Model Documentation- Version 1.0

This publication provides methodological detail on the new GCAM Transportation Module and contains the following: (1) Descriptions of the new transportation module in GCAM (2) Details about the data sources and methodology adopted to estimate the exogeneous input parameters (3) A summary of the region-specific transportation data for base year (2005) (4) Comparisons of these estimates across regions and modes. (5) Highlights of the uncertainty and shortcomings in our estimates The project broadly encompasses the following four refinements to the transportation sector of GCAM: 1) Increased resolution to include the full spectrum of sub-modes and technologies available in passenger and frieght transport; 2) Refined estimates of input parameters so as to better represent real-world heterogeneity in a way consistent with the latest literature on transportation; 3) Refined estimates of base year (2005) estimates of transportation demand, and disaggregation of IEA energy estimates between modes and size classes; 4) Included the non-motorized modes of walking and biking. The above refinements will not only allow us to develop better estimates of transportation energy demand and emissions, but will also enable modeling of the impact of policies that induce behavioral change and switching to different size classes within a single fuel type. Existing literature on long-term forecasts of transportation energy demand and emissions have focused on the role of advanced low-emission vehicle technologies and low-carbon energy carriers in achieving climate change goals. In GCAM, modeling the impact of policies in the form of varying levels of carbon prices has, to date, been restricted to consumer choices for different modes (e.g. rail versus personal car) and different vehicle technologies (e.g. internal combustion engine vehicles versus electric vehicle). A more detailed representation of the transportation sector – including various size classes of vehicles -- will allow us to estimate the potential for downsizing in the case of private modes (large LDV to midsize or compact LDVs), transfer to public modes (rail and bus) or to non-motorized transport (walking and biking), and adoption of energy efficient “new” modes like the electric-bikes, which have seen rapid adoption in China and other developing countries. This project aims to better represent the heterogeneity and flexibility in the transport system to allow the modeling of a broader range of transport policy intruments including subsidies to public transit, government incentives for alternative technology, transportation fuel taxes, and public investments to increase the speed, service frequency/availability, and comfort of public and nonmotorized modes

Climate impact of transportation A model comparison

Transportation contributes to a significant and rising share of global energy use and GHG emissions. Therefore modeling future travel demand, its fuel use, and resulting CO2 emission is highly relevant for climate change mitigation. In this study we compare the baseline projections for global service demand (passenger-kilometers, ton-kilometers), fuel use, and CO2 emissions of five different global transport models using harmonized input assumptions on income and population. For four models we also evaluate the impact of a carbon tax. All models project a steep increase in service demand over the century. Technology change is important for limiting energy consumption and CO2 emissions, the study also shows that in order to stabilise or even decrease emissions radical changes would be required. While all models project liquid fossil fuels dominating up to 2050, they differ regarding the use of alternative fuels (natural gas, hydrogen, biofuels, and electricity), because of different fuel price projections. The carbon tax of 200 USD/tCO2 in 2050 stabilizes or reverses global emission growth in all models. Besides common findings many differences in the model assumptions and projections indicate room for further understanding long-term trends and uncertainty in future transport system

Expanding Your Traditional Quick Books Course with Labyrinth Learning Digital Tools in an Online Environment

This Study focuses on processes and outcomes associated with an accounting faculty initiative to reform teaching and learning in the undergraduate accounting curriculum at a private university.  The purpose of this study is fourfold. First, the study examines the preparation for students in the workplace.  Second, retention and completion of students. Third, the study examines learning outcomes to improve undergraduate teaching. Lastly, the study aims to develop an understanding of how outcomes of digital tools technology-enhanced reform can serve to alleviate time constraints on accounting faculty and address challenges of faculty in an online environment

SDSS-IV MaNGA: the spatial distribution of star formation and its dependence on mass, structure, and environment

We study the spatially resolved star formation of 1494 galaxies in the SDSS-IV MaNGA Survey. Star formation rates (SFRs) are calculated using a two-step process, using H α in star-forming regions and Dn4000 in regions identified as active galactic nucleus/low-ionization (nuclear) emission region [AGN/LI(N)ER] or lineless. The roles of secular and environmental quenching processes are investigated by studying the dependence of the radial profiles of specific star formation rate on stellar mass, galaxy structure, and environment. We report on the existence of ‘centrally suppressed’ galaxies, which have suppressed Specific Star Formation Rate (SSFR) in their cores compared to their discs. The profiles of centrally suppressed and unsuppressed galaxies are distributed in a bimodal way. Galaxies with high stellar mass and core velocity dispersion are found to be much more likely to be centrally suppressed than low-mass galaxies, and we show that this is related to morphology and the presence of AGN/LI(N)ER like emission. Centrally suppressed galaxies also display lower star formation at all radii compared to unsuppressed galaxies. The profiles of central and satellite galaxies are also compared, and we find that satellite galaxies experience lower specific star formation rates at all radii than central galaxies. This uniform suppression could be a signal of the stripping of hot halo gas in the process known as strangulation. We find that satellites are not more likely to be suppressed in their cores than centrals, indicating that the core suppression is an entirely internal process. We find no correlation between the local environment density and the profiles of star formation rate surface density

Динамические тенденции в становлении предмета лингвоэкологии

Экологизация всех сфер общественной жизни и самого человека широко обсуждается во многих наука, а также и в области языка. Во многих работах лингвистов экология языка определяется как наука о взаимоотношениях между языком и его окружением, так как язык существует не только в сознании говорящих на нем и функционирует только при взаимоотношениях с другими коммуникантами и с их социальным и природным окружением. В этом контексте понятие «языковое сознание» представляет собой специфическую картину взаимосвязи культуры и общественной жизни социума, которая определяет его психологическое своеобразие и специфические черты данного языка

Thematic Dimensions of Grandparent Caregiving: A Focus Group Approach

The present study involved 75 grandparent caregivers (M age = 59) who participated in focus groups targeting their needs and concerns relevant to raising their grandchildren. Based upon a qualitative analysis of group session notes reliably cross referenced across 3 observers, the following themes emerged: 1) Isolation, disenfranchisement, and marginalization with regard to others, 2) Difficulty in dealing with and frustration with the adult child whose child one is raising, 3) The need to be able to cope with one’s own emotions and life situation, 4) Difficulties in coping with the emotional, interpersonal, or behavioral problems of the grandchild, 5) Getting competent, trustworthy, and affordable child (day) care/respite care, 6) Frustration with service providers, 7) Ignorance of what social, medical, psychological, and legal services are available or difficulty in affording or accessing such services, 8) Challenges in managing other life stresses that are superimposed upon or consequences of the demands of raising a grandchild, 9) A lack of legal standing as the grandchild’s caregiver, and 10) A lack of parenting skills and knowledge about child development. Discussed here is the fact that these thematic concerns expressed by grandparent caregivers have a number of implications for grandfamilies’ mental and physical health, access to services, the lessening of isolation and stigmatization among such persons, and the design and implementation of interventions for them