Economy : Economic News, Policy & Analysis

The rise of fake engine #noise
▻http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/americas-best-selling-cars-and-trucks-are-built-on-lies-the-rise-of-fake-engine-noise/2015/01/21/6db09a10-a0ba-11e4-b146-577832eafcb4_story.html #automobile #nostalgia #pollution

Is this real ? Just as bad as #fake camera shutter sounds and digitally added film grain - pure backwardness.

La #France, précieux partenaire de l’espionnage de la #NSA
►http://www.lemonde.fr/technologies/article/2013/11/29/la-france-precieux-partenaire-de-l-espionnage-de-la-nsa_3522653_651865.html

L’indignation manifestée par le chef de l’Etat français auprès de son homologue américain, après la publication, fin octobre, par Le Monde, de documents internes de l’Agence national de sécurité (NSA), montrant l’ampleur de l’espionnage à l’encontre des intérêts français, a pu laisser croire que la France était une parfaite victime.

De nouvelles pièces, transmises au Monde par Edward Snowden, un ancien consultant de la NSA, lèvent, pourtant, le voile sur une autre réalité : celle des liens extrêmement étroits noués par les services secrets français, la Direction générale des services extérieurs (#DGSE), avec, d’une part, la NSA et, d’autre part, son équivalent britannique, le #GCHQ, soit les deux plus puissantes structures d’interceptions techniques au monde.

Ces nouveaux éléments montrent comment et à quel point, au nom de la lutte antiterroriste, la DGSE a construit et structuré ses échanges avec les Etats-Unis et la Grande-Bretagne. La coopération s’est développée sur le terrain du renseignement technique et humain. Dans le cadre d’un troc, la décision a ensuite été prise de transférer à la NSA et au GCHQ des stocks massifs de données transitant sur le sol français.

Ces documents internes à la NSA ou au GCHQ attestent que les décisions inhérentes à la création de ce versement dans un vaste pot commun de données privées et publiques françaises se sont prises, en grande partie, au niveau des directeurs des services secrets techniques de ces pays. Ils posent la question du pouvoir et de la place prise par les techniciens du renseignement qui ont pu, à certains égards, s’affranchir de leur tutelle politique et des lois protégeant les libertés.

#pouvoir

Among American workers, poll finds unprecedented anxiety about jobs, economy - The Washington Post
▻http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/among-american-workers-poll-finds-unprecedented-anxiety-about-jobs-economy/2013/11/25/fb6a5ac8-5145-11e3-a7f0-b790929232e1_print.html

More than six in 10 workers in a recent Washington Post-Miller Center poll worry that they will lose their jobs to the economy, surpassing concerns in more than a dozen surveys dating to the 1970s. Nearly one in three, 32 percent, say they worry “a lot” about losing their jobs, also a record high, according to the joint survey, which explores Americans’ changing definition of success and their confidence in the country’s future. The Miller Center is a nonpartisan affiliate of the University of Virginia specializing in public policy, presidential scholarship and political history.

Job insecurities have always been higher among low-income Americans, but they typically rose and fell across all levels of the income ladder. Today, workers at the bottom have drifted away, occupying their own island of in­security.

Fifty-four percent of workers making $35,000 or less now worry “a lot” about losing their jobs, compared with 37 percent of ­lower-income workers in 1992 and an identical number in 1975, according to surveys by Time magazine, CNN and Yankelovich, a market research firm. Intense worry is far lower, 29 percent, among workers with incomes between $35,000 and $75,000, and it drops to 17 percent among those with incomes above that level.

Improving U.S. oil production reaches milestone in October, agency says
▻http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/improving-us-oil-production-reaches-milestone-in-october-agency-says/2013/11/13/dd01db86-4c97-11e3-9890-a1e0997fb0c0_story.html

The United States produced more crude oil in October than it imported for the first time since early 1995, as domestic shale oil output continued to surge and U.S. consumption of petroleum products remained relatively flat, the Energy Information Administration said Wednesday.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2013/11/14/National-Economy/Graphics/w-oil1114.jpg

The trend is expected to continue for another decade as U.S. domestic oil supplies grow and reliance on imports shrinks, easing one of the main sources of pressure on global oil markets.

The turnaround in U.S. oil fortunes has been rapid. Five years ago, U.S. oil production hit a 62-year low. Since then, domestic production has increased by more than 50 percent.

#énergie #pétrole #pétrole_de_schiste #Etats-Unis

Pharmaceutical firms paid to attend meetings of panel that advises FDA
▻http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/pharmaceutical-firms-paid-to-attend-meetings-of-panel-that-advises-fda-e-mails-show/2013/10/06/a02a2548-2b80-11e3-b139-029811dbb57f_print.html

A scientific panel that shaped the federal government’s policy for testing the safety and effectiveness of painkillers was funded by major pharmaceutical companies that paid hundreds of thousands of dollars for the chance to affect the thinking of the Food and Drug Administration, according to hundreds of e-mails obtained by a public records request.

The e-mails show that the companies paid as much as $25,000 to attend any given meeting of the panel, which had been set up by two academics to provide advice to the FDA on how to weigh the evidence from clinical trials. A leading FDA official later called the group “an essential collaborative effort.”

Patient advocacy groups said the electronic communications suggest that the regulators had become too close to the companies trying to crack into the $9 billion painkiller market in the United States. FDA officials who regulate painkillers sat on the steering committee of the panel, which met in private, and co-wrote papers with employees of pharmaceutical companies.

The FDA has been criticized for failing to take precautions that might have averted the epidemic of addiction to prescription drugs including Oxycontin and other opioids.

“These e-mails help explain the disastrous decisions the FDA’s analgesic division has made over the last 10 years,” said Craig Mayton, the Columbus, Ohio, attorney who made the public records request to the University of Washington. “Instead of protecting the public health, the FDA has been allowing the drug companies to pay for a seat at a small table where all the rules were written.”

Even as the meetings were taking place, the idea of FDA officials meeting with firms that had paid big money for an invitation raised eyebrows for some. In an e-mail to organizers, an official from the National Institutes of Health worried whether the arrangements made it look as if the private meetings were a “pay to play process.”

FDA officials did not benefit financially from their participation in the meetings, the agency said. But two later went on to work as pharmaceutical consultants and more than this, the critics said, the e-mails portray an agency that, by allowing itself to get caught up in a panel that seemed to promise influence for money, had blurred the line between the regulators and the regulated.

In a statement, the FDA said “we take these concerns very seriously.” But, it said, “we are unaware of any improprieties” associated with the group.

The group was organized by two medical professors, Robert Dworkin of the University of Rochester and Dennis Turk of the University of Washington, and the e-mails for the most part describe their efforts at financing and organizing the group’s meetings.

The two professors received as much as $50,000 apiece for a meeting, money that went to their academic research accounts and paid for research assistants and expenses “or to cover a small percentage of faculty effort,” they said. At one point in the e-mails, they proposed that they receive honoraria of $5,000 apiece for a four-hour meeting at a hotel near the FDA offices.

#pharma #big_pharma #corruption #porte_tournante #fda

Growing use of FBI screens raises concerns over accuracy, racial bias - The Washington Post
▻http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/growing-use-of-fbi-screens-raises-concerns-over-accuracy-racial-bias/2013/07/29/d201ecda-f49f-11e2-aa2e-4088616498b4_story.html

Employers are increasingly turning to the FBI’s criminal databases to screen job applicants, sparking concerns about the accuracy of the agency’s information and the potential for racial discrimination.

Many of the FBI’s records list only arrests and not the outcomes of those cases, such as convictions. Consumer groups say that missing information often results in job applicants who are wrongfully rejected. A lawsuit filed against the Commerce Department by minorities alleges that the use of incomplete databases means that African Americans and Hispanics are denied work in disproportionate numbers.

Twenty states say that as many as 30 percent of their case files do not include a final ruling, making it unclear whether someone who was arrested was convicted. Because African Americans make up 13 percent of the U.S. population but 28 percent of all arrests, some advocates say the inaccuracy of case files puts higher numbers of African Americans at risk when applying for jobs that require background checks. Overall, the number of FBI background checks for employers has increased six fold since 2002.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/special/business/images/w-background.jpg

Two companies accused of discrimination in hiring
▻http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/two-companies-accused-of-discriminating-in-hiring/2013/06/11/b4d4f292-c173-11e2-8bd8-2788030e6b44_story.html

The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Tuesday accused two major companies of indirectly discriminating against African Americans by using criminal background checks to screen out workers.

The commission said BMW effectively fired 70 black employees with criminal histories from a facility in South Carolina, even though many had been there for years. One woman with 14 years under her belt was let go after a misdemeanor conviction surfaced that was more than 20 years old and carried a $137 fine, according to the EEOC’s lawsuit.

Based on data from 176 countries, IMF estimates energy subsidies at $1.9 trillion - equivalent to about 2½ percent of world GDP… Doesn’t even account for unprosecuted negative externalities such as pollution from cheap oil and cheap coal. ▻http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/imf-citing-trillions-in-government-subsidies-calls-for-end-to-mispricing-of-energy/2013/03/27/09957d6e-96e1-11e2-814b-063623d80a60_print.html

As drug industry’s influence over research grows, so does the potential for bias
►http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/as-drug-industrys-influence-over-research-grows-so-does-the-potential-for-bias/2012/11/24/bb64d596-1264-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9_story.html

What only careful readers of the article would have gleaned is the extent of the financial connections between the drugmaker and the research. The trial had been funded by GlaxoSmithKline, and each of the 11 authors had received money from the company. Four were employees and held company stock. The other seven were academic experts who had received grants or consultant fees from the firm.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/rw/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2012/11/25/National-Economy/Graphics/w-journalconnections.jpg

Skype, le meilleur ami de la police :

Skype makes chats and user data more available to police - The Washington Post
►http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/skype-makes-chats-and-user-data-more-available-to-police/2012/07/25/gJQAobI39W_story.html

Skype, the online phone service long favored by political dissidents, criminals and others eager to communicate beyond the reach of governments, has expanded its cooperation with law enforcement authorities to make online chats and other user information available to police, said industry and government officials familiar with the changes.

Surveillance of the audio and video feeds remains impractical — even when courts issue warrants, say industry officials with direct knowledge of the matter. But that barrier could eventually vanish as Skype becomes one of the world’s most popular forms of telecommunication.

#Skype #Police #Surveillance #US

Anemia drugs made billions, but at what cost?
►http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/anemia-drug-made-billions-but-at-what-cost/2012/07/19/gJQAX5yqwW_story.html

The trouble, as a growing body of research has shown, is that for about two decades, the benefits of the drug — including “life satisfaction and happiness” according to the FDA-approved label — were wildly overstated, and potentially lethal side effects, such as cancer and strokes, were overlooked.

#pharma #lobby

The toil index | Robert Frank
►http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/economists-explain-2011-in-charts/2011/12/21/gIQAT3lg9O_gallery.html#photo=12

http://img.wpdigital.net/rf/image_606w/2010-2019/WashingtonPost/2011/12/21/National-Economy/Images/frank.jpg

Robert Frank, New York University

“My entry is the attached graph of what I call the Toil Index. It’s an index I constructed to portray the most dramatic element of the middle-class squeeze — the effort required to rent a house served by a school of average quality.”

#économie #data #travail

Carrier IQ faces federal probe into allegations software tracks cellphone data

►http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/feds-probing-carrier-iq/2011/12/14/gIQA9nCEuO_story.html

Growing field of ‘smart grid’ technology faces opposition over pricing, privacy - The Washington Post
►http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/growing-field-of-smart-grid-technology-faces-opposition-over-pricing-privacy/2011/11/07/gIQARbH5BN_story.html

l’#électricité intelligente, ça ne marche pas parce … les utilisateurs s’en fichent

Italy plans tough new measures against rioters - The Washington Post
►http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/italy-plans-tough-new-measures-against-rioters/2011/10/18/gIQA8hpouL_story.html

Italy’s interior minister, under fire for failing to prevent the worst riots in Rome for years, is to propose reviving a law from the country’s bloody “years of lead” to combat violent protests.

Italy plans tough new measures against rioters (via @NetLib)
►http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/italy-plans-tough-new-measures-against-rioters/2011/10/18/gIQA8hpouL_story.html

Roberto Maroni said he agreed with opposition politician Antonio Di Pietro, a former magistrate, who suggested reviving a law from the 1970s, when Italy was racked by leftwing protests and urban guerrilla violence that came close to destabilising the state. The law allowed police to use firearms, when necessary, and banned the wearing of helmets or masks during demonstrations. It also provided for preventive detention of demonstrators suspected of planning violence.

#riots #police #Italie #émeutes

House GOP leaders delay vote on debt plan - The Washington Post
►http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/boehner-other-gop-leaders-ramp-up-pressure-on-republicans-to-pass-debt-plan/2011/07/28/gIQARD5veI_story.html

Two lawmakers — Reps. Jeff Duncan and Mick Mulvaney — left the office and went into a nearby chapel, telling reporters they were praying over the matter and for their leadership.

Rep. Tim Scott (S.C.), a liaison to leadership for the freshmen class, said he was still opposed to the legislation. He added that leaders have told him they are on the brink of securing the 217 votes needed, but still just short.

“I hear three votes, four votes, it’s very close. They’re only a handful away,” he said.

Scott then joined Duncan and Mulvaney in the chapel. About 45 minutes later, they emerged and headed downstairs to the first-floor offices of House Majority Whip Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), where Boehner,Cantor and McCarthy were waiting.

Pendant 45 minutes, donc : « Seigneur, Éloigne de moi la tentation d’augmenter du plafond de la dette ».

Paper industry pushed further into the black by ‘black liquor’ tax credits - The Washington Post
►http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/paper-industry-pushed-further-into-the-black-by-black-liquor-tax-credits/2011/04/19/AFdkrMtE_story.html

The paper industry — which in 2009 raked in billions of dollars in federal subsidies originally intended to promote alternative highway fuels — is now using a different #biofuel #tax credit to cut its tax bills for 2010 and beyond by hundreds of millions of dollars more.

#uncut

OK, fini de jouer. La démocratie, ça va bien deux minutes, mais après, il faut se souvenir de qui est le chef.

Il y a cinq mois, les Grecs votaient, et acceptaient de « renouveler leur confiance au parti au pouvoir », dans un scrutin en forme de « référendum sur sa politique de rigueur » :
►http://www.presseurop.eu/fr/content/news-brief-cover/388401-la-rigueur-confortee-dans-les-urnes

Les braves Grecs votaient donc « pour » la rigueur. Pour l’aspect démocratique, il fallait noter :

Le même jour, la mission de la “troïka” (Commission européenne, BCE, FMI) est arrivée à Athènes pour évaluer l’application du plan de rigueur et approuver ou non le versement de la troisième tranche du prêt de 110 milliards d’euros.

En clair : les bailleurs de fond s’étaient déplacé, mettant clairement l’aide internationale sous condition du vote en cours.

Maintenant, les américains et le FMI viennent siffler la fin de la partie en Égypte :
►http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/us-imf-missions-in-egypt-to-discuss-economic-aid/2011/04/05/AFnquWlC_story.html

U.S. and International Monetary Fund officials are in Cairo this week for talks on how to avert an economic crisis in a country where revolutionary fervor has left government finances reeling and cast a broad cloud of suspicion over the nation’s business class.

En effet, pour le FMI, il y a de quoi s’inquiéter :

Corruption investigations against former president Hosni Mubarak and other former high-ranking officials and business figures are proceeding as part of the country’s political transition. But they have also raised questions about whether the economic reforms championed by those such as Gamal Mubarak, the ex-president’s son who is due to be questioned in a corruption probe next week, will give way to a more government-oriented economy less open to global corporations and capital.

La conclusion à notre futur Président humaniste-de-gauche :

In Egypt “the macroeconomic situation was not that bad before the crisis. But it’s a country, like many in the Middle East, where beyond the macro figures the distribution was a big issue,” IMF Director Dominique Strauss-Kahn said Tuesday. “The increase in prices of food and fuel understandably creates the temptation to help with subsidies. A big change is happening there with the push towards democracy; at the same time they must be careful not to create problems for their fiscal sustainability.”

L’article fait explicitement le lien, plusieurs fois, entre les suspicions de corruption qui touchent l’élite économique du pays et le déplacement du FMI (après la révolution, que vont devenir les entreprises détenues par des individus qui se sont enrichi grâce au système autoritaire, que va devenir l’affairisme que l’on appelle ici néo-libéralisme ?), et Strauss-Kahn fait mine de parler des subventions à la nourriture.

#FMI #Égypte #économie