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A Federal Reserve System Conference on Research in Applied Microeconomics - Review

This article summarizes some of the papers presented at the System Applied Microeconomics Conference organized and hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis on May 5-6, 2011. This annual conference brings together economists from the Federal Reserve District Banks across the Federal Reserve System and the Federal Reserve Board to present their latest economic research.

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The Rise in Personal Bankruptcies: The Eighth Federal Reserve District and Beyond - Review

Personal bankruptcy filings in the United States increased, per capita, nearly 350 percent between 1980 and 2005. This article first addresses the changes in economic and institutional factors that have occurred over the past 100 years, many of which have occurred in the past 30 years, which are likely contributors to the dramatic rise in personal bankruptcy filings seen across the country. 

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On the Size and Growth of Government - Review

The size of the U.S. federal government, as well as state and local governments, increased dramatically during the 20th century. This article reviews several theories of government size and growth that are dominant in the public choice and political science literature. 

research.stlouisfed.org/publications/review/2006/01/01/on-the-size-and-growth-of-government

Institutions and Government Growth: A Comparison of the 1890s and the 1930s - Review

Statistics on the size and growth of the U.S. federal government, in addition to public statements by President Franklin Roosevelt, seem to indicate that the Great Depression was the primary event that caused the dramatic growth in government spending and intervention in the private sector that continues to the present day.

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Social Security versus Private Retirement Accounts: A Historical Analysis - Review

This article compares Social Security benefits relative to those paid from private investments: specifically, whether 2003 retirees would gain more retirement income if they had invested their payroll taxes in private accounts during their working years.

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State Government Finances: World War II to the Current Crises - Review

This article examines the current state budget crises against the historical backdrop of past crises and states' evolving recipes for tax revenue.

research.stlouisfed.org/.../03/01/state-government-finances-world-war-ii-to-the-current-crises

The Geography, Economics, and Politics of Lottery Adoption - Review

Since New Hampshire introduced the first modern state-sponsored lottery in 1964, forty-one other states plus the District of Columbia have adopted lotteries. Lottery ticket sales in the United States topped billion in 2004, with state governments reaping nearly billion in net lottery revenue. 

research.stlouisfed.org/.../2006/05/01/the-geography-economics-and-politics-of-lottery-adoption

Pandemic Economics: The 1918 Influenza and Its Modern-Day Implications - Review

Many predictions of the economic and social costs of a modern-day pandemic are based on the effects of the influenza pandemic of 1918. Despite killing 675,000 people in the United States and 40 million worldwide, the influenza of 1918 has been nearly forgotten. The purpose of this article is to provide an overview of the influenza pandemic of 1918 in the United States, its economic effects, and its implications for a modern-day pandemic. 

research.stlouisfed.org/.../pandemic-economics-the-1918-influenza-and-its-modern-day-implications