This paper examines how economic determinants affect foreign direct investment into a sample of Western European and transition countries from 1990 to 2003. The observed differences in the flow of foreign investment into the transition countries, relative to those in Western Europe, provokes the...

This paper summarizes changes in housing prices during the recent U.S. boom and bust from various geographic perspectives. Nationally, the Standard & Poor’s/Case-Shiller house price index more than doubled in nominal terms during the boom and has fallen by roughly a third subsequently. During...

Income inequality has been rising in the United States and other developed countries. The March 2012 Page One Economics Newsletter discusses income inequality, its causes, and some possible policy solutions.

Although the recent Great Recession was severe, its financial impact never paralleled that of the Great Depression. The November Newsletter compares these two economic downturns and shows how lessons learned in the Great Depression helped current Federal Reserve policymakers stabilize the...

Financial crises and recessions have often led to significant financial reform. Perhaps the most noteworthy financial reform of the past century was the formation of the Federal Reserve System in 1913. This month's newsletter provides historical details of events leading up to the founding of...

All inflation isn't bad—a moderate amount can signal a healthy economy. But high inflation, such as that during the Great Inflation, can lead to a viscious cycle where expectations of higher inflation lead to further increases in the price level. Read the October 2012 Page One Economics...

The possibilities of substituting communications for transportation in urban settings is investigated in a case study of an insurance company. An optimization model is developed for determining the number and location of sites to be selected, and the results of the optimization are used as part...