Search Results
Journal Article
Features: Food Banks: Lifelines to Those in Need
It's a Friday night and food distribution at the Chesterfield Food Bank Outreach Center, pictured above, is in full swing. Inside the cavernous warehouse in suburban Richmond, across the street from a veterinary clinic and an auto shop, staff members keep everyone on task while the latest pop hits keep the beat. Scores of volunteers — retirees, religious and scout groups, and families — work the different sections of fresh fruits and vegetables, frozen meats, canned and dry goods, and more. Many sing along as they fill the shopping carts of other volunteers cycling through a canyon of ...
Briefing
Secular Trends in Macroeconomics and Firm Dynamics: A Conference Recap
How does declining population growth affect firm dynamics? Is income growth volatility decreasing in the U.S.? How do changes in housing prices affect young businesses? Have investments in artificial intelligence improved productivity? These were among the questions addressed by economists during a recent Richmond Fed research conference.
Journal Article
Features: Rethinking Retirement Savings
How much is enough to live comfortably in retirement? Would $30,000 a year be enough? Maybe if you live in a low-cost area, and the house is paid off. How about $15,000? It would be a stretch, at best. Yet recent census numbers indicate millions of Americans over the age of 65 must figure out how to make ends meet on these incomes. A quarter of seniors, almost 14 million retirees, live on only $15,000, while a little over half, 29 million retirees, live on only $30,000 a year. For these Americans, the prospects of a comfortable retirement appear uncertain.
Discussion Paper
Creating a STEM Employment Pipeline in Eastern North Carolina Schools
The communities of eastern North Carolina are working to develop and maintain a workforce that will support existing employers and attract additional STEM industries to the region. NC East Alliance, an economic development organization representing 29 counties, is partnering with 29 school districts and 14 community colleges to train students in the skills needed for possible jobs in those fields.
Briefing
The Center for Advancing Women in Economics: A Conference Recap
Economists from the Richmond Fed, research universities and other institutions met in Richmond for the Center for Advancing Women in Economics (AWE) conference in November. Women researchers presented papers on a variety of topics, including unconventional monetary and fiscal policy, global inflation patterns, worker responses to labor shocks, capital flows and risk, changes in U.S. supply chains, and the dynamics of official lending.The conference concluded with a panel discussion on the challenges and opportunities for academic research to inform policy. AWE Director Marina Azzimonti served ...
Journal Article
Federal Reserve: Reserve Bank Boards of Directors
The boards of directors of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks are not typical boards. To be sure, they carry out many of the usual responsibilities of corporate governance, such as approving a strategic plan and monitoring operations, auditing and risk, human resources, executive compensation, and the like. But unlike private sector boards that are primarily concerned with firms' financial health and growth projections, Fed directors are also charged with a much broader task that makes them not just unique among institutional boards, but within American society at large: assisting in the ...
Journal Article
The Post-9/11 GI Bill
In 2008, Congress passed and President George W. Bush signed the largest expansion of federal education aid to veterans since the original GI Bill at the end of World War II. Under the Post-9/11 Veterans' Educational Assistance Act of 2008, commonly known as the Post-9/11 GI Bill, service members who served at least 90 days on active duty after Sept. 10, 2001, or their dependents, are entitled to up to 36 months of educational assistance to pursue higher education. Depending on the program, they can receive education or job training tuition, books, and fees, as well as a monthly housing ...
Journal Article
Federal Reserve: The Fed's Dollar Liquidity Swap Lines
The World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic on March 11, 2020, and fear and uncertainty permeated daily life. The global economy was not immune from the panic. Dollars were quickly becoming scarce: Global trading of the currency ground to a halt, and since dollars were about the safest asset available, those who had them were not about to part with them. On top of that, a spike in demand by those seeking the safety of dollars led to a rapid increase in price. But the dollar was the world's dominant currency and medium of exchange. Without it, banks around the world wouldn't be ...
Journal Article
At the Richmond Fed: CORE Week
In February 2021, Richmond Fed Research Director Kartik Athreya and his colleagues began to think about how to increase the visibility of the Fed’s economic research and how they might better attract and retain top, diverse talent. At the same time, the shift to remote work brought on by COVID-19 led Athreya and several senior colleagues also to consider how to make the most of this new work environment. They asked the research department’s economists to identify what elements of their work could be done remotely and what required everyone to be together in person.
Briefing
Intermediation and Bank Liquidity: A Conference Recap
How might a central bank digital currency alter banking system operations? What is the effect of credit easing on the dynamics of bank runs? Does increased competition among banks mean a more fragile banking system, and what can be done about it? These were among the research questions addressed by economists during a recent Richmond Fed research conference.