Beyond Labels

A 360° Discussion of Foreign, National and Local Policy Issues

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Executive Compensation at Non-Profits

October 29, 2013
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This topic was discussed on November 4, 2013.

Given that we are now in the middle of the college football season, how can we resist turning our attention to football coaches’ pay. With at least two earning more than $5 million per year, is this really where we want our institutions of higher education, especially public ones, to be putting their resources?

Here’s a link to a USA Today article to get you started:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2013/02/11/college-football-coach-salary-changes-ncaa/1907359/

More broadly, there have been lots of news stories about “excessive” executive compensation at non-profits…should college football coaches be paid more than their college president? Should a college president be paid more than a star faculty member? Similar examples come from many sources…non-profit hospitals, foundations, etc.

We’ll discuss this issue (and, undoubtedly, executive compensation at for-profit entities as well) when we meet on November 4.

Government’s Role in Home Ownership

September 23, 2013
3 Comments

This topic was discussed on October 21, 2013.
The Federal government has long supported home ownership via its support of the mortgage market through FNMA and FHLMC and a variety of laws and regulations governing other mortgage lender’s activities. Some believe that the benefits of this government support are outweighed by the disruptive side effects of the same intervention.

  • Should the US government be in the home mortgage business, directly or indirectly?
  • Is home ownership so much more valuable to society (vs. home rental or other housing alternatives) that it merits such support?

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Obama to Insist Market Provides 30-year Mortgages (WaPo 8-5-2013)

 

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Food Insecurity: A national, state and local issue

September 9, 2013
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This topic was discussed on September 23, 2013.
September is “hunger action month,” a project of nationwide food-bank network Feeding America. This has drawn substantial publicity around the issue of food insecurity, including highlighting a recent US Department of Agriculture report “Household Food Security in the United States in 2012.”

  • How should we interpret the USDA study? In particular, how do we feel about some of the subtleties of the study:
    • the definitional difference between “food insecure” and “very food insecure”
    • the survey questions asked
    • the difference between “at any time during the year” and “during the last 30 days” statistics (and their derivatives, the average daily incidence of food insecurity)
    • the difference between “household” food insecurity and that for specific household members (children)
  • What should we do to reduce food insecurity?
    • Enhanced welfare programs (in the context of statistics offered by the USDA on the “Thrifty Food Cost” and the average monthly SNAP payment)?
    • What about the demographic analysis in the report (e.g., households led by a single female experiencing disproportionately higher food insecurity)? Does this recommend some other potential approaches?
    • The time-series data show a significant jump in food insecurity in 2007/2008, most likely associated with the recession. To what extent might steps to encourage job creation help to mitigate the issue?
    • How about the local issues? Maine’s incidence of food insecurity is higher than the national average and we know it is a real issue here on the Blue Hill Peninsula. What should be done to address the needs of our neighbors?

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