If you’re looking for a research frolic, then read up on the federal government shutdown!.
According to Wikipedia, “the United States federal government entered a shutdown suspending services not excepted by the Antideficiency Act. . . .[and] about 800,000 federal employees were indefinitely furloughed without pay.”
Here are a few links to help you get started with your research.
The US Government
Check out hearings and speeches from Congress:
- Senate Budget Committee (Democrats)
- Senate Budget Committee (Republicans)
- House Committee on the Budget
Browse this report by the research arm of Congress entitled Shutdown of the Federal Government: Causes, Processes, and Effects.
Skim this report from The Congressional Budget Office entitled Federal Debt and the Statutory Limit, September 2013.
Watch this 30-minute Presidential speech from October 3, 2013.
Law Firm Memos
Law firm memos are a great way to get quick analysis on the impact of laws (and in this case non-law).
Economists & Think Tanks
Get proprietary economic data, analysis and commentary on Roubini Global Economics (RGE). (Off-campus access is controlled by HLS Me Account.)
Read testimony from the Tax Policy Center on The Costs of Debt Limit Brinksmanship.
And for biased news, check out discussion from the Brookings Institution and the Heritage Foundation.
Academics
Read this free book (online) called Is U.S. Government Debt Different?
For Fun
Read about this from a non-US perspective in the Financial Times; register.
Further Research Guidance
Get research help from the HLS library Reference Desk.
Check out this info on Researching the Fiscal Cliff from not so long ago.