The economy continues to give mixed signs of recovery. While manufacturing in the U.S. has expanded for the fourth month, the U.S. jobless rate jumped up 0.4 percentage point to 10.2% in October. However the latest preliminary unemployment report indicates the rate dipped to 10% in November.

To keep Congressional staffers up to date on the current economic situation, the Mercatus Center at George Mason University hosts quarterly briefings that survey the economic scene. Specific attention is paid to GDP data, employment, inflation, and interest rates, all conveyed in a way that is understandable to the economist and non-economist alike. This “birds-eye-view” of the economy will be valuable to staffers interested in promoting policies intended to aid economic performance.

Topics to be discussed shall include:

• How has the economy fared overall in the past quarter and what can we expect from the economy in the next quarter?
• How has the labor market changed across states and who is the best and the worst off?
• What has the weakening dollar meant for the economic outlook?

Hosted by Dr. Bruce Yandle, one of our most popular speakers, these quarterly briefings are free of charge and open to all senior congressional staffers. Bruce Yandle is a Professor Emeritus and the BB&T Scholar at Clemson University, where he has been a faculty member since 1969. From 1976 to 1978, he was a senior economist on the staff of the President’s Council on Wage and Price Stability, where he reviewed and analyzed newly proposed regulations. In addition, Dr. Yandle was executive director of the Federal Trade Commission and is the author or co-author of numerous books and articles. He received his Ph.D. and M.B.A. from Georgia State University and his A.B. degree from Mercer University.