A round-up of public finance news stories from the US and Canada you might have missed this week (May 6–10).
Austerity has cost the US economy 2.2 million jobs, says study
There are more than 2 million unemployed Americans who might have jobs today if not for austerity, according to a study from the Brookings Institution (The Huffington Post).
IMF's Lagarde criticises US spending cuts
International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde has criticised the US government's budget policies as too tight (Bloomberg Businessweek).
Florida passes record budget, backed by sales tax revenue
Florida legislators, following a trend among states bouncing back from the national recession, have adopted a record $74.5bn spending plan (Global Post, US).
The federal government should be required to provide descriptions of the work done for the millions of dollars it routinely spends on management consulting, opposition critics say (The Star, Toronto, Canada).
Reinhardt and Rogoff correct austerity research error
Two Harvard economists whose widely cited research on austerity was called into question last month have published a formal correction (BBC).
