SPOTLIGHT: Non-profits

Reuters/Lucy Nicholson - Worker at sewing machine.

Don’t Forget the Human Infrastructure

Isabel V. Sawhill, December 22, 2008

As Congress and the new Administration consider spending billions of dollars to stimulate the economy in these tough economic times, Isabel Sawhill warns them not to forget the nonprofit organizations that help those in need. Sawhill says 10 percent of any stimulus should be invested in "human infrastructure." Read More

Non-profits, Fiscal Policy, U.S. Economy

SPOTLIGHT: Migration

Reuters/Carlos Barria - Condos in downtown Miami.

Economy, Housing Woes Slow Migration, Census Shows

William H. Frey, December 24, 2008

New census estimates provide the first real glimpse of how migration and population growth may be responding to the housing slowdown, job losses, and broader recession. William Frey concludes that this economic downturn is not isolated to specific regions with slumping industries. Both Michigan and Florida lost migrants, while other states saw dramatic one-year drops in persons moving in. "We seem to be in a land of transitory limbo," he writes. Read More

Migration, Demographics, Cities, Regions and States, Housing

Legal Architecture for the War on Terror

Reuters/HO Old - Detainees at XRay Camp in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

The Current Detainee Population of Guantánamo: An Empirical Study

Benjamin Wittes and Zaahira Wyne, December 16, 2008

Defense Secretary Robert Gates has asked his staff to draw up plans to close down the detention facility at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba in case the Obama administration decides that shuttering the prison is a top priority come January. Benjamin Wittes and his colleagues identify and describe, in as much detail as the public record will permit, the current population of 248 detainees at Guantánamo, what the government alleges about them and what they claim about their own affiliations and conduct. Read More

Legal Architecture for the War on Terror, Justice and Law, U.S. Judiciary, Human Rights, U.S. Department of Defense

SPOTLIGHT: Infrastructure

Reuters/Andy Clark - Workers dig a trench for a transit line.

Leveraging Infrastructure Investment Now and for the Future

Robert Puentes, December 10, 2008

Today’s fiscally-constrained environment demands a new approach to infrastructure policy both for short-term stimulus and long-term prosperity. In this backgrounder, Robert Puentes outlines a strategic infrastructure investment path to upgrade our existing system, expand choices in moving people and goods and move us closer to energy independence. Read More

Infrastructure, Transportation, Highways, Traffic, Federalism

METROPOLITAN POLICY PROGRAM

How a Metro Nation Would Feel the Loss of the Detroit Three Automakers

Howard Wial, December 12, 2008, The Brookings Institution

Emergency federal funds will keep General Motors and Chrysler solvent for a few more months but the automakers’ outcome is still uncertain. If plants are closed, a blow is struck to the regional economies of 50 metropolitan areas. Most are located in the Great Lakes region, but the loss of jobs and income would stretch to metros as far flung as Huntsville, AL; Ogden, UT; and Ithaca, NY. Read More

Auto Industry, U.S. Economy, Labor Markets

BLUEPRINT FOR AMERICAN PROSPERITY

Leveraging Infrastructure Investment Now and for the Future

Robert Puentes, December 10, 2008, The Brookings Institution

Infrastructure, Transportation, Highways, Traffic, Federalism, Environment, Energy Security, Cities

THE HAMILTON PROJECT

From Prison to Work: Overcoming Barriers to Reentry

Friday, December 05, 2008
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Washington, DC

The Hamilton Project hosted a policy discussion on the challenges of prisoner reentry, featuring remarks by former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin and a keynote address by U.S. Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.). The event also included a policy roundtable with a diverse group of experts on the need for a national prisoner reentry strategy. Read More

Labor

THE HAMILTON PROJECT

Improving the Measurement of Poverty

Rebecca M. Blank and Mark H. Greenberg, December 08, 2008, The Brookings Institution

Rebecca Blank and Mark Greenberg recommend the adoption of a new poverty measure, along the lines recommended by the National Academy of Sciences (NAS), in order to provide a more accurate measure of economic need in the United States. Read More

U.S. Poverty, Economic Mobility, U.S. Economy, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

PRESIDENTIAL TRANSITION

Transition Tracker: Rebuild Financial Institutions and Confidence

Martin Neil Baily and Stephen Hess, December 11, 2008

Brookings expert Martin Baily says there is plenty of blame to go around for the financial crisis, and President-elect Obama will have his hands full. In this transition podcast, Baily proposes long-term efforts to restore confidence in the financial system, while author Steve Hess discusses the critical role of the White House speechwriters.

The Presidency, The White House, The Presidential Transition, Financial Institutions, Financial Markets, Financial Services, Banking, U.S. Economy

ECONOMIC STUDIES

Fixing the Tax System

William G. Gale and Benjamin H. Harris, December 08, 2008, Tallahassee Democrat

Innovative and sound tax policy may be one way out of our financial rut, argue Bill Gale and Ben Harris. An effective tax code can buoy an economic recovery; down the road, taxation can help achieve the Obama administration's goals in health care, in energy policy and, ultimately, for fiscal balance. Read More

Taxes, Tax Reform, Saving, Retirement, U.S. Economy

Recent Research and Commentary

INFRASTRUCTURE Memo to the President: Invest in Infrastructure for Long-Term Prosperity

Bruce Katz and Robert Puentes, January 12, 2009

CUBA Cuba at Fifty

Vicki Huddleston, December 31, 2008

U.S. ECONOMY The Credit Crisis and the Auto Industry

Gary Burtless, December 30, 2008

EXECUTIVE BRANCH Presidential Accountability for Wars of Choice

Bruce Buchanan, December 2008

More Recent Research and Commentary »

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Spotlight

TOPICThe Presidential Transition

During the 77 days from the election to the Inauguration, Brookings experts will offer 12 "Memos to the President" on top policy priorities across the spectrum of domestic and global challenges, plus additional advice on transitioning from campaigning to governing.

ExpertAlice M. Rivlin

Alice Rivlin, the first director of the Congressional Budget Office, is an expert on urban issues as well as fiscal, monetary and social policy. She directs the Greater Washington Research project.

TopicEducation

The economic and political well-being of any democracy requires a well-educated citizenry. Brookings’s work has extended beyond the K-12 bookends to include pre-school interventions and issues in higher education. Experts are tackling fundamental issues on the role of education in the national and global economy.

ProgramGovernance Studies

Governance Studies explores political institutions of the United States and other democracies to assess how they govern, how their practices compare and how citizens and public servants can advance sound governance.

ExpertSarah A. Binder

Sarah Binder is an expert on Congress and legislative politics. She is completing a project on the politics of advice and consent, and is at work on the politics of how Congress responds to financial crises.

ExpertHugh B. Price

Former president and chief executive officer of the National Urban League, Hugh Price is an expert on education, civil rights, equal opportunity and criminal justice. His 40-year career spans journalism, philanthropy, the law, and social advocacy.

ExpertRebecca Blank

Rebecca Blank is an expert on the interaction between the macroeconomy, government anti-poverty programs, and the behavior and well being of low-income families. She has just been named the Robert S. Kerr senior fellow at Brookings.

ExpertMark B. McClellan

A medical doctor and economist, Mark McClellan works on promoting high-quality, innovative and affordable health care. Once commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration and administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, Dr. McClellan now directs the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform.

Policy CenterEngelberg Center for Health Care Reform

The Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform provides practical solutions to achieve high-quality, innovative, affordable health care with particular emphasis on identifying opportunities on the national, state and local levels.

Research ProjectThe Hamilton Project

The Hamilton Project produces research and policy proposals on how to create a growing economy that benefits more Americans. Their agenda also focuses on enhancing individual economic security and effective public investments.

Research ProjectLatin America Initiative

The Latin America Initiative provides high-quality, in-depth, and independent research across a range of economic and political issues, and offers policy recommendations aimed at U.S. and Latin American policymakers.

ExpertMauricio Cárdenas

Mauricio Cárdenas is a senior fellow and director of the Latin American Initiative. Formerly minister of Economic Development and Transportation, and director of National Planning of Colombia, his research focuses on international and development economics. He is also the president of the Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association (LACEA).

ExpertEswar Prasad

Eswar Prasad, the Tolani Senior Professor of Trade Policy at Cornell University, is a senior fellow in Global Economy and Development. He was previously head of the Financial Studies Division and the China Division at the IMF.

ExpertMartin S. Indyk

Ambassador to Israel and assistant secretary of state for near east affairs during the Clinton Administration, Martin Indyk directs the Saban Center for Middle East Policy. He currently focuses on the Clinton administration’s diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli conflict.

ExpertDarrell M. West

Darrell M. West is the vice president and director of Governance Studies at Brookings. His studies include campaigns and elections, political advertising, mass media, public opinion, technology policy and electronic government.

ExpertJulia B. Isaacs

Julia Isaacs focuses on public investments in children and how children are affected by national budgetary policies. A former federal budget analyst, she also researches the economic mobility of children and families across the income spectrum.

ExpertSuzanne Maloney

Suzanne Maloney studies Iran, the political economy of the Persian Gulf and Middle East energy policy. A former U.S. State Department policy advisor, she has also counseled private companies on Middle East issues.

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