Monday February 13, 2012

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BROOKINGS POLICY BRIEF


Reuters/Brian Snyder - Current and prospective small business owners at a Small Business Financing Fair.

Save to My Portfolio The Future of Small Business Entrepreneurship: Jobs Generator for the U.S. Economy

Martin Neil Baily, Karen Dynan and Douglas J. Elliott, June 2010

As the nation strives to recover from the “Great Recession,” write Martin Baily, Karen Dynan and Douglas Elliott, job creation remains one of the biggest challenges to renewed prosperity. The authors examine policy recommendations to strengthen the small business sector—among the most powerful generators of new jobs historically—and provide a platform for effective programs. Read More

Growth through Innovation, Business, U.S. Economic Growth, U.S. Economy

SPOTLIGHT: Financial Institutions


REUTERS/Lucas Jackson - Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange

Save to My Portfolio The Derivatives Dealers’ Club and Derivatives Markets Reform

Robert E. Litan, April 07, 2010

While some have demonized derivatives as "financial weapons of mass destruction," Robert Litan argues that they are here to stay given their widespread use for hedging purposes. Nonetheless, given their role in the recent financial crisis, many more of them need to be centrally cleared, traded on regulated exchanges ultimately, and with improved price transparency. The chief obstacle to reform: the limited number of dealers, who have no economic interest in significant changes to the status quo. Litan offers a range of policy options for overcoming this problem. Read More

Financial Institutions, Financial Services, U.S. Economy

SPOTLIGHT: Financial Institutions


REUTERS/Brendan McDermid - Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange

Save to My Portfolio In Defense of Much, But Not All, Financial Innovation

Robert E. Litan, February 17, 2010

With many complicated financial products having been at the center of the recent financial crisis, the concept of financial innovation has recently been criticized by some prominent economists such as Paul Volker and Paul Krugman. But Robert Litan says financial innovation is good for our nation, having increased economic productivity and helped expand financial opportunities. While some products have been harmful, the best way forward is careful monitoring and after-the-fact regulation. Read More

Financial Institutions, Financial Services, Economic Development, U.S. Economy

SPOTLIGHT: Banking


REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque - President Obama shakes hands with Presidential Economic Recovery Advisory Board Chair Volcker

Save to My Portfolio More Nuance Needed in Bank Regulations

Douglas J. Elliott, January 22, 2010

Following President Obama's announcement regarding his new banking reform proposals and the subsquent reports that Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner had privately expressed reservations about the plan, Douglas Elliott argues that regulators ought to set limitations on proprietary investments and create capital requirements that are tough enough to hold the risk to the public to a very low level. Read More

Banking, Financial Institutions, U.S. Economy, Regulation, U.S. Financial Market Regulation

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The Initiative on Business and Public Policy provides analytical research and constructive recommendations on public policy issues affecting the business sector in the United States and around the world.

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Budgeting for National PrioritiesResearch ProjectBudgeting for National Priorities

The Budgeting for National Priorities project promotes greater fiscal responsibility by developing new ideas, educating the public and finding common ground among experts and policy-makers.

State of Metropolitan AmericaMetropolitan Policy ProgramState of Metropolitan America

Foreshadowing 2010 Census results, this new Brookings report and interactive map defines who Americans are—and who they are becoming—in the face of continued growth, population aging and diversification, uneven educational attainment and income polarization.

Darrell M. WestExpertDarrell M. West

Darrell M. West is vice president and director of Governance Studies and founding director of the Center for Technology Innovation at Brookings. His studies include technology policy, electronic government, and mass media.

Energy and ClimateTopicEnergy and Climate

What will it take to mitigate severe climate disruption? What should our priorities be in the relationship between fresh water and climate change? What will it take to help vulnerable countries and regions adapt to change already taking place?

Global ChangeTopicGlobal Change

How do we develop more realistic approaches and more effective means of ending intractable old conflicts and preventing new ones? How do we enhance measures to thwart nonstate actors—especially terrorists and illicit traffickers—and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons?

Growth through InnovationTopicGrowth through Innovation

What new practices and mechanisms will help prevent another economic downturn from turning into a financial panic that could become a truly global meltdown? What changes in the public and private sectors will build the workforce and infrastructure required for a global information-based economy?

Opportunity and Well-beingTopicOpportunity and Well-being

As they weather the current economic storm, will our governments and societies address the basic needs and aspirations of the least well-off? How can we better use education to raise individual aspirations? How should governments around the world accelerate preparations to provide social services for the billions moving from poverty into the middle class?

Center for Technology InnovationPolicy CenterCenter for Technology Innovation

The Center for Technology Innovation is at the forefront of shaping public debate on technology innovation and developing data-driven scholarship to enhance understanding of technology’s legal, economic, social, and governance ramifications.

Robert KaganExpertRobert Kagan

Robert Kagan is an expert and frequent commentator on Egypt, the Middle East, U.S. national security, and U.S.-European relations. He writes a monthly column on world affairs for the Washington Post and is a contributing editor at the Weekly Standard and the New Republic.

Daniel KaufmannExpertDaniel Kaufmann

Daniel Kaufmann was previously the director at the World Bank Institute, leading the work on governance and anti-corruption. His areas of expertise are public sector and regulatory reform, development, governance and anti-corruption.

Mwangi S. KimenyiExpertMwangi S. Kimenyi

Mwangi S. Kimenyi is senior fellow and director of the Africa Growth Initiative. The founding executive director of the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (1999-2005), he focuses on Africa's development including institutions for economic growth, political economy, and private sector development.

Donald KohnExpertDonald Kohn

Donald Kohn is a 40-year veteran of the Federal Reserve System and served as vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2010. He was recently appointed by the government of the United Kingdom and the Bank of England to serve on its interim Financial Policy Committee. Kohn focuses on issues of monetary policy, financial regulation and macroeconomics.

Brookings Mobile ApplicationsNEW FEATUREBrookings Mobile Applications

Stay up-to-date with our independent, high-quality research, learn about Brookings events and search our directory of experts all from your BlackBerry, iPad, iPhone or Android device.

Shadi HamidExpertShadi Hamid

Shadi Hamid focuses on Islamist political parties and democratic reform in the Middle East. Prior to joining Brookings, he was Director of Research at the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and a Hewlett Fellow at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law.

Katherine SierraExpertKatherine Sierra

Katherine Sierra is a senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program. A former vice president for sustainable development at the World Bank, she focuses on climate change and energy.

John L. Thornton China CenterPolicy CenterJohn L. Thornton China Center

The John L. Thornton China Center develops analysis and policy recommendations to help address key long-term challenges, both in terms of U.S.-China relations and China's internal development.

Center on Children and FamiliesPolicy CenterCenter on Children and Families

The Center on Children and Families studies policies on the well-being of America's children and their parents and seeks a more effective means of addressing poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity in the United States.

Vanda Felbab-BrownExpertVanda Felbab-Brown

Vanda Felbab-Brown focuses on the national security implications of illicit economies and strategies for managing them. She is the author of Shooting Up: Counterinsurgency and the War on Drugs (Brookings Institution Press, 2009).

Suzanne MaloneyExpertSuzanne 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.

Africa Growth InitiativeResearch ProjectAfrica Growth Initiative

The Africa Growth Initiative conducts high-quality policy research and analysis focused on attaining sustainable economic development and prosperity in Africa, while amplifying the voice of African researchers in policy-making and planning.

Alice M. RivlinExpertAlice M. Rivlin

In February 1975, the Congressional Budget Office was established with Alice Rivlin as its first director. Rivlin is an expert on urban issues as well as fiscal, monetary and social policy and directs the Greater Washington Research project at Brookings.

Isabel V. SawhillExpertIsabel V. Sawhill

A nationally known budget expert, Isabel Sawhill focuses on domestic poverty and federal fiscal policy. She is also co-director of the Center on Children and Families and the Budgeting for National Priorities Project at Brookings.

William G. GaleExpertWilliam G. Gale

Bill Gale, the Arjay and Frances Miller Chair in Federal Economic Policy in the Economic Studies Program at Brookings, is an expert on tax policy, fiscal issues, pensions, and saving behavior. He is also co-director of the Tax Policy Center and director of the Retirement Security Project.