Take Survey No Thanks

We value your opinion. Please take a moment to complete a brief survey.

Tuesday November 3, 2009

Welcome   |   Register   |   Log in

CONGRESSIONAL TESTIMONY


Reuters/Jessica Rinaldi - A customer pays at a Target store in Dallas

Save to My Portfolio The Outlook for Consumer Spending and the Broader Economic Recovery

Karen Dynan, October 29, 2009

How long will the economic recovery take? Karen Dynan, vice president and co-director of Economic Studies, testified before the Joint Economic Committee that there is a great deal of uncertainty about the strength and speed of the nation’s recovery, with gradual expansion being the most likely economic scenario. She says that consumer spending is likely to grow modestly over the next few years because of weak income growth, higher saving and lower borrowing. Policymakers have options to bolster the recovery but they should be mindful of the long-run costs, particularly in terms of the budget deficit, she says. Read More

U.S. Economy, U.S. Economic Growth

SPOTLIGHT: Banking


Reuters/Larry Downing - A Bank of America branch in Virginia

Save to My Portfolio Initial Comments on the Draft House Bill on Systemic Risk and “Too Big to Fail”

Douglas J. Elliott, October 28, 2009

As the financial system continues to stabilize, the House Financial Services Committee has drafted legislation intended to prevent future crises. The latest bill, which has been endorsed by the Obama administration, focuses on systemic risk and financial institutions that are deemed to be “too big to fail.” Douglas Elliott analyzes the 253-page bill, saying he thinks the enhanced resolution authority is essential, but he raises serious concerns about the structure of the council intended to tackle systemic risks. Read More

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

SPOTLIGHT: Health Care


Reuters/Kevin Lamarque - Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid speaks about health insurance reform on Capitol Hill in Washington.

Save to My Portfolio Opting Out: Not As Simple As It Looks

Darrell M. West, October 28, 2009

"Opt-out” has become the most powerful phrase in the health care debate, thanks to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid’s decision to include it in Senate legislation. If particular jurisdictions do not like a public option, they simply can exit the government health insurance system for uninsured residents. This is a very American idea, writes Darrell West. However, from a governance standpoint, the public option creates a worrisome precedent for other policy areas. Read More

Health Care, U.S. Congress, U.S. Politics, Federalism

SPOTLIGHT: CLIMATE AND ENERGY


Reuters/Shannon Stapleton - The Valero St. Charles oil refinery is seen during a tour of the refinery in Norco.

Save to My Portfolio Equity and Efficiency in Cap-And-Trade

Adele Morris, October 26, 2009

The Senate Environment and Public Works Committee held a series of hearings recently on climate change legislation, including provisions for cap-and-trade. Adele Morris discusses the likely distributional implications of a U.S. cap-and-trade system, explaining how policymakers can manage these implications by altering the way in which allowances or allowance revenues are distributed throughout the broader economy. Learn More

Energy Security, Environment, Environmental Regulation, Climate Change, Climate and Energy Economics

Up Front – Daily Commentary from Brookings Experts

Advanced Search | Tips

My Portfolio

My New Content

View suggested content based on items you have saved to your Portfolio.
Log in or register now

Top Topics

View All Topics »

Q&A with Alice Rivlin

The Stock Market Crash of 1929 and Our Current Recession

"In 1929 people got carried away with the idea that stock prices were going to keep going up... eventually a bubble like that bursts. We had a bubble like that a year ago, it did burst." - Alice Rivlin, Senior Fellow, Economic Studies

Watch More Videos

Spotlight

ExpertFederiga Bindi

Federiga Bindi is a leading expert on European political integration. She has a broad experience in government and held a number of posts in international organizations. Bindi currently serves as an advisor to the Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs. Her research focuses on the EU, transatlantic relations; EU states foreign policies, global governance issues.

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.

TopicEducation

The economic and political well-being of any society requires a well-educated citizenry. Brookings’s work extends beyond the K-12 bookends to include pre-school interventions, higher education and the challenges of education in developing countries.

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.

TopicHealth Care

Brookings is committed to producing innovative policy solutions to our nation’s most difficult challenges. The country may face no more important domestic policy challenge than the much-needed reform of our health care system. Through an institution-wide effort, Brookings delivers new ideas and offers policy solutions to improve health care both at home and globally.

Research ProjectBrookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement

The Brookings-Bern Project on Internal Displacement monitors displacement problems worldwide, works with governments, regional bodies, international organizations and civil society to create more effective policies and institutional arrangements for Internally Displaed Persons.

TopicMigration

Migration is an issue that bridges Brookings’s expertise in domestic and foreign policy. In the United States, reforming immigration policy remains a subject of intense political debate. Globally, the unprecedented movement of people across borders raises issues in both industrialized countries and the developing world.

ExpertIsabel 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 at Brookings.

ExpertAmy Liu

Amy Liu is deputy director of the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program. Her policy studies include economic competitiveness, metropolitan growth and development, governance reforms, urban reinvestment, and social equity.

Policy 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.

ExpertDomenico Lombardi

As president of the Oxford Institute for Economic Policy, Domenico Lombardi’s work at Brookings focuses on the international financial crisis and the reform of the IMF and the World Bank. He is an expert on G-20 and G8 Summits.

ExpertVanda Felbab-Brown

Vanda Felbab-Brown focuses on the national security implications of illicit economies and strategies for managing them. She is an adjunct professor in the Security Studies Program at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service.

ExpertMark McClellan

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 & Medicaid Services, Dr. McClellan now directs the Engelberg Center for Health Care Reform.

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.

ExpertRichard Joseph

Richard Joseph is John Evans Professor of International History and Politics at Northwestern University. Former fellow of The Carter Center, Atlanta, he focuses on African governance, political economy, and democratization.

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.