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Saturday October 11, 2008

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U.S. Congress


Reuters/Mitch Dumke - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi signs the financial bailout bill after it passed through the House Floor at the Capitol in Washington.

Save to My Portfolio A “Broken” Branch? Four Lessons from Congress’s Great Financial Bailout Saga

Pietro S. Nivola, October 08, 2008

When the House temporarily turned back the Bush Administration’s colossal financial rescue plan, many proclaimed the country’s political system gridlocked and dysfunctional. Cut them some slack, writes Brookings expert Pietro Nivola, who debunks the unwarranted ridicule that has deepened an already alarming degree of distrust of our venerable political institutions and public servants. Read More

U.S. Congress, Governance, Financial Markets, U.S. Politics

ELECTION 2008


Reuters/Carlos Barria - Republican presidential nominee Senator John McCain speaks as Democratic presidential nominee Senator Barack Obama listens during the presidential debate at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee.

Save to My Portfolio Debate Casts No Change

William A. Galston, October 07, 2008

In the past week, Barack Obama made substantial gains in both national surveys and the key battleground states. Surveys indicated that Obama had bested McCain in the first presidential debate. Rather than reversing the impression Obama made in the first debate, he reinforced it, writes William Galston. McCain talked extensively about his own experience but did not make a strong case that Obama lacked the experience to be president. The town hall format made it more difficult for McCain to mount a sustained attack against Obama. As a result, Obama is one step closer to the presidency. Read More

U.S. Politics, Elections, Political Campaigns

ELECTION 2008


Reuters/Don Emmert - Senator Joe Biden and Alaska Governor Sarah Palin smile as they chat onstage at the end of their vice presidential debate at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

Save to My Portfolio After the Vice Presidential Debate

Stephen Hess, October 03, 2008

The vice presidential face-off is behind us, but two more presidential debates lie ahead. Brookings presidential expert Stephen Hess says that televised debates are entertainment, providing voters a glimpse into the candidates’ demeanor, but little of their substance. Governor Sarah Palin showed viewers that she could stay in the ring with Senator Joe Biden, but it wasn't a changer in the race.

U.S. Politics, Elections, Political Campaigns

Research and Commentary

Save to My Portfolio The Financial Bailout Bill Heads Back to the House

Sarah A. Binder, Mark Spindel, October 02, 2008

Despite the urging of President George W. Bush and congressional leaders, the all-out push for a $700 billion bailout for the nation’s beleaguered banks ended in failure on September 29. Even though party leaders called on their members to cast votes for the nation’s financial welfare, legislators responded by casting votes for their own electoral safety, writes Sarah Binder and Mark Spindel in an opinion that examines why the bill failed. Read More

Research and Commentary

Save to My Portfolio The Misplaced Math Student: Lost in Eighth-Grade Algebra

Tom Loveless, September 22, 2008

More U.S. eighth grade students take algebra today than any other math course. However, universal eighth grade algebra is creating more problems than it solves, writes Tom Loveless, as some 120,000 middle-schoolers are now struggling in advanced classes for which they are woefully unprepared. Read More

Research and Commentary

Save to My Portfolio “Change” or Plus Ça Change…? Pondering Presidential Politics and Policy after Bush

Pietro S. Nivola, Charles O. Jones, September 2008

Both presidential candidates Obama and McCain are advocating for change. But how much real change will there be after January 20? Brookings Pietro Nivola and Chuck Jones examine the probable policy outcomes, home and abroad, of an Obama or a McCain presidency. Read More

Research and Commentary

Save to My Portfolio Democracy in the Age of New Media: A Report on the Media and the Immigration Debate

Banu Akdenizli, E.J. Dionne, Jr., Roberto Suro, September 25, 2008

A new Brookings/USC report finds that the U.S. media have hindered effective policy making on immigration in recent years, and their impact has been increasing as a result of an ongoing evolution in the media industry. Read More

About Us

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

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Save to My Portfolio Issues, Ideology, Gender and Race in the 2008 Election

October 17, 2008

The Brookings Institution

Save to My Portfolio Demographic Keys to the 2008 Election

October 20, 2008

The Brookings Institution

Save to My Portfolio The Misplaced Math Student: Lost in Eighth-Grade Algebra

October 22, 2008

The Brookings Institution

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Recent Research and Commentary

U.S. Congress A “Broken” Branch? Four Lessons from Congress’s Great Financial Bailout Saga

Pietro S. Nivola, October 08, 2008

U.S. Politics Debate Casts No Change

William A. Galston, October 07, 2008

Financial Markets The Financial Rescue Package Update

Sarah A. Binder, October 06, 2008

U.S. Politics After the Vice Presidential Debate

Stephen Hess, October 03, 2008

More Recent Research and Commentary »

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Spotlight

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.

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.

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.

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.

ExpertSarah A. Binder

Sarah Binder is an expert on Congress and legislative politics.  Her current projects focus on the politics of federal judicial selection and the consequences of partisan polarization.

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.

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.

ExpertDouglas W. Elmendorf

Doug Elmendorf, whose government posts have included the Federal Reserve, Treasury, Council of Economic Advisors, and CBO, focuses his research on macroeconomics and fiscal policy. He is co-editor of the Brookings Papers on Economic Activity and director of The Hamilton Project, which develops proposals for shared growth.

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.

ExpertJoshua M. Epstein

A leader in the agent-based computational modeling methodology and a recent recipient of the 2008 NIH Director’s Pioneer Award, Josh Epstein is known for his groundbreaking work on epidemics and bioterrorism.

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. 

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.