Saturday February 11, 2012

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SPOTLIGHT: U.S. Housing Market


Reuters/Mike Segar - A vacant home for sale is pictured in Yonkers, New York

Save to My Portfolio Ten-Year Impacts of Individual Development Accounts on Homeownership: Evidence from a Randomized Experiment

Michal Grinstein-Weiss, Michael Sherraden, William G. Gale, William M. Rohe, Mark Schreiner and Clinton Key, March 04, 2011

With the housing market still recovering from the subprime crisis, a key question for policymakers is how and whether to encourage homeownership and the role of down payments in the initial homeowner purchase. A new research paper co-authored by William Gale finds that Individual Development Accounts programs for low-income households, designed to help teach financial education and provide matching funds for qualified savings withdrawals, had no significant effect on homeownership rates after 10 years of implementation. Read More

U.S. Housing Market, Real Estate, U.S. Economic Growth, U.S. Economy

SPOTLIGHT: Retirement


Reuters/Joshua Lott - Beth Stiner holds her appraisal summary for her rental home as her husband Aaron Stiner works on his computer at their rented home in Phoenix, Arizona

Save to My Portfolio Financial Literacy: What Works? How Could It Be More Effective?

William G. Gale and Ruth Levine, October 2010

William Gale and Ruth Levine highlight the extent and effects of financial illiteracy among American households, review previous efforts to promote financial literacy, and discuss new directions for such initiatives. The authors find reason to believe that both private actions and public policy strategies can influence saving behavior and conclude that improving financial literacy should be a first-order concern for policy-makers because gains could accrue not only to the affected individuals, but also to their family members and society at large. Read More

Retirement, Saving, U.S. Economy, Financial Services

SPOTLIGHT: Retirement


Reuters/Phil McCarten - Customers wait outside the Encino branch of IndyMac Bank.

Save to My Portfolio Improving Retirement Security

William G. Gale and David C. John, September 09, 2010

While recent recommendations by the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board indicate that policymakers recognize the need to improve opportunities to save, William Gale and David John argue that the board could have additionally recommended an Automatic IRA and a refundable savers' credit to encourage savings behavior in many more middle income American workers. Read More

Retirement, Saving, Opportunity and Well-being

SPOTLIGHT: Retirement


Reuters/Tim Wimborne - Piggy Banks with Westpac logos on the side are seen at a Westpac Banking Corp branch.

Save to My Portfolio New Legislation Helps Build Retirement Security

William G. Gale and David C. John, August 12, 2010

William Gale and David John explain the Automatic IRA bills introduced by Senator Jeff Bingaman and Representative Richard Neal. The legislation would increase the proportion of workers who have access to a payroll deduction retirement savings account. The bills would be practical way for groups who under save, like women, minorities, younger employees and low-to-moderate income workers, to build real retirement security over and above what they will receive from Social Security. Read More

Retirement, U.S. Economy, U.S. Politics, Saving, Opportunity and Well-being

About Us

The Retirement Security Project is dedicated to promoting common sense solutions to improve the retirement income prospects of millions of American workers. Nearly half of all workers do not have access to an employer-sponsored retirement savings plan, those that do often fail to participate. To address these trends, RSP proposes research-based policies aimed at helping middle- and low-income Americans prepare for a financially secure retirement.

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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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

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?

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.

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?