Brookings Policy Brief Series

The Obama Administration’s New Counternarcotics Strategy in Afghanistan

September 2009

As President Barack Obama considers alternatives to increasing the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Vanda Felbab-Brown argues his administration's new counternarcotics policy represents a courageous break with previous misguided efforts there and thirty years of U.S. counternarcotics policies around the world.

Is the G-20 Summit a Step Toward a New Global Economic Order?

September 2009

Colin Bradford and Johannes Linn argue that the global crisis has moved the United States, along with the rest of the world, toward a new global economic order, with the G-20 summit as one of the principal manifestations of the new global governance system. In addition to the financial crisis, they say that the summit can also serve as a platform for addressing other pressing global issues, including trade, climate change, energy and food security and reform of global institutions.

A Global Fund for Education: Achieving Education for All

August 2009

In order to realize the world’s commitment to ensuring education for all by 2015, important innovations and reforms will be needed in the governance and financing of global education. David Gartner advises that the Global Fund for Education holds the key and outlines a set of core principles to guide the fund.

Global Governance Breakthrough: The G20 Summit and the Future Agenda

December 2008

Paul Martin, former Prime Minister of Canada, and Senior Fellows Colin Bradford and Johannes Linn assess the successful G20 Summit, its impact on global governance and provide recommendations for President-elect Obama. They argue that the next administration can build an inclusive and cooperative summit group to resolve the current financial and economic crisis as well as address other major complex global challenges and opportunities.

Strengthen the Millennium Challenge Corporation: Better Results are Possible

December 2008

The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is one of the outstanding innovations of the eight-year presidency of George W. Bush. Lex Rieffel and James Fox offer recommendations to strengthen the MCC for better results.

Bridging the Social Security Divide: Lessons From Abroad

June 2008

Kent Weaver argues that a new approach to Social Security reform requires the president and congressional leaders to agree on an overall mandate for a commission named through a bipartisan nominating process designed to generate a group that is likely to focus on practical, consensus-building solutions. Special procedures in each house of Congress would provide expedited consideration of the commission’s reform package and alternatives, while providing incentives for constructive congressional engagement in the reform process.

Can Raúl Castro Revive Cuba's Private Sector?

March 2008

No single U.S. move would have a greater impact on the direction of Cuban reform than the lifting of travel, trade and financial restrictions, argues Raj Desai. Although Washington's options are severely limited by the current political-economic mood in Latin America, the United States can clear a path for a reformist Cuba to seek its own solutions and to understand the tradeoffs involved in different reform strategies.

Credit Crisis: The Sky is not Falling

October 2007

Despite troubles in the subprime mortgage industry, an otherwise healthy economy should avert a true credit crisis. This brief describes how there is no shortage of capital and why bailing out the lenders would merely encourage them to do it again.

Reform of Global Governance: Priorities for Action

October 2007

Governance reform was high on the agenda at the recent World Bank/IMF Annual Meeting in Washington. Brookings experts Colin Bradford and Johannes Linn examine priorities for reform at both institutions and other global organizations in a new Policy Brief.

A Diplomatic Offensive for Iraq

June 2007

In the spirit of a unified U.S. security strategy, Carlos Pascual and Larry Diamond offer a framework for near-term congressional action on hearings and appropriations to support a policy toward Iraq that is comprehensive and responsible.

How to Reduce Greenhouse Gas Emissions Now

June 2007

Congressional leaders are finally working seriously on long-term approaches to climate change. Three major bills propose variations on a cap-and-trade approach that combines industry emission limits or "caps" with a government-created market for trading emission credits.

Global Service Fellowships: Building Bridges through American Volunteers

March 2007

David L. Caprara, John Bridgeland, and Harris Wofford argue that as policy-makers search for ways to share the best of America with the world, they should start with our international volunteers, who embody this country's spirit of generosity, resourcefulness and hope. With the support of Congress and the Bush Administration, volunteers can become the first face of America to communities in many nations, while advancing concrete initiatives that lift up the lives of the poor throughout the world.
 

Beyond Microfinance: Getting Capital to Small and Medium Enterprises to Fuel Faster Development

March 2007

David de Ferranti and Anthony J. Ody explain why the time has come to pay greater attention to the potential of small and medium-sized commercial firms to promote economic growth.

More COPS

March 2007

FBI statistics suggest that violent crime rates increased from 2004 to 2005, and continued to climb through at least the first half of 2006. The massive drop in violent crime witnessed in the 1990s, when homicide rates declined by nearly 45 percent, has stalled since the turn of the millennium (Figure 1). As the Washington Post noted in a front-page article in December 2006, "the historic drop in the U.S. crime rate has ended and is being reversed."

Enhancing Development through Better Use of Public Resources: How Independent Watchdog Groups Can Help

September 2006

To improve developing countries' effectiveness in utilizing scarce public funds, efforts to achieve greater transparency and accountability in budget processes must be strengthened. This brief argues specifically for expanded initiatives to strengthen domestic civil society capacity - independent of governments - to provide substantive analysis of budget choices and the distribution and effectiveness of public spending, and to make the results accessible to the general population both directly and via intermediaries such as the media.

Reforming Tax Incentives into Uniform Refundable Tax Credits

August 2006

Policy Brief #156: Reforming Tax Incentives into Uniform Refundable Tax Credits; by Peter R. Orszag, Fred T. Goldberg, Jr., and Lily L. Batchelder

International Volunteering: Smart Power

June 2006

Lex Rieffel and Sarah Zalud argue that Americans engaging in volunteer work in other countries encourage more favorable attitudes among foreigners toward America and generate greater understanding among Americans of foreign perspectives. A more robust cross-cultural dialogue could make the United States less dependent on hard power, which has high budget costs.

Untangling China's Quest for Oil through State-backed Financial Deals

May 2006

The worldwide quest for oil resources by and investment practices of China's NOCs have triggered concerns about China's impact on international oil supplies and prices. China's growing oil demand need not lead to conflict with the rest of the world's energy needs. China's participation in the upstream oil market, in fact, can help increase supplies and lower prices, benefiting all consumers.

The Effects of Investing in Early Education on Economic Growth

April 2006

Brookings Policy Brief #153 by William T. Dickens, Isabel V. Sawhill and Jeffrey Tebbs (April 2006)

Pragmatic Reform of Global Governance: Creating an L20 Summit Forum

April 2006

Policy Brief #152 by Johannes F. Linn and Colin I. Bradford, Jr. (April 2006)

Preparing for Future "Katrinas"

March 2006

The devastating 2005 hurricane season—especially the three large hurricanes that struck the Gulf Coast and Florida (Katrina, Rita and Wilma)—has graphically demonstrated how dangerous nature can be. Add in the storms of 2004, and the last two hurricane seasons account for the seven of the twelve most costly natural disasters in American history, as shown in Table 1.

Building Automatic Solvency into U.S. Social Security: Insights from Sweden and Germany

March 2006

In 1998, Sweden adopted a radical new approach to state-based pension provision, with several innovations. Many experts in the United States and elsewhere have been interested in Sweden's move toward mandatory individual accounts for retirement savings, with workers required to set-aside 2.5 percent of covered wages. For purposes of this brief, however, Sweden's novel approach to financing the much larger pay-as-you-go state pensions is of interest. The new Swedish pension system contains features that should achieve what the architects of the new system sought—guaranteed and permanent financial solvency at a fixed contribution rate of 16 percent of wages.

No Child Left Behind: How To Give It a Passing Grade

December 2005

The No Child Left Behind Act has the potential to improve many of America’s schools, but this potential is currently undermined by serious flaws in how the program evaluates school performance, writes Martin West. He proposes that the Department of Education allow states sufficient flexibility in devising alternative accountability schemes.

Health Care Rationing: What it Means

December 2005

Policy Brief #147 by Henry J. Aaron (December 2005)

Treatment of Coronary Artery Disease: What Does Rationing Do?

December 2005

Policy Brief #148 by Henry J. Aaron (December 2005)

Why Federalism Matters

October 2005

Sometimes nations face a stark choice: allow regions to federate and govern themselves, or risk national dissolution. Clear examples where federalism is the answer exist. Belgium would probably be a partitioned state now if Flanders had not been granted extensive self-government. If under Italy's constitution, Sardinia, a large and relatively remote Italian island, had not been granted significant autonomy, it might well have harbored a violent separatist movement—like the one plaguing a neighboring island, Corsica, a rebellious province of unitary France.

Nigeria's Paris Club Debt Problem

August 2005

Nigeria's debt servicing problems began around 1985, when the Nigerian government's total external debt to all creditors amounted to $19 billion. Since then, the government has paid creditors more than $35 billion while borrowing less than $15 billion. Nevertheless, its outstanding external debt at the end of 2004 grew to almost $36 billion.

Moving Toward Smarter Aid

August 2005

President Bush surprised both critics and supporters of his foreign policies in March 2002—fourteen months after his inauguration and six months after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001—when he unveiled his proposal to establish the Millennium Challenge Account (MCA).

Rumsfeld's Revolution at Defense

July 2005

Rumsfeld announced his commitment to a revolution in military affairs in his 2001 confirmation hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee. In a harbinger of rhetoric to come, he not only refused to rule out another round of military base closings, but he also announced his intention to reform the military acquisition process, which he declared ill-suited "to meet the demands posed by an expansion of unconventional and asymmetrical threats in an era of rapid technological advances."

Insuring America's Workers in a New Era of Offshoring

July 01, 2005

White-collar offshoring burst into public consciousness early last year in the middle of a peculiarly unbalanced recovery, in which the share of national income going to workers and the rate of job creation were both unusually low. Coming on top of accelerated job shedding in manufacturing and the bursting of the information technology bubble, this new wave of offshoring expanded yet again the group of U.S. workers facing fundamental insecurity about future earnings.

Can the U.S. Government Live Within Its Means? Lessons from Abroad

June 2005

The United States can learn from the experiences of other countries, including New Zealand, that have successfully implemented fiscal rules by assuring that fiscal restraint laws are supported politically.

Social Security Smorgasbord? Lessons from Sweden's Individual Pension Accounts

June 2005

Policy Brief #140, by R. Kent Weaver (June 2005)

Thinking About Political Polarization

January 2005

Policy Brief #139, by Pietro S. Nivola (January 2005)

The Political Economy of Nuclear Energy in the United States

September 2004

Brookings Policy Brief by Pietro S. Nivola. (September 2004)

Offshoring, Import Competition, and the Jobless Recovery

August 2004

Brookings Policy Brief #136 by Charles L. Schultze. (July 2004)

Law of the Sea Convention: Should the U.S. Join?

August 2004

Brookings Policy Brief #137 by David B. Sandalow. (July 2004)

Improving the Saver's Credit

July 2004

Brookings Policy Brief #135 by William G. Gale, J. Mark Iwry and Peter R. Orszag. (July 2004)

Bush and Kerry: Questions About Governing Styles

June 2004

Political campaigns are about governing, argues Charles Jones. Candidates offer themselves to the public and endure a grueling process of nomination and election. Campaigns generate a lot of headlines, but it's what comes afterward that counts. Voters usually are left guessing about how each of the candidates would govern.

Trade Agreements and Labor Standards

May 2004

Policy Brief #133 by Theodore H. Moran. (May 2004)

Global Economic Governance at a Crossroads: Replacing the G-7 with the G-20

April 2004

Brookings Policy Brief #131 by Colin I. Bradford, Jr. and Johannes F. Linn. (April 2004)

"Offshoring" Service Jobs: Bane or Boon and What to Do?

April 2004

Policy Brief #132 by Lael Brainard and Robert E. Litan. (April 2004)

How to Balance the Budget

March 2004

Brookings Policy Brief #130 by Alice M. Rivlin and Isabel V. Sawhill. (March 2004)

The Uncertain Future of the Telecommunications Industry

January 2004

Brookings Policy Brief #129 by Robert E. Litan and Roger G. Noll. (January 2004)

Traffic: Why It's Getting Worse, What Government Can Do

January 2004

Brookings Policy Brief #128 by Anthony Downs. (January 2004)

Reconsidering the Peace Corps

December 2003

Policy Brief #127: ""Reconsidering the Peace Corps"" by Lex Rieffel. (December 2003)

Reforming Social Security: A Balanced Plan

December 2003

Policy Brief #126 by Peter A. Diamond and Peter R. Orszag. (December 2003)

Making the Millennium Challenge Account Work for Africa

September 2003

Brookings Policy Brief #123 by Lael Brainard and Allison Driscoll. (September 2003)

Building Intelligence to Fight Terrorism

September 2003

Policy Brief #125 by James B. Steinberg, Mary Graham, Andrew Eggers. (September 2003)

Higher Education Spending: The Role of Medicaid and the Business Cycle

September 2003

Brookings Policy Brief #124 by Thomas J. Kane and Peter R. Orszag. (September 2003)

Fiscal Millstones on the Cities: Revisiting the Problem of Federal Mandates

August 2003

Policy Brief #122 by Pietro S. Nivola (August 2003).

Africa's Economic Morass--Will a Common Currency Help?

July 2003

Brookings Policy Brief #121 by Paul Masson and Heather Milkiewicz. (July 2003)

Greening U.S. Foreign Aid through the Millennium Challenge Account

June 2003

Bush's MCA proposal is a tremendous opportunity to enhance U.S. development efforts, but it could harm the environment and undermine long-term economic growth unless managed correctly. Policy Brief #119, by Nigel Purvis (June 2003)

The Promise of National Service: A (Very) Brief History of an Idea

June 2003

Policy Brief #120 by E.J. Dionne, Jr. and Kayla Meltzer Drogosz. (June 2003)

A Case of "Enronitis"? Opaque Self-Dealing and the Global Financial Effect

April 2003

The revelation of corporate scandals and the financial crises in the developing countries have persuaded many people around the world that "Enronitis," in its various guises, can seriously damage people's confidence in a financial system and retard economic development. Shang-Jin Wei and Heather Milkiewicz argue that an invigorated, worldwide reform effort will reduce the chance of future economic devastation that could result from poor public and corporate governance.

Debating U.S. Broadband Policy: An Economic Perspective

March 2003

Policy Brief #117 by Robert W. Crandall (March 2003)

After the Mid-terms: Congress, the President and Policymaking in 2003

February 2003

Policy Brief #115, by E.J. Dionne Jr., Bruce Katz, James M. Lindsay, Thomas E. Mann, Peter R. Orszag (February 2003)

The New National Security Strategy: Focus on Failed States

February 2003

Despite the welcome emphasis in the National Security Strategy on the security threats posed by failing states, the NSS does not offer any vision, policies, or new resources to counter these threats. Policy Brief #116, by Susan E. Rice (February 2003

Creating a Scorecard for the CRA Service Test: Strengthening Banking Services Under the Community Reinvestment Act

January 2003

The Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) service test could provide important incentives for banks to serve ""unbanked"" and ""underbanked"" populations, but an analysis of almost 2,000 CRA examinations conducted over the last five years reveals anomalies in

Stemming the Backlash Against Globalization

January 2003

Policy Brief #78, by Carol Graham (April 2001)

A "Master Plan" to Deal With North Korea

January 2003

The U.S. - together with regional allies - needs a new North Korea policy to handle the rapidly intensifying nuclear crisis in Northeast Asia. Policy Brief #114, by Michael E. O'Hanlon (January 2003)

The Telecommunications Crash: What To Do Now?

December 2002

Policy Brief #112, by Robert Litan (December 2002)

The New National Security Strategy and Preemption

December 2002

Policy Brief #113, by Michael E. O'Hanlon, Susan E. Rice, and James B. Steinberg (December 2002)

The IMF's Dilemma in Argentina: Time for a New Approach to Lending?

November 2002

Policy Brief #111, by Carol Graham and Paul Masson (November 2002)

Kashmir: Redefining the U.S. Role

October 2002

After September 11, America has been able to maintain close ties to India and Pakistan. Washington should move beyond managing the crisis and help develop a road to peace in the region. Policy Brief #110, by Navnita Behara (October 2002)

Interdependent Security: Implications for Homeland Security Policy and Other Areas

October 2002

Policy Brief #108, by Howard Kunreuther, Geoffrey Heal, and Peter R. Orszag (October 2002)

The Bush National Security Strategy: An Evaluation

October 2002

Policy Brief #109, by Ivo H. Daalder, James M. Lindsay, and James B. Steinberg (October 2002)

Reducing Collateral Damage to Indo-Pakistani Relations from the War on Terrorism

September 2002

Policy Brief #107, by Polly Nayak (September 2002)

Cooking the Books: The Cost to the Economy

August 2002

Policy Brief #106, by Carol Graham, Robert Litan, and Sandip Sukhtanker (July 2002)

Earnings Insurance for Germany

July 2002

Policy Brief #104, By Gary Burtless and Holger Schaeffer (July 2002)

The U.S. Broadband Problem

July 2002

Policy Brief #105, by Charles H. Ferguson (July 2002)

Odious Debt

July 2002

Policy Brief #103, by Michael Kremer and Seema Jayachandran (July 2002)

Avoiding a Cyprus Crisis

July 2002

Policy Brief #102, by Henri Barkey and Philip H. Gordon (July 2002)

The Budget Outlook: Options for Restoring Fiscal Discipline

June 2002

Policy Brief #100, by Alan Auerbach, William G. Gale, and Peter Orszag (June 2002)

The Bush Tax Cut: One Year Later

June 2002

Policy Brief #101, by William G. Gale and Samara Potter (June 2002)

Putin's Agenda, America's Choice: Russia's Search for Strategic Stability

April 2002

Policy Brief #99, by Clifford Gaddy and Fiona Hill (May 2002)

Strengthening Institutional Capacity in Poor Countries: Shoring Up Institutions, Reducing Global Poverty

April 2002

Policy Brief #98, by Carol Graham (April 2002)

The Enron Failure and the State of Corporate Disclosure

April 2002

Policy Brief #97, by Robert E. Litan (April 2002)

Limiting the Growth of the U.S. Defense Budget: An Alternative to the Bush Administration Numbers

March 2002

Policy Brief #95, by Michael O'Hanlon (March 2002)

A New Agenda for Nuclear Weapons: On Nuclear Weapons, Destroy and Codify

February 2002

Policy Brief #94, by Ivo Daalder and James Lindsay (February 2002)

Should the War on Terrorism Target Iraq? Implementing a Bush Doctrine on Deterrence

January 2002

Policy Brief #93, by Philip H. Gordon and Michael E. O'Hanlon (January 2002)

Fast Track Trade Promotion Authority

December 2001

Policy Brief #91, by Lael Brainard (December 2001)

Taking APEC Seriously

December 2001

Policy Brief #92 by Edward J. Lincoln (December 2001)

Dealing Effectively With Fast Growth

November 2000

Policy Brief #67 by Anthony Downs (November 2000)

A New NSC for a New Administration

November 2000

Policy Brief #68, by Ivo H. Daalder and I.M. Destler (November 2000)

NATO Enlargement: Moving Forward; Expanding the Alliance and Completing Europe's Integration

November 2001

Policy Brief #90, by Philip Gordon, James B. Steinberg, December 2001

Pressure to Grow

October 2000

Policy Brief #65, by Paul C. Light (October 2000)

Moving Beyond Kyoto

October 2000

Policy Brief #66, by Warwick J. McKibbin (October 2000)

Indonesia at the Crossroads

September 2001

Policy Brief #86, by Catharin E. Dalpino, September 2001

How Big is the Prospective Budget Surplus?

September 2000

Policy Brief #64, by Alan J. Auerbach and William G. Gale (September 2000)

Beyond Missile Defense: Countering Terrorism and Weapons of Mass Destruction

August 2001

Policy Brief #86, by Michael E. O'Hanlon, August 2001

Dividing the House: Why Congress Should Reinstate an Old Reapportionment Formula

August 2001

The formula used to allocate the 435 seats among the states, a peculiar method first adopted in 1941, violates the principle of one person, one vote by systematically giving more representation to residents of small states than to residents of large

America and Iran: From Containment to Coexistence

August 2001

Policy Brief #87, by Suzanne Maloney (August 2001)

Russian Democracy and American Foreign Policy

July 2001

Policy Brief #86, by Tom Bjorkman, July 2001

Resurrecting the Estate Tax

June 2000

Policy Brief #62, by William G. Gale and Joel Slemrod (June 2000)

Engaging Problem Countries

June 2000

Policy Brief #61 by Richard N. Haass and Meghan L. O'Sullivan (June 2000)

An Agenda for Election Reform

June 2001

Policy Brief #82, by Thomas Mann, June 2001

The Internet and the New Economy

June 2000

Policy Brief #60, by Alan S. Blinder (June 2000)

Humanitarian and Human Rights Emergencies

June 2001

Policy Brief #85, by Roberta Cohen and James Kunder, June 2001

A Patent Policy Proposal for Global Diseases

June 2001

Policy Brief #84, by Jean O. Lanjouw, June 2001

The Plight of Academic Medical Centers

May 2000

Policy Brief #59, by Henry J. Aaron (May 2000)

A World Bank Vaccine Commitment

May 2000

Policy Brief #57, by Rachel Glennerster and Michael Kremer (May 2000)

Permanent Normal Trade Relations for China

May 2000

Policy Brief #58, by Nicholas R. Lardy

The Caucasus and Central Asia: How the United States and Its Allies Can Stave Off a Crisis

May 2001

Policy Brief #80, by Fiona Hill (May 2001)

Moving Forward in South Asia

May 2001

Moving Forward in South Asia, Policy Brief #81, by Stephen P. Cohen (May 2001)

Tax Cuts and the Budget Outlook

April 2001

Policy Brief #76, by William Gale (April 2001)

A Golden Opportunity to Simplify the Tax System: Options for Reforming a Complex Tax Code

April 2001

Policy Brief #77, by William Gale and Leonard Burman (April 2001)

Meeting the Global Challenge of HIV/AIDS: Why the United States Should Act Quickly

April 2001

Policy Brief #75, by Erica Barks-Ruggles (April 2001)

Corruption and Globalization

April 2001

Policy Brief #79, by Shang-Jin Wei (April 2001)

A Prescription to Relieve Worker Anxiety

March 2001

Policy Brief #73, by Lori Kletzer and Robert Litan (March 2001)

U.S. Policy Toward China

March 2001

Policy Brief #72, by Kenneth Lieberthal (March 2001)

The United States and North Korea

March 2001

Policy Brief #74, by Joel Wit (March 2001)

Counting on the Census?

March 2000

Policy Brief #56, by Peter Skerry (March 2000)

Iraq: Time for a Modified Approach

February 2001

Policy Brief #71, by Meghan L. O'Sullivan (February 2001)

Defending America: A Plan for a Limited National Missile Defense

February 2001

Policy Brief #70, by James Lindsay and Michael O'Hanlon (February 2001)

Options for Stabilization Policy: A New Analysis of Choices Confronting the Fed

February 2001

In this policy brief, the authors propose an alternative to the conventional natural rate model. It is based on behavioral assumptions that we believe are more realistic than those underlying the natural rate model and that are backed by research on

A New Beginning In South Asia

January 2000

Policy Brief #55 by Stephen P. Cohen (January 2000)

Numbers Matter: The U.S. Statistical System and a Rapidly Changing Economy

July 2000

Policy Brief #63, by Barry P. Bosworth and Jack E. Triplett (July 2000)

The Use and Abuse of Military Force

November 1999

Policy Brief #54, by Richard N. Haass (November 1999)

The Plane Truth: Fewer F-22s Mean a Stronger National Defense

September 1999

Policy Brief #53, by Michael E. O'Hanlon (September 1999)

Human Rights in China

June 1999

Policy Brief #50, by Catharin E. Dalpino (June 1999)

The International Financial Architecture

June 1999

Policy Brief #51 by Jeffrey A. Frankel (06/99)

NATO at 50: The Summit & Beyond

June 1999

Policy Brief #48, by Ivo H. Daalder (April 1999)

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

June 1999

Policy Brief #52, by Jeffrey A. Frankel (June 1999)

Japan Summit: Economics Matter

May 1999

Policy Brief #49, by Edward J. Lincoln (May 1999)

China's WTO Membership

April 1999

Policy Brief #47, by Nicholas R. Lardy

The Case Against Tax Cuts

March 1999

Policy Brief #46, by Alan J. Auerbach and William G. Gale (March 1999)

The Changing Shape of Government

February 1999

Policy Brief #45 by Paul C. Light (February 1999)

Fit for Fat City: A "Lite" Menu of European Policies to Improve Our Urban Form

January 1999

Policy Brief #44, by Pietro Nivola (January 1999)

Shoring Up Military Readiness

January 1999

Policy Brief #43, by Michael E. O'Hanlon (January 1999)

International Effects of the Euro

January 1999

Policy Brief #42, by Robert Solomon

Is Deflation the Worry?

December 1998

Policy Brief #41, by George L. Perry (December 1998)

Restructuring Social Security Taxes

December 1998

Policy Brief #40, by Michael Kremer (December 1998)

Unleashing Telecommunications: The Case for True Competition

November 1998

Policy Brief #39, by Robert E. Litan and Roger G. Noll (November 1998)

Teen Pregnancy Prevention: Welfare Reform's Missing Component

November 1998

Policy Brief #38, by Isabel V. Sawhill (October 1998)

Environmental Policy: The Next Generation

October 1998

Policy Brief #37, by Donald F. Kettl (October 1998)

Bolstering D.C.'s Fragile Fiscal Recovery

October 1998

A New Era in Urban Education?

August 1998

Policy Brief #35, by Diane Ravitch (August 1998)

Reviving Cities: Think Metropolitan

June 1998

New coalitions are emerging to promote metropolitan solutions at state and regional levels. A real urban revival will also require a federal metropolitan agenda. Policy Brief #33, by Bruce Katz (June 1998)

Economic Sanctions: Too Much of a Bad Thing

June 1998

Policy Brief #34, by Richard N. Haass (June 1998)

Electronic Benefit's Potential to Help the Poor

March 1998

Next year, the federal government will institute electronic benefit payments. While the electronic funds transfer (EFT) program will reduce costs, it has a far broader potential to bring poor Americans into the banking mainstream. Policy Brief #32, b

Don't Buy the Sales Tax

March 1998

Policy Brief #31, by William G. Gale (March 1998)

Avoiding a Showdown Over EU Privacy Laws

February 1998

Policy Brief #29, by Peter P. Swire and Robert E. Litan (February 1998)

A Three-Step Remedy for Asia's Financial Flu

February 1998

Policy Brief #30 by Robert Litan

Coordinating Financial Aid With Tuition Tax Benefits

December 1997

Policy Brief #28, by Arthur M. Hauptman and Lois D. Rice (December 1997)

Salvaging the Kyoto Climate Change Negotiations

November 1997

Policy Brief #27, by Warwick J. McKibbin and Peter J. Wilcoxen (November 1997)

Time to Reinvent APEC

November 1997

Time to Reinvent APEC, Brookings Policy Brief #26, by Kenneth Flamm and Edward J. Lincoln (November 1997)

The United States and China: A New Framework

October 1997

Policy Brief #25, by Richard N. Haass and Nicholas Lardy (November 1997)

Student Performance Today

September 1997

Policy Brief #23, by Diane Ravitch (September 1997)

Globaphobia: The Wrong Debate Over Trade Policy

September 1997

Policy Brief #24, by Robert Z. Lawrence and Robert E. Litan (September 1997)

Taxing Reforms: Assessing the Plans to Transform the IRS

August 1997

Policy Brief #22, by Donald F. Kettl (August 1997)

Deciphering the Cryptography Debate

July 1997

Policy Brief #21 by Kenneth Flamm (July 1997)

A Better Way to Slow Global Climate Change

June 1997

Policy Brief #17, by Warwick J. McKibbin and Peter J. Wilcoxen (June 1997)

The Middle East: Making Oslo Work

June 1997

Policy Brief #19, by Richard N. Haass (June 1997)

NAFTA: Setting the Record Straight

June 1997

Policy Brief #20, by Nora Lustig (June 1997)

A New Strategy for Helping Cities Pay for the Poor

June 1997

This Policy Brief explores the problem of concentrated poverty and its cost to cities and offers a new urban strategy to help address it. Policy Brief #18, by Joseph A. Gyourko & Anita A. Summers (June 1997)

The Pentagon's Quadrennial Defense Review

April 1997

Policy Brief #15, by Michael E. O'Hanlon (April 1997)

Enlarging NATO: A Questionable Idea Whose Time Has Come

May 1997

Policy Brief #16, by Richard Haass (May 1997)

Privatizing Social Security: The Troubling Trade-Offs

March 1997

Policy Brief #14, by Gary Burtless and Barry Bosworth (March 1997)

Are We Deregulating Telephone Services? THINK AGAIN

March 1997

Policy Brief #13, by Robert W. Crandall (March 1997)

Tax Reform Is Dead, Long Live Tax Reform

February 1997

Policy Brief #12, by William G. Gale (February 1997)

The Orphaned Capital: Adopting a Revenue Plan for the District of Columbia

January 1997

The District of Columbia's revenue is collapsing, but it can be fixed. Unlike other cities, the capital's tax base is severely restricted by federal law. There is no state aid, and government, the hometown industry, is tax exempt. Carol Ó'Cléireácain outlines a sustainable revenue system that is key to the survival of Washington, D.C.

China and the WTO

November 1996

Policy Brief #10 by Nicholas Lardy (November 1996)

Inside Outsourcing: More Bad News from Business Regulation?

November 1996

Businesses that outsource in the global economy can boost productivity and wages?if the outsourcing is driven by market forces, not by a need to game costly laws and lawsuits. But legal and regulatory considerations, not just a quest for cheap labor,

Racial and Ethnic Preference

November 1996

Policy Brief #9, by Thomas J. Kane and William T. Dickens (November 1996)

The United States and Iraq: A Strategy for the Long Haul

October 1996

Policy Brief #7, by Richard N. Haass (October 1996)

Economic Reality vs. Campaign Rhetoric

October 1996

Policy Brief #6, by Charles L. Schultze, Gary Burtless, William T. Dickens, Robert D. Reischauer, and Barry P. Bosworth (October 1996)

Low Inflation or No Inflation: Should the Federal Reserve Pursue Complete Price Stability?

August 1996

Policy Brief #4, by George A. Akerlof, William T. Dickens, and George L. Perry (August 1996)

An Analysis of Out-Of-Wedlock Births in the United States

August 1996

Policy Brief #5, by George A. Akerlof and Janet L. Yellen (August 1996)

The Devolution Revolution: Why Congress Is Shifting a Lot of Power to the Wrong Levels

July 1996

As Congress shifts many now-federal powers to lower levels of government, it is missing a unique opportunity to resolve a fundamental flaw in America's governance structure: the absence of any authority at the metropolitan-region level.

America's Bosnia Policy: The Work Ahead

July 1996

To avoid long-term instability in the region, an interminable international presence, and the failure of Dayton, the intervening powers must design and execute an explicit strategy to realize peace, rather than allow the operation to be driven by events on the ground, the warring parties, or the mass media.

The Housing Disaster That's Not Being Fixed

July 1996

Policy Brief #1, by James R. Barth and Robert Litan (July 1996)