RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Clifford G. Gaddy and Barry W. Ickes, November 11, 2009, The Brookings Institution
When Putin took power in 2000, he established a protection deal among powerful business owners. Clifford Gaddy and Barry Ickes discuss the intricacies of this arrangement and what message a recent suit against one of the country’s leading business newspapers is meant to send. Read More
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
1:00 PM to 2:30 PM
Washington, DC
On October 21, the Initiative on Business and Public Policy explored the government’s role in the struggling auto industry and their future relationship. Steven Rattner, former head of the Obama administration’s Task Force on the Auto Industry, delivered the keynote address. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Cheng Li, July 13, 2009, Australian Broadcasting Corporation
Cheng Li joined the Australian Broadcasting Corporation to discuss the arrest of Rio Tinto executive Stern Hu and the need to understand the continually increasing business opportunities in China. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Douglas J. Elliott, June 17, 2009, The Huffington Post
The long-awaited Obama administration plan to reform financial regulation has arrived. The good news, says Douglas Elliott, is that the specific proposals are virtually all sensible and constructive. The bad news is that there were some missed opportunities. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Darrell M. West and Jenny Lu, June 11, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Technology can be a tool for making government better and democracy stronger. However, the public sector has continued to fall behind the private sector in technology innovation, writes Darrell West. Evaluating the web sites of leading U.S. corporations with state and national governments, West offers five reasons why the private sector has outpaced government in effective innovation, and ways the public sector could improve. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Darrell M. West, May 04, 2009, The Brookings Institution
There is no question we are witnessing a fundamental economic and technological transformation of journalism, writes Darrell West. However, while traditional business models are dying, new ones are still being developed. In this multi-faceted, new-media universe, West says we need an information strategy for the news industry that expands on digital media's strengths while encouraging in-depth coverage. Read More
PAST EVENT
Tuesday, March 31, 2009
9:15 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
As public outrage grows over bonuses paid to employees at private firms being bailed out by the government, many are asking whether some companies are "too big to fail" and the consequences of propping up firms at any cost. The Initiative on Business and Public Policy at Brookings hosted Minneapolis Federal Reserve President Gary H. Stern and Vice President Ron J. Feldman to discuss the issue, along with former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mauricio Cárdenas, February 11, 2009, Latin America Private Equity Forum
As the effects of the financial crisis continue to be felt across the globe, much of Latin America should be well prepared to weather the global financial storms with more opportunity for growth. In a speech at the Economist's 11th Annual Conference on Latin America Private Equity, held in Miami Florida, Mauricio Cárdenas discusses how the United States and Latin American countries can work together, not only on financing and aid, but also on issues like trade, migration, energy, and climate change. Read More
VIDEO
Bill Frenzel, December 22, 2008
Brookings Guest Scholar Bill Frenzel, a former Member of Congress, says federal legislators should tread carefully when considering bailing out failing businesses.
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Harry J. Holzer, December 10, 2008, The Brookings Institution
Harry Holzer examines the likely effects of “living wage” ordinances on employment outcomes, according to economic theory; as well as evidence on their actual effects. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Clifford Winston, September 30, 2008, Journal of Economic Literature
The book Archon Fung, Mary Graham, and David Weil’s Full Disclosure: The Perils and Promise of Transparency provides a thorough discussion of governmentmandated disclosure policies. Clifford Winston uses their book to frame an empirical assessment of whether these—and other information policies—have significantly reduced the costs to consumers created by imperfect information. Read More
PAST EVENT
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
8:15 AM to 2:00 PM
Washington, DC
The way consumers pay for products and services is dramatically changing, with cash and checks now accounting for less than half of all transactions and falling fast. What payment technologies lie ahead and how will they change the way our economy works? Brookings’s Initiative on Business and Public Policy held an event with some of America’s leading experts—including Under Secretary for International Affairs at the U.S. Treasury Department David H. McCormick and American Express CEO Ken Chenault—on the evolution of electronic payments. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Tom Gibson and H. J. van der Vaart, September 01, 2008, The Brookings Institution
Within the community whose work it is to promote economic growth in developing countries, the role of small and medium enterprises (“SMEs”) remains a topic of debate. This debate has been badly served by faulty definitions. As career practitioners in SME finance, Tom Gibson, Principal of SMEthink, and H. J. van der Vaart, Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of Small Enterprise Assistance Funds, review in this paper how SMEs are defined for developing countries, how such definitions are used, and why this matters. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Jane Nelson, August 18, 2008, The Brookings Institution
The 2008 Brookings Blum Roundtable recently convened representatives to focus on how the poor of the world will cope with climate change. With a few notable exceptions, the climate adaptation challenge, and the links between climate change, economic growth, human rights, and poverty alleviation, has not been high on the corporate agenda. Jane Nelson, an expert in corporate social responsibility, recommends the corporate community take action to address climate change adaptation in the developing world. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Jack Keane and Michael E. O'Hanlon, July 06, 2008, The Washington Times
Michael O'Hanlon and Jack Keane assess a major private initiative called Welcome Back Veterans. The program, they write, is designed to complement government efforts to create new jobs for veterans returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Read More