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
PAST EVENT
Thursday, September 03, 2009
10:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Washington, DC
On Day 200 of the American Recovery and Renewal Act, Brookings hosted Vice President Joe Biden. As the chief administration official entrusted with the implementation of the stimulus plan, he offered a working perspective on the program’s accomplishments and challenges. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Douglas J. Elliott, August 31, 2009, Marketplace - National Public Radio
Senior Fellow Douglas Elliott talks with Kai Ryssdal about how the Treasury has made close to $4 billion from its bank bailout, and whether it's actual profit. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, August 13, 2009
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
Six months after Congress passed a two-year, $787 billion stimulus plan to revive America’s economy, conflicting numbers fuel arguments of both proponents and critics. A panel of Brookings experts weighed the evidence and discussed whether the money was strategically deployed to invigorate the nation’s economy, to create jobs and to advance school reform. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Thomas E. Mann, August 07, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Many conservative commentators including, Michael Gerson, disdain President Obama’s stimulus bill and have trumpeted its alleged shortcomings. However, the accuracy of these criticisms is far from self-evident; it will be assessed by analysts in the months and years ahead as the bill’s funds are expended and evidence becomes available on their impact on the micro and macro-economy, writes Thomas Mann. Read More
VIDEO
Barry P. Bosworth, August 06, 2009
President Obama recently signed a law adding $2 billion to the wildly popular "Cash for Clunkers" program that has given automakers a boost after months of declining sales. Barry Bosworth says despite the program’s quick uptake, there are probably better ways to help stimulate the economy.
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Gary Burtless, August 04, 2009, National Journal
Critics of the government’s stimulus policies claim the surge in personal saving shows the stimulus has not been effective. Gary Burtless examines whether this claim is credible, finding that the presumed failure of the stimulus package is based on a very unrealistic benchmark. Read More
VIDEO
Alice M. Rivlin, July 31, 2009
The latest government reports show that the economy contracted at a rate of one-percent last quarter — better than expected. But the new GDP numbers showed that consumers have continued to cut spending, and unemployment is likely to continue to rise for some time. Senior Fellow Alice Rivlin says the news is good, but an end to the recession is not yet at hand.
VIDEO
Darrell M. West, July 27, 2009
“How We're Doing: A Composite Index of Global and National Trends” compares President Obama to the prior five presidents at the six-month point and marks a baseline for future quarterly indexes. It reveals that the public is generally pleased with the new president’s performance. Darrell West, vice president and director of Governance Studies, says that maintaining the trust and confidence of the American people could take some doing.
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William J. Antholis, Darrell M. West and Michael E. O'Hanlon, July 26, 2009, The Brookings Institution and The Washington Post
Six months into the Obama administration, a Brookings team has launched a composite index that looks back at the prior five presidents at the starting gate and marks a baseline for future quarterly indexes. Since inauguration day, the improvement in the percentage of Americans who think the country is headed in the right direction is nearly as high as after Ronald Reagan’s first half-year in office. Whether Obama can sustain the public trust will depend on how many of these indicators change from quarter to quarter. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mark Muro, Sarah Rahman and Amy Liu, July 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution
In this framing paper, Mark Muro, Sarah Rahman and Amy Liu highlight the work of some of the most creative recovery act implementers in metropolitan America, noting that their efforts to innovate come against the grain of federal “business-as-usual.” Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Gary Burtless, July 15, 2009, Korea Institute for Health and Social Affairs
As unemployment continues to climb, questions have arisen as to whether the stimulus package is working, how well it was designed and when it will have an impact. Gary Burtless examines its composition, finding that efforts at creating a social safety net and fiscal relief for the states were appropriately targeted and are working. Read More
VIDEO
Alice M. Rivlin, July 10, 2009
Alice Rivlin says the U.S. economy is still struggling even though the climbing unemployment rate is a lagging indicator, but that more spending with a new stimulus package is not the answer.
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, July 08, 2009
9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Washington, DC
The federal government responded aggressively to the economic crisis with fiscal, financial and monetary interventions. While boosting the economy has to be the top priority in the short run, it would be dangerous to lose focus on medium- and long-term fiscal issues that represent future threats to the economy and the solvency of the federal government. On July 8, Brookings experts and colleagues examined the delicate balancing act between economic recovery and fiscal sustainability. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William G. Gale and Alan J. Auerbach, July 08, 2009, Los Angeles Times
The U.S. confronts two major economic challenges: the worst recession since the Depression and a growing imbalance between federal spending and revenues that makes our underlying fiscal policy unsustainable. Policymakers face a delicate balancing act between encouraging economic recovery and establishing fiscal sustainability. William Gale and Alan Auerbach say success will take new ideas, some luck and uncharacteristic honesty and resoluteness — from our leaders and the rest of us. Read More