RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mark Muro and Sarah Rahman, February 03, 2010, The Brookings Institution
The Obama administration’s FY2011 budget request unveils several proposals to support regional industry or innovation “clusters” through multiple federal departments, which could put the U.S. on par with other nations in providing support to these systems of business development. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Karen Dynan and Martin Neil Baily, January 11, 2010, The Brookings Institution
Karen Dynan and Martin Baily give the Obama administration an A- in its effort to restore U.S. economic confidence, offering credit for deft handling of the economic crisis but raising questions about whether the president has laid the foundation for sustained growth. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William G. Gale and Benjamin Harris, January 07, 2010, The Brookings Institution
In this installment of the Status Report, a series of policy assessments of the Obama administration’s first year, William Gale and Benjamin Harris give the administration a B for their handling of tax and fiscal policy. However, they remain concerned about the lack of progress on efforts to reform the tax and fiscal system. This is the fourth in a series of reviews of Obama’s first year. Read More
VIDEO
William A. Galston, December 18, 2009
As the federal government continues its efforts to stabilize and expand the economy it must also take action to manage its mounting debt. William Galston supports the idea of a fiscal commission to help the Obama administration and Congress walk the fine line between spending and fiscal restraint.
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Gary Burtless, December 14, 2009, National Journal
Gary Burtless discusses the risk of the long-term federal deficit, arguing that it is possible to increase the deficit in the short run while simultaneously taking credible action to reduce the long-term budget imbalance. However, he cautions that taking the steps necessary to credibly reduce the long-term deficit can be politicall fatal and notes that it is far easier to compose wise editorials than it is to cast a vote that might end a political career. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Sarah A. Binder, November 25, 2009, The Brookings Institution
As efforts to audit the Federal Reserve pick up steam in Congress, Sarah Binder looks as the coalition supporting Representative Ron Paul's (R-Texas) bill. Binder concludes that it is a center to far right coalition, and it will be difficult for the House Democratic leadership to ignore or alter the bill. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mauricio Cárdenas and José Tessada, November 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Fiscal policy has been mentioned as a key driver of the resilience that many large Latin American countries have seen during the global financial crisis. Mauricio Cárdenas and José Tessada examine Chile's fiscal rules and caution that a comprehensive fiscal strategy cannot focus solely on the short- and medium-term evolution of fiscal policy. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William A. Galston, November 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution
As the United States begins to recover from the deepest recession in decades, policymakers and the public are increasingly turning their attention to our long-term fiscal problems. To help alleviate the deficit, we need to fix the social contract. William Galston presents evidence which suggests that if done right, strengthening the link between income and net benefits would allow entitlement programs to meet essential social objectives without antagonizing upper-income beneficiaries and undermining cross-class coalitions. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Douglas J. Elliott and Martin Neil Baily, November 23, 2009, The Brookings Institution
What really caused the great economic crisis of the past year? Should the Fed’s powers be stripped away, per legislation sponsored by Rep. Ron Paul that recently passed the House Financial Services Committee? In an effort to help inform the debate, Brookings Fellow Douglas Elliott and Senior Fellow Martin Baily ponder the importance of public perceptions of the causes of the crisis - and how they will affect chances of financial regulatory reform. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, November 19, 2009
9:00 AM to 11:45 AM
Washington, DC
The current economic crisis is not only a national crisis; it is also a metropolitan crisis. And soon the downturn will bring a local government fiscal crisis. On November 19, the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program and the National League of Cities co-hosted a forum on city fiscal conditions, the responses being undertaken by creative mayors, and the implications for national economic recovery. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Mark Muro and Christopher W. Hoene, November 18, 2009, The Brookings Institution
The current economic crisis is not only a national crisis; it is also a metropolitan crisis; and it will soon become a local government fiscal crisis. In this framing report, Mark Muro and Christopher Hoene assert the importance of local government fiscal conditions to national economic performance, survey current and projected fiscal conditions, review implications for economic recovery, and offer a menu of federal policy options to help minimize city layoffs and service cuts that could harm the economy. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Alice M. Rivlin, November 18, 2009, Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia, U.S. House of Representatives
Testifying before the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia, Alice M. Rivlin, Director of Greater Washington Research at Brookings, asserted that the District of Columbia government should have greater autonomy over its own budget. Once the District government finalizes its budget spending out of its own source revenues, Dr. Rivlin states that it should not be altered or delayed by Congress. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Eswar Prasad and Grace Gu, November 11, 2009, The Brookings Institution
While the economic entanglements between the U.S. and China have increased over the last decade, so has the tension. With President Obama visiting China and other Asian nations, Brookings expert Eswar Prasad and Grace Gu of Cornell University discuss the tightening embrace between the two countries—in terms of flows of goods and services, financial capital and people—and the implications. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William A. Galston, November 10, 2009, Senate Budget Committee
Speaking before the Senate Budget Committee, Senior Fellow William Galston discussed how the Untied States’ current fiscal course is unsustainable. The level of deficits, debt, and borrowing from abroad projected for the next decade threatens not only our economic prosperity, but also our currency, global leadership, and national independence, he asserted. Galston recommended that an independent, bi-partisan commission be created to address the challenge of developing a sustainable fiscal policy. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Justin Vaïsse, September 23, 2009, ForeignPolicy.com
Irving Kristol, regarded by many as the "godfather" of neoconservativism, passed away on September 18 at the age of 89. Justin Vaïsse examines the history of the movement and explains why Kristol was not a neocon in the modern sense of the word – partly because of Kristol’s consistently realist foreign policy approach. Read More