RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael Fullilove and Fergus Hanson , October 13, 2009, The Daily Beast
Over recent years, politicians and analysts inside and outside the United States contended that America’s popularity was in terminal decline. Michael Fullilove and Fergus Hanson explore new public opinion data showing quite the opposite – a quick return to a positive image of the United States around the world. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, October 08, 2009
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Washington, DC
Comprehensive health care reform legislation is moving through Congress. Democrats and Republicans have relied on vast amounts of research, including public opinion polls, to shape their positions and formulate policy solutions. Pundits and legislators alike regularly cite what the American people want in the final reform package. But just how complete is this research? On October 8, Brookings and WorldPublicOpinion.org unveiled new survey research about public attitudes on health care reform. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William A. Galston, Steven Kull and Clay Ramsay, October 08, 2009, The Brookings Institution, WorldPublicOpinion.org
To dig deeper into what the American public really thinks about health care, experts at Brookings and WorldPublicOpinion.org gathered and interpreted polling research about public attitudes toward reform of the country’s health care system. Their results offer a new and complex portrait of how Americans view health care reform and the policy debate surrounding the polarizing issue. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, October 01, 2009
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
On October 1, Shibley Telhami, Saban Center nonresident senior fellow and Anwar Sadat professor for peace and development at the University of Maryland, presented results of the 2009 University of Maryland/Zogby International opinion poll, conducted in August 2009, that surveyed Israeli Arabs and Palestinian public opinion. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Thomas E. Mann, September 04, 2009, Politico
Although President Obama’s approval ratings are declining, there is nothing inexorable about this drop or the larger swing against him among Independents, writes Thomas Mann. However, if the economic downturn persists a year from now and President Obama’s approval ratings have sunk well below 50 percent, Mann predicts, Democrats are likely to lose 20 or more seats in the House and a few in the Senate. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Carol Graham and Jeremy Shapiro, August 13, 2009, The Washington Post
Though Afghanistan has been at war much of the last 30 years, Carol Graham and Jeremy Shapiro find that Afghans remain surprisingly happy. Graham and Shapiro believe adaptations to crime and corruption play a major role and argue that better understanding of multiple happiness factors, including Taliban influence, should shape future U.S. strategy in the country. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Darrell M. West, August 04, 2009, The Huffington Post
With his approval ratings declining and increasing congressional infighting about health care overhaul, President Obama's reform efforts are starting to resemble President Clinton's failed attempt in 1994. However, Darrell West argues President Obama has already demonstrated much greater political effectiveness than President Clinton, and on this issue ultimately, Democrats will succeed in passing health care reform because the risks of failure are too high. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Thomas E. Mann and Darrell M. West, July 18, 2009, The Brookings Institution
New federal policies on immigration will require a new narrative, bold and innovative ideas and a determination to overcome major obstacles to action. Darrell West and Thomas Mann offer a forecast for immigration reform in the new political climate as the nation’s growing Latino factor and some recent shifts in immigration positions suggest that forging a new policy is possible. However, the topic still evokes economic, social, political and cultural obstacles that must be overcome if congressional reform is going to effective. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Darrell M. West, July 10, 2009, Reuters
Washington’s arguments on new health care reform appear far removed from the public’s needs, writes Darrell West. He argues that the clashes on the so-called public option do not satisfy the most important concern consumers have: that their current care will not suffer. Read More
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
On June 17, Brookings hosted an event on how new technology can make the public sector perform faster and smarter. Brookings Vice President and Director of Governance Studies Darrell West released a new study, “Comparing Technology Innovation in the Private and Public Sectors.” Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Shibley Telhami, June 05, 2009, The Brookings Institution
In this Saban Center Middle East Memo, Shibley Telhami presents data from his March-May public opinion poll in Lebanon. Telhami examines the attitudes of the Lebanese public on core foreign and domestic issues that will be critical to the type of government that could emerge following the June 7 parliamentary elections. Many of the issues addressed in the poll are of great interest to the United States as it implements its policy in the region. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael Fullilove, June 05, 2009, The Punch
President Obama’s speech in Cairo has been heralded as a historic moment in redefining and reorienting the U.S. approach to the Muslim world. Michael Fullilove examines the issues, themes and tone of Obama’s speech while exploring the implications of the speech for U.S.-Muslim relations, particularly in reference to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Read More
PAST EVENT
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
10:00 AM to 11:30 AM
Washington, DC
As President Obama prepared to address the greater Muslim world from Egypt, the Saban Center for Middle East Policy at Brookings hosted the release of a new 2009 University of Maryland/Zogby International public opinion poll which reveals long-term trends and surprising revelations about perceptions of the United States and President Barack Obama in the Middle East. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Carol Graham and Soumya Chattopadhyay, May 04, 2009, The Brookings Institution
In Afghanistan, individuals have to cope with the most adverse of circumstances. Carol Graham and Soumya Chattopadhyay use tools provided by a new approach in economics that relies on surveys of happiness or reported well-being to deepen our understanding of conditions there.They conclude that average happiness scores in Afghanistan are higher than the world average and discuss the implications of this and other findings for policy. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, April 30, 2009
10:00 AM to 12:45 PM
Washington, DC
On April 30, the Brookings Institution hosted an event to discuss President Obama's performance during his first 100 days in office, on issues ranging from health care to the Middle East. Read More