Improving children’s life chances; hidden dangers of chop-shop electronics; International Student Achievement education scores in China; the future of Russia; the global economic recovery.
Improving Children’s Life Chances: Estimates from the Social Genome Model
by Kerry Grannis and Isabel Sawhill
Children born to poorer families do not succeed at the same rate as children born to the middle class, but research suggests that the gaps determining success in areas like college enrollment and family formation can be identified and addressed. Using the Social Genome Model, Grannis and Sawhill hope to identify the most important paths to upward mobility and demonstrate the value of select interventions.
The Hidden Dangers of Chop-Shop Electronics
By John Villasenor and Mohammad Tehranipoor
The authors write about the hidden dangers of counterfeit electronics. Clever counterfeiters sell old components as new, threatening both military and commercial systems.
PISA’s China Problem
By Tom Loveless
The Programme for International Student Achievement (PISA) will release its latest scores in December. The scores reported for Shanghai will not be representative of China as a whole although media coverage will suggest that they are. Loveless challenges the OECD to fully disclose its testing agreement with China and urges the public to consider Shanghai’s scores in the proper perspective.
The Future of Russia: Observations from the Tenth Annual Valdai Conference
By Angela Stent
After returning from the tenth installation of Russia’s Valdai Conference, Stent discusses the state of Russian politics and political thought.
October 2013 Update to TIGER: Tracking Indexes for the Global Economic Recovery
by Eswar Prasad, Karim Foda, and Arnav Sahu
In the latest Brookings-Financial Times TIGER index, the authors report that the global economic recovery is back on track, but remains vulnerable due to the weak labor market performance and mixed financial conditions.
Commentary
Weekend Reads: Future of Russia, Global Economic Recovery, and More
October 11, 2013