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Top Brookings Policy Ideas on 7 Themes in Obama’s #SOTU

In his State of the Union speech last night, President Obama expressed his vision for American prosperity and security, as well as specific policy ideas for a “year of action.” Below are links to Brookings expert research and commentary on many of the biggest ideas and themes in the speech.

… speed up growth, strengthen the middle class and build new ladders of opportunity into the middle class …

Social Mobility Memos
Poverty and Opportunity: Begin with Facts
Social Mobility Summit: Keynote Remarks by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand and Representative Paul Ryan
Inequality in America: Facts, Trends and International Perspectives

… Let’s get immigration reform done this year …

Want to See Action on Immigration Reform? Look at States and Cities
What New Immigrants Could Mean for American Wages
Immigration Facts: Temporary Foreign Workers

… offer every American access to an automatic IRA on the job …

New Ways to Promote Retirement Saving
Tax Reform Options: Promoting Retirement Security
Pursuing Universal Retirement Security Through Automatic IRAs

… it is American diplomacy, backed by pressure, that has halted the progress of Iran’s nuclear program …

Iran@Saban blog
Will Obama ‘Double Down’ On Iran – Or Will Nuclear Talks End In A ‘Nightmare’?
• Six Myths About Iran Sanctions

… The best measure of opportunity is access to a good job…

Cut to Invest: Create a Nationwide Network of Advanced Industries Innovation Hubs
• Close the Deal on Free Trade
• Patent Reform: Five Things Technology Companies Need to Know
• The Importance of Unemployment Insurance for American Families & the Economy: Take 2
• What $7.25 Will Get You in 2014: Reflecting on the Minimum Wage and the State of the Union
• Raising the Minimum Wage: Will it Help?
Corporate Tax Reform Part I – The Urgent Problem of “Locked Out” Foreign Profits
Principles for Reforming Workforce Development and Human Capital Policies in the United States

… We also have to prepare tomorrow’s workforce, by guaranteeing every child access to a world-class education …

• Mobility Begins in Early Childhood
• New Approaches to Promoting College Access for More Americans
Informing Students about Their College Options: A Proposal for Broadening the Expanding College Opportunities Project
Moving on to the Real Issues in Student Lending
U.S.-China Collaboration on Early Childhood Development

… because of the extraordinary troops and civilians who risk and lay down their lives to keep us free, the United States is more secure …

Big Bets & Black Swans: A Presidential Briefing Book
Obama’s State of the Union Speech and the Seductiveness of Limited Intervention
• Al Qaeda’s Next Comeback Could Be Afghanistan And Pakistan