The United States has long struggled with the challenge of providing quality, affordable child care for working parents. Recent proposed investments in the “care economy”—part of President Joe Biden’s Build Back Better agenda—were left on the congressional cutting room floor. Despite this setback, the administration continues to take steps to address the issue through executive […]

On the surface, the history of U.S. environmental policy is one of sweeping success through pivotal regulation. The 1970 Clean Air Act, for example, is estimated to have reduced overall air pollution by 66.9% and added 1.3 years to the life expectancy of the average American. But it is also a story of “one-size-fits-all” policy […]

This November marks the 35th anniversary of the signing of the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act—the statute that enables the federal government to assist states and their residents after emergencies and major disasters. The act is the foundation for our national disaster policy, but its anniversary comes with some clouds overhead. […]

Table of contents Introduction Recent trends Geographic patterns (and interactive) Pandemic rebound Black women are starting more businesses Factors driving growth California booming More action is needed Executive summary Using the Census Bureau’s Annual Business Survey (ABS) data on employer firms (those that have at least one employee), this third installment of Brookings Metro’s series […]