Wednesday February 23, 2011

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U.S. Politics


Reuters/Shannon Stapleton

Save to My Portfolio The Still-Vital Center: Moderates, Democrats, and the Renewal of American Politics

William A. Galston and Elaine C. Kamarck, February 23, 2011

Political polarization and the failure of governance share the same root problem in the United States: the failure to give moderates adequate voice in the nation’s electoral and policy processes, write William Galston and Elaine Kamarck. Arguing that moderates are an essential ingredient of any governing coalition, Galston and Kamarck call for reforms that would remedy moderates’ structural under-representation in our political system. Read More

U.S. Politics, U.S. Congress, Political Polarization, Politics

SPOTLIGHT: Middle East Unrest


Reuters - Libyan people take part in a protest in the seaport city of Tobruk.

Save to My Portfolio The March for Freedom in Libya

Ibrahim Sharqieh, February 22, 2011

Ibrahim Sharqieh writes on the likelihood that current protests will lead to the fall of Colonel Muammar Qaddafi’s regime in Libya. According to Sharqieh, the Libyan people’s direct confrontation with Qaddafi’s 42-year-long dictatorship highlights many factors that will bring them closer to freedom, including economic, geographic and demographic aspects. Read More

Middle East Unrest, Middle East, Democracy Promotion

SPOTLIGHT: Federal Budget

Save to My Portfolio Obama Should Lead on Tough Spending Cuts to Entitlements, Tax Reform

Alice M. Rivlin and Pete V. Domenici, February 17, 2011

Alice Rivlin and Pete Domenici concede that while President Obama's budget proposal takes some important first steps towards addressing long-term fiscal challenges, a more comprehensive plan to attack surging deficits and debt is necessary. Rivlin and Domenici encourage bipartisan discussion between the president and congressional leaders of both parties to create a broader, longer-term proposal for deficit reduction. Read More

Federal Budget, Fiscal Policy, U.S. Politics, U.S. Economy

SPOTLIGHT: Middle East


Reuters - A Bahraini woman holds a picture of Prime Minister Prince Khalifa bin Isa al-Khalifa as she shouts pro-government slogans during a pro-government rally in Riffa.

Save to My Portfolio A Primer on Bahrain

Salman Shaikh, February 17, 2011

Political protests in the Middle East have now spread to Bahrain, where the Shiite Muslim majority is ruled by a Sunni Muslim royal family. In an interview on NPR's All Things Considered, Salman Shaikh discusses Bahrain, offering context on the nation's people and history. Read More

Middle East, Middle East Unrest, Islamic World, Governance

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Policy CenterJohn L. Thornton China Center

The John L. Thornton China Center develops analysis and policy recommendations to help address key long-term challenges, both in terms of U.S.-China relations and China's internal development.

ExpertAlice M. Rivlin

In February 1975, the Congressional Budget Office was established with Alice Rivlin as its first director. Rivlin is an expert on urban issues as well as fiscal, monetary and social policy and directs the Greater Washington Research project at Brookings.

ExpertWilliam G. Gale

Bill Gale, the Arjay and Frances Miller Chair in Federal Economic Policy in the Economic Studies Program at Brookings, is an expert on tax policy, fiscal issues, pensions, and saving behavior. He is also co-director of the Tax Policy Center and director of the Retirement Security Project.

Research ProjectBudgeting for National Priorities

The Budgeting for National Priorities project promotes greater fiscal responsibility by developing new ideas, educating the public and finding common ground among experts and policy-makers.

TopicEnergy and Climate

What will it take to mitigate severe climate disruption? What should our priorities be in the relationship between fresh water and climate change? What will it take to help vulnerable countries and regions adapt to change already taking place?

TopicGlobal Change

How do we develop more realistic approaches and more effective means of ending intractable old conflicts and preventing new ones? How do we enhance measures to thwart nonstate actors—especially terrorists and illicit traffickers—and prevent the spread of nuclear weapons?

TopicGrowth through Innovation

What new practices and mechanisms will help prevent another economic downturn from turning into a financial panic that could become a truly global meltdown? What changes in the public and private sectors will build the workforce and infrastructure required for a global information-based economy?

TopicOpportunity and Well-being

As they weather the current economic storm, will our governments and societies address the basic needs and aspirations of the least well-off? How can we better use education to raise individual aspirations? How should governments around the world accelerate preparations to provide social services for the billions moving from poverty into the middle class?

Policy CenterCenter on Social Dynamics and Policy

The Center on Social Dynamics and Policy applies the study of complexity to public policy, mainly through computational modeling and simulation.

Policy CenterCenter for Technology Innovation

The Center for Technology Innovation is at the forefront of shaping public debate on technology innovation and developing data-driven scholarship to enhance understanding of technology’s legal, economic, social, and governance ramifications.

ExpertRebecca Winthrop

Rebecca Winthrop is a senior fellow and director of the Center for Universal Education. She is the former head of education for the International Rescue Committee, a humanitarian aid NGO. Her research focuses on education in the developing world, with special attention to fragile states and contexts of armed conflict, forced migration, and violent extremism.

ExpertTracy Gordon

Tracy Gordon is the Okun-Model fellow for the Economic Studies program. She is an expert on state and local public finances and also has research interests in political economy and urban economics.

ExpertRobert Kagan

Robert Kagan is an expert and frequent commentator on U.S. national security, foreign policy and U.S.-European relations. He writes a monthly column on world affairs for the Washington Post and is a contributing editor at the Weekly Standard and the New Republic.

ExpertDaniel Kaufmann

Daniel Kaufmann was previously the director at the World Bank Institute, leading the work on governance and anti-corruption. His areas of expertise are public sector and regulatory reform, development, governance and anti-corruption.

ExpertMwangi S. Kimenyi

Mwangi S. Kimenyi is senior fellow and director of the Africa Growth Initiative. The founding executive director of the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (1999-2005), he focuses on Africa's development including institutions for economic growth, political economy, and private sector development.

ExpertDonald Kohn

Donald Kohn is a 40-year veteran of the Federal Reserve System and served as vice chairman of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve from 2006 to 2010. He was recently appointed by the government of the United Kingdom and the Bank of England to serve on its interim Financial Policy Committee. Kohn focuses on issues of monetary policy, financial regulation and macroeconomics.

ExpertAdam Looney

Adam Looney is a senior fellow in Economic Studies and policy director of The Hamilton Project. His research focuses on tax policy, labor economics, inequality and social policy. Previously, Looney was the senior economist for public finance and tax policy with the President’s Council of Economic Advisers and has been an economist at the Federal Reserve Board.

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ExpertShadi Hamid

Shadi Hamid focuses on Islamist political parties and democratic reform in the Middle East. Prior to joining Brookings, he was Director of Research at the Project on Middle East Democracy (POMED) and a Hewlett Fellow at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law.

ExpertKatherine Sierra

Katherine Sierra is a senior fellow in the Global Economy and Development program. A former vice president for sustainable development at the World Bank, she focuses on climate change and energy.

ExpertIsabel V. Sawhill

A nationally known budget expert, Isabel Sawhill focuses on domestic poverty and federal fiscal policy. She is also co-director of the Center on Children and Families at Brookings.

Metropolitan Policy ProgramState of Metropolitan America

Foreshadowing 2010 Census results, this new Brookings report and interactive map defines who Americans are—and who they are becoming—in the face of continued growth, population aging and diversification, uneven educational attainment and income polarization.

Policy CenterCenter on Children and Families

The Center on Children and Families studies policies on the well-being of America's children and their parents and seeks a more effective means of addressing poverty, inequality and lack of opportunity in the United States.

ExpertVanda Felbab-Brown

Vanda Felbab-Brown focuses on the national security implications of illicit economies and strategies for managing them. She is the author of Shooting Up: Counterinsurgency and the War on Drugs (Brookings Institution Press, 2009).

ExpertSuzanne Maloney

Suzanne Maloney studies Iran, the political economy of the Persian Gulf and Middle East energy policy. A former U.S. State Department policy advisor, she has also counseled private companies on Middle East issues.

Research ProjectAfrica Growth Initiative

The Africa Growth Initiative conducts high-quality policy research and analysis focused on attaining sustainable economic development and prosperity in Africa, while amplifying the voice of African researchers in policy-making and planning.