Brief

In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, city leaders are working to tackle structural inequities in access to wealth and opportunity. An infusion of federal dollars from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act and American Rescue Plan Act provides an opportunity to rethink past budget choices....

December 1, 2021
Aravind BoddupalliTracy GordonLourdes Germán
Brief

By examining federal aid to state and local governments during the Great Recession, we draw lessons that can inform current state and local efforts to build an inclusive economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. We primarily compare the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 with the...

November 19, 2021
Aravind BoddupalliNikhita AiriTracy GordonSolomon Greene
Brief

The murder of George Floyd in spring 2020 sparked a national reckoning and renewed attention to issues of racial equity and justice. This long-overdue awakening led me to read extensively about racism and to think about interactions between race and public policy. To be...

November 4, 2021
William G. Gale
Brief

The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARP) temporarily increased the child tax credit (CTC), made the credit fully refundable, and authorized the IRS to issue up to half the credit as an advance monthly payment beginning in July 2021. The IRS reports that nearly 61 million children received the...

November 4, 2021
Michael KarpmanElaine MaagGenevieve M. KenneyDouglas A. Wissoker
Brief

Life expectancy at age 65 has grown by about six years since Social Security began paying benefits in 1940 and, despite some recent temporary declines, is expected to increase significantly further in future decades. Despite a modest increase in the age at which people can claim full Social...

October 28, 2021
C. Eugene Steuerle
Brief

Interest rates on government debt have been falling in many countries for the last several decades, with markets indicating that rates may stay low well into the future.  The recent economic crisis precipitated by the coronavirus only accentuates these trends.  As...

September 23, 2021
Alan J. AuerbachWilliam G. Gale
Brief

The existence of small and inactive accounts is a largely inevitable feature of the US retirement saving system, which features employer-based retirement plans, individually managed accounts, and automatic enrollment. We consider the issues raised by these accounts, including the...

September 21, 2021
J. Mark IwryChristopher PulliamWilliam G. GaleDavid C. John
Brief

The future fiscal and economic health of the United States depends on its ability to increase revenues. With high and rising public debt, an aging population that will place increasing demands on federal spending, and a need for new investments in infrastructure, research and development, and...

October 2, 2020
William G. Gale