Urban Institute experts weigh in on current social and economic policy issues.
A Comment on "The Massachusetts Health Plan - Much Pain, Little Gain" Sharon K. Long Posted: February 02, 2010
The Cato Institute recently released a study of health reform in Massachusetts by Aaron Yelowitz and Michael F. Cannon, entitled "The Massachusetts Health Plan: Much Pain, Little Gain." That study reports fewer gains in health insurance coverage and higher costs than have been reported by earlier studies. As the Urban Institute has done a substantial amount of research on health reform in Massachusetts, we have received a number of requests to reconcile the findings on health insurance coverage from the Cato study with the findings from earlier work. This paper is a response to those requests.
Let's freeze more than chump change Leonard E. Burman Posted: February 02, 2010
President Obama has proposed to freeze most domestic discretionary spending -- a step in the right direction, but not enough. The $250 billion in expected savings over the next decade is chump change compared with deficits that could top $10 trillion if policy doesn't change.
Budgeting in the Ideal and in the United States Rudolph G. Penner Posted: January 21, 2010
Institute Fellow Rudy Penner describes how the U.S. budget is prepared by the executive branch and Congress, and how it then is implemented by the executive branch. The budget preparation process could be improved, Penner asserts, but budget implementation works smoothly and efficiently. The severe long-run budget problem the country faces is caused by only three spending programs: Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid. All are growing faster than the economy, and there is strong opposition against raising tax burdens. Changes are suggested for the budget process so that it is better suited for dealing with this long-run problem.
The U.S. Is Broke. Here's Why. C. Eugene Steuerle Posted: January 27, 2010
In his State of the Union address, President Obama no doubt will promise to attack the deficit. Trouble is, the deficit is only a symptom of a chronic disease that strikes at the very heart of democratic government. The disease? Fiscal sclerosis — setting future national priorities in stone long before the future has arrived. Our fiscal arteries are so clogged and hardened that to do anything new, meet any emergency, or engage any new opportunity, the president must renege on past legislators' promises. If he doesn't address unsustainable promises head on, government will be tied up with yesterday's problems and the demands of yesterday's voters.
We need to ban the evil Santas Leonard E. Burman Posted: December 22, 2009The two Santas came to Washington in 2000 and threaten to never leave. If we don't send them packing, Christmas Future could be very bleak indeed.
Jobs Programs Must be Targeted Margaret Simms Posted: January 03, 2010
America's 10% unemployment rate has overshadowed the plight of the chronically jobless and underemployed, but the jobs initiatives adopted or proposed so far won't do much any time soon to help those who are habitually at the end of the job queue, writes Margaret Simms in a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel commentary. A strategy to ensure that jobs reach the communities in which African-Americans live should include programs that jump-start job expansion where employment losses are heaviest.
The White House Summit on Jobs: Taking the Broader View (Updated 12/9/09) Margaret Simms Posted: December 02, 2009In the White House jobs summit this week, policy recommendations to get the unemployed back to work are essential. But for the good of the economy and society, Institute Fellow Margaret Simms argues, a system of policies is needed to both promote immediate employment and create opportunities to advance to better jobs. See our recommended research on employment and work force development.
Time for a Federal Jobs Program Harry Holzer,
Robert I. Lerman Posted: November 23, 2009The U.S. unemployment rate is above 10 percent, with nearly 16 million Americans out of work, and President Obama is calling for a December summit to consider job-creation ideas. Two labor economists explain why it's time for the federal government to directly create more publicly funded jobs.
Personal savings need a boost Leonard E. Burman Posted: November 10, 2009The Washington Times. America's days of economic dominance are numbered because we don't save. The government is borrowing like crazy, and households aren't doing much better. The personal savings rate -- the share of after-tax income that people set aside for a rainy day -- has been falling like a stone since the early 1980s.
The First Line of Defense: Reducing Recidivism at the Local Level Amy L. Solomon Posted: November 05, 2009
The traditional approach to incarceration is to keep inmates locked up—away from society—to keep us safe. With little treatment and transition planning, most individuals are released with the same problems that got them locked up in the first place. In the past decade, we have realized that almost everyone who is incarcerated will eventually return home; this is especially true of the jail population. The big question: how do we incarcerate and release individuals in a way that makes them less likely to reoffend and more likely to work, support their families, pay taxes, and be productive members of society?
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