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2. International Volunteering: Smart Power
- Author:
- Lex Rieffel and Sarah Zalud
- Publication Date:
- 06-2006
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- The face of America that has been welcomed most enthusiastically in the rest of the world for decades has been the face of a volunteer: assisting with disaster relief, building houses for poor families, teaching English to university students, and so much more.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Education, and Humanitarian Aid
- Political Geography:
- United States
3. Pragmatic Reform of Global Governance: Creating an L20 Summit Forum
- Author:
- Johannes F. Linn and Colin I. Bradford Jr.
- Publication Date:
- 04-2006
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- The global challenges confronting political leaders today—whether the stalemate of global trade negotiations, the threat of Avian flu, the struggle over Iran going nuclear, or the fight against global poverty—cannot be solved by yesterday's institutions. They demand new approaches to global governance that are more inclusive, more representative, and thus more effective. The G8 summit, in particular, is a forum of the eight industrialized countries that were the dominant powers of the mid-twentieth century. By excluding the emerging powers of the twenty-first century, it has become increasingly ineffective, unrepresentative and illegitimate. U.S. global interests are best served by increasing the inclusiveness and effectiveness of the global steering process rather than sticking with the obsolete, overly formalized and unrepresentative G8.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Development, Politics, and Treaties and Agreements
- Political Geography:
- United States
4. Building Automatic Solvency into U.S. Social Security: Insights from Sweden and Germany
- Author:
- James C. Capretta
- Publication Date:
- 03-2006
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- Although Social Security reform appears to be off of the national agenda for now, real funding problems remain for America's popular retirement program that policymakers need to address. The payroll taxes that support Social Security's “pay–as-you-go” system will begin to fall short of outlays in 2017 and will be sufficient to finance only 74 percent of scheduled annual benefits by 2041, when the Social Security trust fund is projected to be exhausted.
- Topic:
- International Relations and Economics
- Political Geography:
- United States, Europe, Germany, and Sweden
5. Nigeria's Paris Club Debt Problem
- Publication Date:
- 08-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- Intense domestic pressure has convinced Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo to seek a deal that would eliminate the country's $31 billion of debt owed to the governments of the U.K., France, and other aid-giving countries that use the Paris Club process to restructure debt that countries cannot repay. The Paris Club creditors have proposed an unprecedented operation—its first-ever buyback at a discount—that would cancel all of Nigeria's debt to them in exchange for a cash payment of roughly $12 billion.
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution, International Relations, and Debt
- Political Geography:
- Africa, United Kingdom, Paris, France, and Nigeria
6. Moving Toward Smarter Aid
- Publication Date:
- 08-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- The Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) is seriously wounded. Unveiled by President Bush in March 2002 as a promising new bilateral aid instrument for tackling global poverty, the most prominent sign of the MCC's distress was the mid-summer resignation of Paul Applegarth, its first CEO. More disturbing are the cuts imposed by the Congressional committees marking up next year's budget. The MCC's original concept was to award $5 billion annually to low-income countries based on objective criteria measuring their performance in ruling justly, investing in people, and promoting economic freedom. Appropriations for the MCC in its third year of funding, however, appear to be stuck below $2 billion. Criticism of the MCC for getting off to a slow start misses the point. Creating a new agency takes time and the original concept remains valid. To enable the MCC to live up to its potential, its newly nominated CEO will have to sell the MCC vision to a skeptical Congress and gain the flexibility required to avoid drifting toward "more of the same."
- Topic:
- International Relations, Debt, Economics, and Poverty
7. Can the U.S. Government Live Within Its Means? Lessons from Abroad
- Author:
- Allen Schick
- Publication Date:
- 06-2005
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- When George W. Bush leaves office in 2009, the federal government will owe at least $15,000 more for every American than it did when he became president eight years earlier. This unprecedented build-up of public debt will result from budget deficits projected to average more than $250 billion a year during the Bush presidency, plus more than one trillion dollars borrowed from social security trust funds. Although this budget projection may be high, there is far greater risk that actual deficits will exceed current estimates than that they will be lower.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Economics, and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States
8. Bush and Kerry: Questions About Governing Styles
- Author:
- Charles O. Jones
- Publication Date:
- 06-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- Political campaigns are about governing. Candidates offer themselves to the public and endure a grueling process of nomination and election. Campaigns generate a lot of headlines, but it's what comes afterward that counts. Voters usually are left guessing about how each of the candidates would govern. In 2000, the Brookings Institution, the American Enterprise Institute, and the Hoover Institution jointly conducted several forums with journalists and the presidential candidates' close associates that explored how each of the candidates would govern based on their backgrounds, experience, and leadership styles.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Government, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- America
9. Encouraging Job Advancement Among Low-Wage Workers: A New Approach
- Author:
- Harry J. Holzer
- Publication Date:
- 05-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- While their employment rates have risen considerably, most former welfare recipients continue to earn very low wages. Similarly, the earnings of less-educated U.S. workers more broadly have also stagnated or fallen in recent years. Using a new dataset from the Census Bureau, some recent research suggests that low earners' advancement prospects are closely tied to the characteristics of the employers for whom they work. Employment in certain high-wage sectors and especially at firms that pay wage premiums and offer career ladders is strongly correlated with earnings gains over time for initially low earners. Job mobility often results in higher earnings gains than does staying in the same job. "Work first" approaches—such as immediate job placement for those on welfare—produce modest gains over time, while early work at a higher-wage employer or with a temp agency generates larger gains. Policymakers should therefore encourage better job placements for low earners as well as targeted training that is integrated with these placements. Policies to support the creation of more higher-wage jobs for the unskilled should be considered as well. Private labor market intermediaries can play important roles in both processes.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Government, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- United States
10. Trade Agreements and Labor Standards
- Author:
- Theodore H. Moran
- Publication Date:
- 05-2004
- Content Type:
- Policy Brief
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- The National Academy of Sciences report, Monitoring International Labor Standards: Techniques and Sources of Information, shows that assessing compliance can be done thoroughly and transparently, allowing government officials, multilateral agencies, "socially responsible" investors, and nongovernmental organizations to identify where they differ on crucial aspects of the assessment process.
- Topic:
- International Relations, Foreign Policy, Government, and Political Economy
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