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August 3, 2023

Expanding Economic Opportunities Through Evidence-Based Sector Training

Read the PDF. Introduction The Workforce Futures Initiative is a research collaboration among the American Enterprise Institute, the Brookings Institution, and the Project on Workforce at Harvard Kennedy School’s Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy. The initiative aims to develop concise and actionable reviews of exist­ing research for federal, state, and local policymakers. Since August…

July 18, 2023

The Great Recession, COVID-19, Interest Hikes Left a 15-Year Mark on Housing

How have the Great Recession in 2007, the COVID-19 pandemic that hit in 2020, and the Federal Reserve’s interest rate hikes that started in 2022 affected mortgages in the region? Here’s the short answer: Each year, researchers at George Washington University use the State of the Capital Region report to do a deep dive on a policy…

July 18, 2023

Yet More Absurdities in Biden’s Housing Policy

In a recent Wall Street Journal op-ed, my colleague Ed Pinto and I recently raised alarms about how the Biden administration is doubling down on the same failed policies that preceded the housing crash of 2008. Unfortunately, policymakers keep dreaming up new and equally absurd housing policies. The latest move comes from the Federal Housing Administration (FHA), the…

May 4, 2023

Work Is Essential to the American Dream

Work is one of the foundations of American life. Almost always, being employed and earning income gives individuals the opportunity, responsibility, and community they need to flourish. The broader importance of work can’t be overstated. A larger workforce also contributes significantly to our general prosperity allowing us to afford, among other things, a more effective…

January 19, 2023

Labor Unions and the “Double-Helix” of America’s Workforce Development Future

The role of labor unions in the future of American workforce development depends largely on how we conceive of the needs and demands facing workers and the economy. Traditionally, we’ve thought of workforce development in terms of formal, technical skill development and the so-called “skills gap,” the difference between the credentials and skills our training…

January 5, 2023

Defending the American Dream with Michael Strain

Our interview this week is with the American Enterprise Institute’s Michael Strain. Michael is the author of The American Dream Is Not Dead: (But Populism Could Kill It), and we talk about how real blue-collar wages in America have not been stagnant for decades, despite what you might have heard.

January 3, 2023

Systemic Disadvantage

The term “systemic racism” freezes social, political, and policy conversation. As soon as the words are uttered, contending parties retreat to their respective corners to engage in a mutual misunderstanding guaranteed to produce anguish and anger on both sides. In a way, the resulting stasis serves the interests of both sides: Progressives are relieved of…

September 12, 2022

Section 199A and “Tax Parity”

Key Points Read the PDF. Executive Summary In 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act included a new deduction for business income: Section 199A. This provision allows taxpayers to deduct up to 20 percent of qualifying business income against their taxable income and provides a special tax benefit for “pass-through” businesses—those not subject to the…