In Fast Company, Eric Patashnik calls the 2026 election among the most consequential in decades and says understanding why U.S. governing institutions struggle to solve Americans’ problems has never been more urgent.
Social and Economic Policy
Research on the policies and systems that shape economic opportunity, social well-being and public life.
Social and Economic Policy
Research on the policies and systems that shape economic opportunity, social well-being and public life.
Recent News & Research
RAISE US, a group cofounded by senior fellow Gina Raimondo, convened more than 50 leaders from tech, organized labor, higher education and government at the Watson School on Oct. 26
Financial Advisor
What’s driving persistent inflation? (written by Şebnem Kalemli-Özcan)
Şebnem Kalemli-Özcan writes in Financial Advisor that investors focused on AI valuations, bond yields and public debt are overlooking persistent inflation from tariffs and the Hormuz energy shock, which she says points to higher interest rates ahead.
A new database from the Global Linkages Lab, co-created by Şebnem Kalemli-Özcan, gives researchers and the public a free, weekly updated record of every tariff rate President Donald Trump has stated since January 2025.
How automatic license plate readers can save lives, solve serious crimes, and improve investigative precision while remaining faithful to the values of fairness, restraint, transparency, accountability, and respect for civil liberties.
Marc Dunkelman discusses his book “Why Nothing Works” and the challenges facing housing on GBH’s The Curiosity Desk.
In the Tennessee Lookout, Jeff Colgan suggests that policymakers must balance immediate needs with long-term solutions.
John Friedman told Inside Higher Ed that traditional campuses give students classroom tools and ambitious peers that an industry-taught academy may struggle to replicate at scale.
Wall Street Journal
The tech elite is funding an alternative to college (comments by John Friedman)
John Friedman told The Wall Street Journal that while access to top industry leaders is a benefit of alternative programs, traditional colleges offer proven track records, experienced faculty and exposure to students with diverging career paths.
In Webull, Şebnem Kalemli-Özcan said the Federal Reserve must eventually raise rates, warning that delay will only make inflation more stubborn and harder to fix.
John Eason tells the Los Angeles Times that a prison town's economic fortune hinges more on when the facility was built than where, with early gains in income and home values fading within about a decade.
In the Christian Science Monitor, John Friedman said the new tax is unlikely to solve the state's housing crisis and that low-income housing tax credits "do not substantially increase the supply of low-income housing."