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32. Better Workers for Better Jobs: Improving Worker Advancement in the Low-Wage Labor Market
- Author:
- Harry J. Holzer
- Publication Date:
- 12-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- This paper proposes a new federal funding stream to identify, expand, and replicate the most successful state and local initiatives designed to spur the advancement of low-wage workers in the United States. In the Worker Advancement Grants for Employment in States (WAGES) program, the federal government would offer up to $5 billion annually in matching funds for increases in state, local, and private expenditures on worker advancement initiatives. To gain funding, states would have to develop local advancement “systems,” which would provide career-oriented education and training to youth, working poor adults and “hard-to-employ” workers. Partnerships would be developed between local training providers (like community colleges), employer associations, and intermediaries. Additional financial supports for the working poor—including child care, transportation, and stipends for working students—would have to be funded as well. Initially, the WAGES program would require states to compete for federal grants, which would ultimately be renewable. The program would generate a “learning system” in which states would have an incentive to innovate and use information from other initiatives. The federal government would provide substantial technical assistance and oversight. Performance measurement and rigorous evaluation would be required for program renewal; states achieving substantial worker advancement would be awarded major bonuses and more rapid renewal of funding.
- Topic:
- Economics, Markets, and Political Economy
- Political Geography:
- United States
33. Modernizing the Intelligence Surveillance Act
- Author:
- David Kris
- Publication Date:
- 11-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- In December 2005, the New York Times reported, and President Bush confirmed, that the National Security Agency (NSA) had been conducting electronic surveillance of international communications, to or from the United States, without obeying the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act of 1978 (FISA). The disclosure ignited a wildfire of political and legal controversy, which continues to generate heat, if not light, today.
- Topic:
- Government, Intelligence, and Terrorism
- Political Geography:
- United States and New York
34. Iraq Trip Report
- Author:
- Michael O'Hanlon and Kenneth Pollack
- Publication Date:
- 08-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- From July 17-25 we travelled extensively in central, western and nor thern Iraq. The trip was sponsored by the Multi-National Force – Iraq (MNF-I) command and so afforded unparalleled access to U.S. and Iraqi military personnel. We spoke at length with the four principal American division commands in those sectors, as well as nearly half of the brigade commanders and their staffs, as well as several battalion and even company commanders. We also met with senior U.S. personnel from the Detainee Forces command, and from the training command known as MNSTCI, as well as a number of Iraqi police and army officers. Similarly, MNF-I saw to it that we were able to meet with key civilian personnel in a variety of PRTs/EPRTs, the U.S. Ambassador, the President's Special Envoy, the CIA station, the US AID mission, and the United Nations Assistance Mission in Iraq. Both through our own contacts and those of the military, we also were able to meet with a number of the senior most members of the current Iraqi government (including President Talabani, Vice President 'Abd al-Mahdi, Foreign Minister Zebari, Deputy Prime Minister Salih, and National Security Adviser ar-Rubaie).
- Topic:
- Conflict Resolution and War
- Political Geography:
- United States, Iraq, and Middle East
35. Immigration: Wages, Education and Mobility
- Author:
- Ron Haskins
- Publication Date:
- 08-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- The idea of economic mobility in America often evokes a personal story. For many Americans, it is one of immigrant parents or grandparents, or even one's own journey and arrival. In recent decades, immigration has been rising steadily, with nearly one million legal immigrants entering the country per year throughout the 1990s and in the early years of this century, compared to only about 300,000 per year in the 1960s. In addition to legal immigrants, it is estimated that about 500,000 illegal immigrants now arrive each year.
- Topic:
- Economics, Human Welfare, and Migration
- Political Geography:
- United States
36. Utility Payments as Alternative Credit Data: A Reality Check
- Author:
- Sara Burr and Virginia Carlson
- Publication Date:
- 03-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- Access to credit is one of the cornerstones of wealth-building in the United States. Yet, between 35 million and 54 million persons are not participating in the credit market. Many individuals outside the credit mainstream are unable to access credit, or credit at competitive rates, because of the lack of traditional information, such as mortgage and credit card payments, available on their credit files. However, there is evidence that the inclusion of alternative data on credit-like payments, such as utility payments, in credit reporting can help bridge this information gap. The first step toward filling this gap requires utility companies to systematically report these data to the major credit bureaus.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Demographics, Development, and Economics
- Political Geography:
- United States
37. The Third California: The Golden State's New Frontier
- Author:
- Joel Kotkin and William H. Frey
- Publication Date:
- 03-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- For most Americans, California evokes coastal images, the sunny beaches of south or the spectacular urban vistas of San Francisco Bay. Yet within California itself, the state's focus is shifting increasingly beyond the narrow strip of land between the coast- line and its first line of mountain ranges.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, and Environment
- Political Geography:
- United States, America, and California
38. Committing to Prosperity: Moving Forward on the Agenda to Renew Pennsylvania
- Publication Date:
- 03-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- Pennsylvania is at once the same and different, three years after the release of the 2003 Brookings Institution report “Back to Prosperity,” which proposed a new vision for how Pennsylvania might revitalize its cities, towns, and regions in order to compete more energetically in today's global economy.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, and Government
- Political Geography:
- United States and Pennsylvania
39. Katrina Index: Tracking Recovery of New Orleans and the Metro Area
- Publication Date:
- 05-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- On the eve of its second Mardi Gras since Katrina, New Orleans stands poised to gain a larger economic benefit from the event than in did in 2006. Twenty additional hotels have opened since last year's Mardi Gras, and the New Orleans airport is now accommodating 100,000 more arriving passengers each month.
- Topic:
- Development, Economics, and Environment
- Political Geography:
- United States
40. Reducing Poverty in Washington, D.C. and Rebuilding the Middle Class from Within
- Author:
- Brooke DeRenzis and Martha Ross
- Publication Date:
- 03-2007
- Content Type:
- Working Paper
- Institution:
- The Brookings Institution
- Abstract:
- Washington's future as a vibrant, inclusive city depends on its commitment to rebuilding the middle class from within. The District has experienced job growth, big increases in city revenues, and remarkable commercial and residential development over the past several years. Still, one out of every three DC residents is low-income, and many residents live in areas of concentrated poverty. More than most cities, Washington is a city of high and low incomes, with a small and declining middle class.
- Topic:
- Civil Society, Development, and Economics
- Political Geography:
- United States and Washington