Policy Brief

The Rebalancing Of The California Economy: How Internet/Tech Jobs Are Spreading Across The State

Over the last year, California has added jobs faster than the country as a whole, in large part because of the booming Internet/tech sector. Indeed,…

Forging Consensus on Immigration

The Bipartisan Framework for Comprehensive Immigration Reform released earlier this year by four Democratic and four Republican senators has been the basis of virtually all…

Guidelines for Federal Housing Administration Reform

After the housing bubble burst, the Federal Housing Administration (FHA) rapidly expanded the scope of its mortgage insurance well beyond its traditional mission of helping…

Tracking Healthcare Cost Growth Through a New Measure of Productivity

This brief provides a new explanation for why healthcare cost growth is showing restraint. Specifically, we find evidence that the healthcare sector is finally managing…

Ending the Endless Election Season

National elections in the United States now stretch out over nearly 24 months, with each new electoral cycle seeming to start up almost as soon…

Another Tool in the Toolkit: Short Sales to Existing Homeowners

Overview Edward DeMarco, acting director of the Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), is drawing fire from congressional Democrats for preventing Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac…

Can Eminent Domain Help Underwater Homeowners?

Several California counties are considering a controversial proposal to use their eminent domain powers to offer relief to underwater homeowners. The plan is quietly being…

Investment Heroes: Who’s Betting on America’s Future?

American voters are finding it hard to get excited about this year’s presidential election. Job growth is slow. Economic growth is slow. Real wages have…

Producing Shale Gas: How Industry Can Lead with Best Practice

Advances in drilling and recovery technologies for shale gas have reshaped our assumptions about America’s natural gas resources and our future energy options. Expanded development…

When Paperwork Attacks! Five Ideas for Smarter Government

In the minds of many Americans, “government” is synonymous with “red tape,” “bureaucracy” and “paperwork.” And no wonder. According to the government’s own estimates, American…