UPCOMING EVENT
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
10:00 AM to 12:00 PM
Washington, DC
On December 9, The Hamilton Project will host a policy forum and release a new discussion paper on the need for a new national poverty measure. In their paper, co-authors Rebecca M. Blank of the Brookings Institution and Mark H. Greenberg of Georgetown University propose a new poverty measure that better reflects the actual economic conditions of low-income Americans. Hamilton Project Advisory Council member Roger C. Altman of Evercore Partners will give welcoming remarks and lead the discussion. Read More
PAST EVENT
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
Too many Americans leave school with inadequate skills, and too many working families struggle to make ends meet. Greater investments in economic opportunity are needed to reduce poverty and increase future economic mobility for today’s poor children. On Wednesday, November 26, Brookings Senior Fellow Rebecca Blank answered questions during a web chat with Politico about poverty in the United States and creating opportunities for American families. Read More
VIDEO
Rebecca M. Blank and Stephen Hess, November 26, 2008
The financial crisis is sure to push more Americans into poverty. Senior fellow Rebecca Blank discusses what the new administration can do to combat poverty and increase opportunity for millions, and the man on the street reacts. Also, former presidential press secretary Ron Nessen interviews Stephen Hess on the qualities a new President needs in his congressional relations chief.
PAST EVENT
Monday, November 24, 2008
2:00 PM to 3:30 PM
Washington, DC
A major economic slowdown adds to the problems of lower-income Americans, who have not shared in the economic growth of the last decade. On November 24, Brookings senior fellow Rebecca Blank offered policy solutions and priorities for the president-elect to make greater investments in economic mobility and opportunity. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Rebecca M. Blank, November 24, 2008, The Brookings Institution
A major economic slowdown adds to the problems of lower-income Americans, who have not shared in the economic growth of the last decade. Greater investments in economic mobility and opportunity are needed. Rebecca Blank offers policy solutions and priorities for the president-elect to make greater investments in economic mobility and opportunity. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Alan Berube and Elizabeth Kneebone, October 24, 2008, The Brookings Institution
The Federal Reserve System and its 12 member banks partnered with the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program to produce a new, in-depth look at concentrated poverty in America. The two-year study profiles 16 high-poverty communities across the United States, investigating the historical and contemporary factors associated with their high levels of economic distress. Read More
PAST EVENT
Monday, September 29, 2008
9:30 AM to 2:00 PM
Washington, DC
On September 29, several prominent scholars and policy advocates outlined their key recommendations for improving the quality of life for people at the bottom of the socio-economic ladder, including proposals to improve employment and earnings, strengthen families, enhance opportunities for children, and improve neighborhoods. Discussions of the proposals were followed by comments from policy experts. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Rebecca M. Blank, September 25, 2008, Joint Economic Committee
In this testimony, Rebecca Blank argues for the need to modernize our poverty statistics so that we may have a better understanding of who is poor and how these numbers are changing over time. She discusses anti-poverty strategies for the next decade. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Edgar O. Olsen, September 2008, Hamilton Project Discussion Paper
In this paper, Edgar Olsen argues that the two most serious structural shortcomings of the current system of low-income housing assistance are (1) its excessive reliance on unit-based assistance and (2) its failure to provide housing assistance to all of the poorest eligible families who ask for help. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Julia B. Isaacs, September 2008, First Focus
Julia B. Isaacs details how the growing evidence about the importance of children’s early years is changing public attitudes toward early childhood programs. Adopting a well-designed package of investments in children from birth to five will improve children’s health, school achievement, and opportunities for future economic success. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ron Haskins, September 2008, First Focus
Ron Haskins offers ways policymakers could create an entitlement to housing assistance that would more fairly distribute housing benefits and convert housing into a more effective element in the nation’s work support system. The goal of reform would be to get the most out of the resources now devoted to housing by providing at least some benefit to all eligible families that want a housing subsidy. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Rebecca M. Blank, September 15, 2008, Los Angeles Times
The U.S. government's method of measuring poverty, established in 1964, is badly outdated and leads to an inaccurate picture of who is, and is not, poor in America. If we want to debate new policies to help the poor, Rebecca Blank argues that we first need a poverty measure that shows us who they really are. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Ron Haskins, August 2008, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Project
A host of demographic and economic trends in the United States are making it difficult for the nation to make progress against poverty and income inequality. However, Ron Haskins argues, government policies that raise work levels and provide public benefits to supplement earnings have proven to be effective in fighting poverty among female-headed families. But further progress against poverty and economic inequality seems unlikely unless more poor adults work, reduce the number of births outside marriage, and marry at higher rates. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Rebecca M. Blank, August 2008, Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Project
The poor in American cut across all groups, but are disproportionately represented by single mothers and their children, by persons of color, by immigrants, by less-skilled individuals, or by those with physical or mental disabilities. Many working poor and near-poor families face problems with low wages or unstable jobs. This paper by Rebecca Blank outlines three strategic areas where policy and research attention should focus over the next decade. Read More
VIDEO
Ron Haskins and Rebecca M. Blank, August 26, 2008
The Brookings Center on Children and Families held its sixth annual briefing on the new Census poverty figures and their implications for families and policy-makers. The nation’s poverty rate held steady for in 2007 as median household income edged upward and the number of Americans without health insurance decreased by more than 1 million.