By Haowen Chen Since the 1980s, interest rates around the world have trended downward, reflecting lower inflation, demographic and technological forces that have increased desired global saving relative to desired investment, and other factors. Although low inflation and interest rates have many benefits, the new environment poses challenges for central banks, who have traditionally relied on cuts to short-term interest rates to stimulate sagging economies. A generally low level of interest rates means that, in the face of an economic downturn or undesirably low inflation, the room available f ..read more

Every day, the U.S. manages 14,000 open foreign military sales cases with 185 countries. Recent attempts by near-peer competitors to erode U.S. technological advantages has made security cooperation between the U.S. and these countries even more significant.[author-bio] On June 4, Senior Fellow Michael O’Hanlon hosted Lieutenant General Charles Hooper, director of the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), to discuss these dynamics and the role of the DSCA in supporting allies and promoting U.S. interests abroad. O’Hanlon asked Hooper to discuss regional examples of DSCA’s approach to sec ..read more

The most recent incident in a series of ransomware attacks on American cities and municipalities happened in May in Baltimore. The hackers locked multiple systems such as emails, voicemail, and the parking fines database. The debacle delayed the sales of about 1500 homes in the city. Hackers have demanded over $100,000 in bitcoins in order to release these files, which has been declined by Baltimore’s mayor. [author-bio] Ransomware attacks have quickly become a preferred method of hacking with the emergence of bitcoins and other cryptocurrencies that enable hackers to receive their ransom with ..read more

In Tennessee, a draconian new law aims to penalize groups engaging in voter registration campaigns. Civil rights advocates have rightly compared the legislation to the racist voter suppression policies of the Jim Crow era and are contesting the law’s constitutionality. Having experienced the effects of similar legislation in the field, we can say with confidence that if the Tennessee law is allowed to stand, it will undermine voter registration efforts and keep eligible voters off the rolls. In 2018, in Dallas, Texas, and Cleveland, Ohio, our team conducted a randomized controlled trial of a n ..read more

In prior posts, I argued that education is likely to play a major role in the Democratic primaries. This is due to several factors, including: the growing importance of education as a national issue, the unions’ continued power, and the possibility that no Democrat will emerge with a majority of votes prior to the convention where institutional power players like unions have an outsized role. [author-bio] Unfortunately for Democrats, education will play a big role for another reason as well. Charter school policy has become a divisive issue within the party. For the left wing of the party, it ..read more

Tanzania, Kenya, and UNECA enact environment-positive policies and programs On Saturday, June 1, Tanzania’s ban on plastic bags went into effect. According to The Citizen, the new law targets the “import, export, manufacturing, sale, storage, supply, and use of plastic carrier bags regardless of their thickness” on the Tanzanian mainland. The law also bans the selling of items wrapped in plastic unless the “nature of such items” specifically require it. The consequences can be severe: The manufacturing or import of the bags have a maximum penalty of 1 billion Tanzanian shillings ($435,000) or ..read more

For the last 15 years, I have been focused on (some may say obsessed with) the delivery of basic services such as health and education. In the last two years, as a member of the Pathways for Prosperity Commission, I’ve been interested in how technology can promote inclusive growth. Imagine my delight therefore when the Commission issued a report on technology and service delivery! The report, “Positive disruption: health and education in a digital age,” starts with the right questions: What are the reasons why health and education services are failing in many developing countries, and can tech ..read more

As World Refugee Day approaches on June 20, the number of refugees worldwide will likely surpass last year’s 25.4 million. That governments in the West and elsewhere—under pressure from anti-immigrant populists—are increasingly shutting their doors to refugees and asylum-seekers only exacerbates their plight.[author-bio] Meanwhile, the international community aspires to do better. The 2018 Global Compact on Refugees (GCR) puts forward a wealth of policy ideas to improve protection for refugees and support for host countries. In many current political environments, the GCR’s broader recommendat ..read more

Because June 7 is “National Donut Day,” here are some charts from Brookings research that remind us of the tasty fried dough treat. Enjoy! CRULLER: DIGITAL KNOWLEDGE AN INCREASING REQUIREMENT FOR US JOBS In their analysis of digitalization in the American workforce, a team from the Metropolitan Policy Program detailed the digital content of hundreds of occupations in the U.S. “Workers of every stripe,” they observed, “from corporate finance officers to sales people to utility workers and nurses—are now spending sizable portions of their workdays using tools that require digital skills.” MINI ..read more

As charter school enrollments grow, are school districts so weakened by financial losses that teaching and learning must suffer? Or does competition spur traditional public schools and districts to improve—for the benefit of all? [author-bio] There are bodies of research and policy advocacy on both questions, but the results are difficult to reconcile. Studies focusing on charters’ effects on district finances mostly find harm, and infer that school quality must be suffering. Studies focusing on charters’ effects on overall instructional quality often find no effects but find positive effects ..read more