New America Policy Papers

Over the past several years, the cause of democracy promotion has been at the forefront of U.S. foreign policy. Along with heightened rhetorical attention to democratization, the Bush administration's so-called Freedom Agenda brought increased resources for democracy promotion activities and created new programs (including the Millennium Challenge Corporation and the Middle East Partnership Initiative) geared toward spurring democracy and encouraging good governance.

ABSTRACT: This policy brief makes the case for linking conditional cash transfers to savings as a two-pronged poverty reduction strategy of supplementing income and building productive assets, while increasing effective financial inclusion of a given population. While conditional cash transfer (CCT) programs and policies have proven effective in achieving certain poverty alleviation goals, such as better health and education, only recently have we begun to explore the potential of CCTs to enhance economic inclusion and poverty reduction through wealth accumulation.

Over the past two decades, policymakers, academics, and others have pursued an array of policies and strategies to help lower and middle income households[i] to build savings and assets and access reasonably-priced financial products at mainstream institutions.  While some progress has been made, there have been few advances to delivering a high-value, affordable financial product at scale.

In recent years, policymakers around the world have been attracted to the concept of integrating a consideration of assets into policy efforts aimed at securing and enhancing social welfare. The theory behind asset-based welfare policy suggests that while income facilitates immediate consumption, social development over the long-term occurs primarily through asset accumulation and investment (Sherraden, 1988, 1991). Assets may not only provide individuals with the ability to exert control over resources that can increase their financial security, they might also… more

In Califonia's current legislative session, the Asset Building Program is advancing a comprehensive legislative package of state policy intiatives to broaden savings and ownership opportunities for Californians. … more

With the London Summit rapidly approaching, I urge participants to take bold steps to address the fundamental structural issues in global finance that have, in part at least, led to the current economic crisis. I recognize that there remains a debate between those who believe that the current economic environment compels a dramatic rethink of the foundations, systems and structures upon which the global economy operates, and those who believe that such sweeping reforms are both unnecessary and politically

In these case studies for The Commonwealth Fund, Dr. Nichols and Tom Emswiler examine high-performing health care systems to see how they achieve better outcomes at lower cost. Both the Hill Physicians Medical Group, an association of physicians in individual practice, and the Baylor Health Care System, a highly integrated delivery system, have successfully standardized care, implemented electronic medical records, and improved clinical outcomes.

About the Collection:

The ever-growing cost of health care is the largest threat to our nation's long-term fiscal future. One way of tackling this problem is by using Medicare-the nation's largest purchaser of health care-as a catalyst for widespread efficiencies in the private sector. Medicare must become a more value-based purchaser to make the Program sustainable over time and incent the private sector toward change. It is imperative that we act decisively and soon. Yet, we believe embarking on a Medicare-only reform effort

Overview

U.S. Savings Bonds are a convenient, secure, and low-cost product that facilitate savings.  Today, an estimated 55 million people hold U.S. Savings Bonds. Bonds retain a reputation as an easy-to-use and trusted brand-- even though they have not been actively marketed since 2003. It is a product that is especially attractive to small, first-time, or shorter-term savers. Bonds may be purchased for as little as $50 and redeemed as early as twelve months after purchase. They are backed by the U.S. government-- so there is no risk

We are in the midst of a period of intense and frustrating contradictions for our country in general and for community finance.  Just take these examples:

The budget resolution put forward by Congress each year sets out a budget plan for the next five to ten years. The budget resolution and the ensuing budget process itself can have significant effects on education funding. The arcane procedures Congress uses to produce and act upon the budget resolution, however, are often confusing to the media and education advocates alike. This confusion is made worse by political rhetoric and partisan spin.

Congress completed the fiscal year 2009 appropriations process on March 10th, 2009, finalizing annual funding for nearly all federal education programs through September 2009 at $62.6 billion, up $3.4 billion from the prior year. Making sense of the federal education budget and the appropriations process can be a frustrating task for education advocates, state and local policymakers, the media, and the public. The now concluded fiscal year 2009 appropriations process is no exception due to numerous stopgap funding measures and… more

For the full text of the paper, please click here.

For a brief summary of the paper, please click here.

For Len Nichols' post on National Journal's Health Care Experts blog, please click here.  

In our previous release (President Obama's FY2010 Budget), we discussed the broad fiscal impact of the FY2010 Budget Blueprint. We commended the President for having a specific fiscal goal, honestly budgeting for expected costs, and for providing offsets for many of the new policies he supports. However, we expressed strong concern that the budget included items in the baseline (such as AMT patches, Medicare patches, and the renewal of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts), as a way to avoid paying for

As part of its campaign to secure additional funding for the F-22 Raptor combat aircraft, the Lockheed Martin Corporation has asserted that 95,000 jobs are at stake if the program is terminated after the Pentagon's preferred production run of 183 planes.

Using two different estimating techniques (elaborated below), F-22 expenditures generate jobs in the range of 35,000 to 37,000 per year-- less than 40% of the levels claimed by Lockheed Martin.

Background on 529 college savings plans

In 2001, the Internal Revenue Code authorized college savings plans (529 plans) as a tax-advantaged savings tool. In a 529 plan,[1] individuals save money in an account that is dedicated for future college expenses of a beneficiary. States administer 529 plans, and offer a limited selection of funds with a range of risk and return characteristics.[2] In

(1) Social Insurance for College Costs

The families of undergraduates can borrow a minimum of $57,500 in federal Stafford loans.[1] Standard repayment for that level of debt equals approximately $660 per month, burdening young borrowers and constraining career choices. At no new cost, Congress can limit Stafford loan payments to 5 percent of post-college income so that young people "pay as they earn." Graduates

About this paper:

"The Case for Health Reform: The Moral, Economic, & Quality Motives for Action" compiles the facts and figures that explain why health reform is a moral imperative, an economic necessity, and a necessary step toward ensuring our health system delivers high-quality care to us all.

No starter pistol announces the beginning of a new technological era.[1] There are no cannon blasts or tower bells ringing forth the end of the old and dawn of the new.

Today, President Obama signed into law the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The "stimulus bill" represents the latest and largest effort by the federal government to boost the deteriorating economy. (For details of all efforts to date, see www.usbudgetwatch.org/stimulus).