RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Alice M. Rivlin, November 18, 2009, Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia, U.S. House of Representatives
Testifying before the U.S. House Subcommittee on the Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia, Alice M. Rivlin, Director of Greater Washington Research at Brookings, asserted that the District of Columbia government should have greater autonomy over its own budget. Once the District government finalizes its budget spending out of its own source revenues, Dr. Rivlin states that it should not be altered or delayed by Congress. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Daniel Kaufmann, November 18, 2009, The Brookings Institution
In reaction to news of brazen corruption in Afghanistan and the release of the new Corruption Perceptions Index, Daniel Kaufmann asks tough questions about the relationship between aid and corruption and suggests improvements in how development aid effectiveness is reviewed. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
William A. Galston, November 10, 2009, Senate Budget Committee
Speaking before the Senate Budget Committee, Senior Fellow William Galston discussed how the Untied States’ current fiscal course is unsustainable. The level of deficits, debt, and borrowing from abroad projected for the next decade threatens not only our economic prosperity, but also our currency, global leadership, and national independence, he asserted. Galston recommended that an independent, bi-partisan commission be created to address the challenge of developing a sustainable fiscal policy. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael E. O'Hanlon, October 31, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Michael O'Hanlon discusses Abdullah Abdullah's withdrawal from Afghanistan's presidential election runoff that was scheduled for November 7. O'Hanlon argues that while Afghan President Karzai can now be viewed as legitimate, although tainted, he is hardly out of the woods. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Federiga Bindi, October 23, 2009, Aspen Institute Italia
The Lisbon Treaty has raised many questions regarding governance of the European Union. Federiga Bindi explains why she believes European Council will use its October meeting to choose the new European Commission.
Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Federiga Bindi, October 12, 2009, The Brookings Institution
The Lisbon Treaty finally secured Irish ratification on October 2, but there are still many obstacles to overcome before the EU can put Lisbon into action. The treaty is not yet fully ratified and many key details, including the selection of leaders to fill the High Representative and EU President posts, remain unresolved. Federiga Bindi explains why Lisbon is important, and describes the intricate negotiation process the EU will undergo in coming months. Read More
PAST EVENT
Thursday, October 01, 2009
9:30 AM to 11:00 AM
Washington, DC
In October 2009 a high-level delegation of officials from the office of the president and government of Kenya visited the Brookings Institution. The event, which was hosted by the Africa Growth Initiative, included discussion on the key political, economic, and social challenges currently affecting Kenya’s development. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
R. Kent Weaver, September 30, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Voters elect governments to solve social problems and governments design and implement an array of programs to ensure the public good. However, little theoretical attention has been devoted to the final step of the implementation chain: explanations of why the targets of public policies do or do not “comply” with those policies. Kent Weaver focuses on why program “targets” frequently fail to act in the way that program designers intended and wanted, even when it appears to be in their self-interest to do so. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Daniel Kaufmann, September 30, 2009, The Brookings Institution
While the G-20 Summit in Pittsburgh was considered successful, Daniel Kaufmann discusses the need for greater emphasis on governance issues. He urges G-20 countries to address governance within their own borders before the group can effectively start to engage in concrete collective action for the public global good.
Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Michael E. O'Hanlon and Jane Harman, September 23, 2009, Financial Times
Michael O'Hanlon and Jane Harman write that the Afghanistan metrics delivered to Congress last week sorely understate the issue of government corruption. They conclude success in Afghanistan hinges on success of an anti-corruption effort and offer suggestions for both internal and external actors to address the problem. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Justin Vaïsse, September 11, 2009, Société Tocqueville
Justin Vaïsse challenges Tocqueville's judgment that "Foreign policy demands scarcely any of those qualities which are peculiar to a democracy; they require, on the contrary, the use of almost all those in which it is deficient." But Tocqueville himself, Vaisse points out, had identified some of the strengths that explained the success of democracies in the past century. And contrary to Tocqueville, who feared the tyranny of the majority and the feckless character of the people being imposed to a weak president, Vaïsse points out that the major dangers for democracies reside in the tyranny of minorities and the excessive reach of the Executive branch. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Vanda Felbab-Brown, August 19, 2009, Los Angeles Times
The August 20 elections in Afghanistan represent a crucial opportunity to give Afghans a sense of at least some control over their future. Vanda Felbab-Brown examines the leading candidates and argues the international community needs to make it clear to the next Afghan president that assistance is conditioned on improved and accountable governance. Read More
VIDEO
Vanda Felbab-Brown, August 14, 2009
On August 20, Afghanistan holds a presidential election that many observers feel is a critical component of that country's continued fight against Taliban insurgents along a path to stable governance. Vanda Felbab-Brown says the outcome must be seen as legitimate for the future of the country's development and government's legitimacy.
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Vanda Felbab-Brown, August 13, 2009, The Brookings Institution
Vanda Felbab-Brown believes the August 20 Afghanistan elections represent a test for at least three critical issues in that country – accountability, military strength and governance. Felbab-Brown argues that ushering in more effective and responsible governance is critical, and she concludes it must be built by Afghan hands rather than forced by international actors. Read More
RESEARCH AND COMMENTARY
Douglas J. Elliott, July 29, 2009, The Brookings Institution
The Senate is introducing legislation to reform the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation (PBGC), which currently protects the pensions of nearly 44 million American workers and retirees. The PBGC is simply too large, complex, and important to maintain its current governance system, according to Douglas Elliott. With the PGBC chronically underfunded, and a deficit that could rise to $100 billion over time, Elliott says one useful step would be to increase the effectiveness of its Board of Directors, making it more in line with other public sector corporations. Read More