The unemployment insurance (UI) system is facing a perfect storm of problems: the pandemic has led to a surge in jobless claims, which is severely straining state UI trusts that weren't fully prepared for a recession. This report reviews the UI system and potential measures to mitigate challenges current downturn.
David A. Gantz, the Will Clayton Fellow in Trade and International Economics, analyzes a wide range of factors — including the U.S.-China trade war, the entry into force of the United States Mexico Canada Agreement (USMCA) and the COVID-19 pandemic — that are all contributing to the pressure on the U.S. to decouple from China and to shift supply chains back to North America.
Public finance fellow Joyce Beebe explores California’s tax voucher program, which, if implemented, would offer Californians the option of paying state taxes ahead of time at a discount, allowing the state to collect money up front to build an economic recovery fund. Baker Institute Blog: https://bit.ly/3f75eGm
Energy fellow Mark Finley assesses the future of international oil companies given the tremendous pressure they've experienced since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged. Using a football analogy, he suggests that although business leaders are rightly focused on winning the game, they can’t ignore the condition of the playing field.
Public finance fellow Joyce Beebe reviews the changing definition of employment, specifically looking at the current policy measures for providing benefits and protections to workers in the sharing economy. She also discusses concerns regarding workplace automation.
Immigration policy will look very different in a Trump or Joe Biden presidency. This brief summarizes changes that have occurred under the Trump administration so far and examines the repercussions of the November election on four aspects of immigration policy.
Public finance fellow Jorge Barro examines the Federal Reserve’s aggressive financial market response to the Covid-19 pandemic and asserts that without its use of unconventional policy tools, adverse outcomes could have spread to other areas of the economy, disproportionately impacting low-income households.
A defense diplomacy shielded from the influence of nationalistic and partisan sentiments presents a valuable opportunity for the U.S. to advance regional security in the Indo-Pacific, and to forge a path to a more equitable and peaceful future with China, writes nonresident scholar Daniel Katz.
The authors compare the impacts of energy-related sanctions against Russia and a market-based geoeconomics policy, and suggest options for U.S. involvement in the region.
In a comprehensive update to their 2014 study on the future of American innovation, the Baker Institute and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences conclude that significant policy and funding actions are required to ensure the U.S. does not lose its preeminent position in discovery and innovation.
