Two federal income tax incentives for business investment are scheduled to end after 2021 and 2022, just as the small business sector will be recovering from the economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic. In this policy brief, Jennifer Rabb and Lisa Lin of the McNair Center propose that Congress, under the leadership of the new Biden administration, should extend these tax incentives to bolster the recovery of small businesses.
U.S. oil refiners have had a great run this century. But market events in 2020 signal changes to come that will challenge the industry’s global competitiveness, writes fellow in energy and global oil Mark Finley.
The new administration should immediately abandon the “America Alone” policies of the Trump administration and work with our allies to address China’s rampant IP theft and forced technology transfer, overproduction of steel and aluminum, and unlawful subsidies.
Is Mexico's President López Obrador, a Trump fan, capable of making the changes needed for a new and different relationship with the U.S.? The authors examine López Obrador's early moves, which portend a difficult four years.
Lebena Varghese, a research manager at the McNair Center, highlights the data trends gathered from a survey administered to small businesses owners in the Houston, Texas area. The goal of the survey was to determine the impact of COVID-19 on business operations and functioning and to gather small businesses’ perspectives on all aspects of the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).
As the Biden administration confronts a difficult economic environment, experts at the Center for Public Finance highlight key policy levers Congress might use to stabilize the U.S. fiscal situation and propose three main dimensions on which fiscal policy proposals should be evaluated to ensure transparency.
Immigration is not only a domestic issue for the United States, but a regional one. This brief lays out a policy framework to address the root causes of migration from Mexico and Central America and promote legal, orderly mobility.
Decades of research demonstrate the critical importance of early childhood development, but the United States ranks last among wealthy countries in child health outcomes. This brief lays out a series of recommendations to improve the developmental potential of American children.
With the cost of virgin plastic directly affected by oil and natural gas prices, the global plastics economy is highly vulnerable to shocks. The authors argue that in order to advance sustainability and solve existential crises like resource depletion and the environmental and social impacts of climate change, high-income countries should take the lead on the development of transparent, closed loops for plastics.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.25613/JXVH-K250
Rachel A. Meidl, Vilma Havas, Brita StaalJanuary 21, 2021