The New Republic

Though Washington can’t seem to get enough of it, the debt and deficits fixation continues to feel pretty theatrical. Far scarier, by contrast, is the state of the economy. Notwithstanding some positive signs in the housing and construction sectors, the drifting economy remains troubled. Real domestic product has been growing at tepid rates below 2 percent per year. Pay remains stagnant for most workers. And for that matter the number of poor and near-poor people in America has skyrocketed from 81 million in 2007 to 107 million in 2011—nearly one-third of the nation’s population. READ MORE >>

Contrary to the claims of some politicians and pundits, we can’t cut our way to a strong economy. We need to get our fiscal house in order, to be sure. But we also need to invest in those key areas that can help boost the nation’s growth, which is still the best way to erase the debt. Which is why, in the midst of its fiscal struggles, Congress should move forward on the permanent authorization of a simpler and more generous research and experimentation (R&E) tax credit. READ MORE >>

As tax hikes and spending cuts loom, we at the Metro Program will continue to harp on the need also to renew the economy. Put simply, U.S. economic strength and fiscal health requires that Congress cut and invest to catalyze economic renewal even as it moves the nation toward fiscal stability. READ MORE >>

With the 2012 election completed Washington faces a daunting overhang of substantial economic, fiscal, and governance problems. Reform must begin now.  Yet from where will the impetus for progress come? In a different era, the federal government might have launched decisive initiatives on its own to restructure the economy, address the budget, and renew governance. Today, however, the polarization of Washington raises serious questions about the likely quality of such interventions.  READ MORE >>

So, what’s next? As the fever pitch of the presidential campaign subsides, many Americans are wondering just that—and often with a lot of pessimism. Unemployment still hovers near 8  percent. The federal deficit stands at over $1.1 trillion. The fiscal cliff yawns and after that, the potential for another debt ceiling standoff. Partisan rancor, moreover, convulses an increasingly outmoded federal enterprise. Much, much work needs to be done. READ MORE >>

with Ken Berlin* With Washington mired in unproductive argument this fall, it’s a great time to look elsewhere in America for smart, constructive problem-solving. Specifically, it’s a great time--in the realm of energy policy--to look at what’s going on in U.S. states, many of which have been at the forefront of implementing innovative clean energy solutions. READ MORE >>

My colleague Jonathan Rothwell already reviewed economist Enrico Moretti’s wonderful book, “The New Geography of Jobs,” but I wanted to jump in to highlight one particularly important point among the many Moretti makes. READ MORE >>

Hubs and clusters, institutes and ecosystems: In recent years, we and others have talked a lot about the morphology of innovation systems, which are frequently anchored by major centers of research and comprised of related regional groups of entrepreneurs, orbiting firms, industry actors, and educational institutions. READ MORE >>

The nation is headed for a large scale cleantech subsidy pull-back, so it was gratifying to see our work on that and energy innovation referenced in David Leonhardt’s surprisingly optimistic essay on climate change mitigation in yesterday’s New York Times. READ MORE >>

For three years now the Mountain Monitor—Brookings Mountain West’s Mountain Zone variant of Brookings’ MetroMonitor—has been tracking the region’s protracted, in-most-places anemic, economic recovery. Quarter-to-quarter, the Monitor has reported on a slow healing of the region’s metropolitan economies that has differed starkly from the region’s past boom-bust cycles. READ MORE >>