The New Republic

Yesterday's discussions in São Paulo dug further into the challenges facing the São Paulo metropolis, the responses that governments are mounting, and obstacles to implementation and long-term prosperity. Among the issues tackled were infrastructure, land use, housing, social inequity, education, governance, and public sector capacity and continuity. Turns out that changing hemispheres doesn't change some things all that much. READ MORE >>

What makes São Paulo a global city? Some might say its size. It is the largest city in South America. The São Paulo metro area, as our forthcoming Global MetroMonitor will reveal, is the 10th largest in the world by population and 13th largest by GDP. Others might point to its role as the finance capital of Latin America. Still others might point to its large international population, which includes the largest number of ethnic Japanese residents outside Japan. READ MORE >>

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As the clock ticks down to January 1, and lawmakers try to hash out a deal to avoid the fiscal cliff and address the expiration of the Bush tax cuts, new data on taxpayers in the United States--collected from federal tax returns and available down to the ZIP code level through Brookings’ EITC Interactive--provide an impo READ MORE >>

The 2012 elections illustrated how the emergence of a new American mainstream played an important role in re-electing President Obama, potentially opening the door for debate, compromise, and action on immigration reform. This past Wednesday, President Obama expressed confidence that immigration reform is possible early in the beginning of his second term. Despite a divided Cong READ MORE >>

The surprising strength of the Latino vote in the 2012 presidential election has created an incentive for the Republican Party, poor performers with Latinos, to rethink their strategy for 2016. It’s also driving calls for change to the nation’s immigration laws. In the past week, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle have spoken publicly about the need for a comprehensive approach to immigration reform.  READ MORE >>

Earlier this week, the Association of International Educators (NAFSA) released new estimates of the expenditures of international students in the United States during the 2011-2012 academic year. According to the organization, this education spending (which count as exports) totaled about $21.8 billion last year in the 50 U.S. 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 >>

As we move into the final days of the campaign season, all eyes are trained on the race for the presidency. But the presidential election is far from the only item on Americans’ ballots. In 38 states, voters will be asked to decide on a whole host of ballot measures on topics ranging from marriage equality to international trade infrastructure and from medical marijuana to tax policy. READ MORE >>