Making Community Development Capital Work in Small and Midsize Cities

Making Community Development Capital Work in Small and Midsize Cities. Urban Institute.  Brett Theodos, Jorge González, Ananya Hariharan. February 9, 2021

Community development investment differs from other forms of investment because community investors use financial tools explicitly to engender social good. However, community development investment can be more challenging to deploy in small and midsize cities. This report describes the challenges small and midsize cities can face in attracting and sustaining the capital needed to develop a pipeline of community development projects. In the report, we also lift up models for sustainably and successfully expa nding investment in small and midsize cities. Finally, we make recommendations to improve the flow of community development capital to small and midsize cities. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 37 pages].

Advancing Multilateralism in a Populist Age

Advancing Multilateralism in a Populist Age. Brookings Institution. Thomas Wright. February 2021

This paper looks at how multilateralists in the United States and Europe are thinking about strengthening a cooperative international order at a time when populism and nationalism are strong forces in many of the major powers. The paper distinguishes between three pathways that multilateralism might take, particularly in Europe: the hitherto dominant incrementalist approach which involves trying to gradually integrate China and other non-Western powers into the order; an “alone in the jungle” approach whereby Europe would operate as a third pole between the United States and China; and a “reinvigorating the free world” approach, with Europe working with the United States to strengthen free and open democracies against authoritarian challenges. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 12 pages].          

Global Forest Review: Reporting on the Status of the World’s Forests

Global Forest Review: Reporting on the Status of the World’s Forests. World Resources Institute.  February 2021

Many of the world’s forests are being damaged and degraded or are disappearing altogether. Their capacity to provide tangible goods, such as fiber, food, and medicines, as well as essential ecological services, including habitat for biodiversity, carbon storage, and moderation of freshwater flows, is under greater threat than ever before.

The Global Forest Review (GFR) provides insights generated from the best available geospatial data and analysis to support the global community working to protect and restore forests worldwide. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

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Executive Actions to Reduce Poverty: A Menu of Options

Executive Actions to Reduce Poverty: A Menu of Options. Brookings Institution. Megan Curran and Christopher Wimer. February 10, 2021

The COVID-19 crisis has led to increases in joblessness, business failure, and threatened the financial security of millions of American families. The crisis increased the average number of people with monthly “market incomes” (pre-tax and transfer income) below the poverty line by over 16 million between the first two, pre-pandemic months of 2020 and the second quarter of 2020. The total had fallen only slightly by the fourth quarter. At the same time, the Congressional response to the pandemic in the CARES Act showed the power of safety-net policies to prevent people from falling into poverty. Direct $1,200 payments to families, dramatic increases in unemployment insurance benefits, and other policies reduced poverty in the early stages of the pandemic even as jobless claims soared. In total, CARES Act policies lifted an average of 17.8 million individuals from poverty in April and May 2020, and prevented nearly 80 million “person-months” of poverty from the onset of the crisis in March through December 2020. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 18 pages].

Climate Solutions Series: Carbon Dioxide Removal Solutions

Climate Solutions Series: Carbon Dioxide Removal Solutions: CSIS Briefs. Center for Strategic & International Studies.  Stephen J. Naimoli. February 16, 2021

This brief is the sixth and final in a series on achieving net-zero global greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The CSIS Energy Security and Climate Change Program hosted six events followed by resource briefs related to each event. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 9 pages].

Majority of Americans Continue to Favor Moving Away from Electoral College

Majority of Americans Continue to Favor Moving Away from Electoral College. Pew Research Center.   Bradley Jones. January 27, 2021

The Electoral College has played an outsize role in several elections in recent memory, and a majority of Americans would welcome a change to the way presidents are elected.

Prior to the 2020 election, many observers noted that – if Donald Trump were to win – his most likely path toward victory would involve him winning the Electoral College while losing the popular vote (as was the case in 2016). This did not happen, but the current political geography of the United States continues to allow for the possibility that the winner of the popular vote may not be able to secure enough Electoral College votes to win the office. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

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USDA Nutrition Assistance Programs: Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

USDA Nutrition Assistance Programs: Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. Congressional Research Service. Randy Alison Aussenberg, Kara Clifford Billings. February 12, 2021

U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) programs are often part of emergency response efforts, providing foods for distribution, additional benefits for redemption, and program flexibilities. During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, access to food—particularly in light of increased unemployment and closures of institutions that households rely on for food, such as schools—has been a concern for many people. Some observers also view the programs, particularly the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), as a means of economic stimulus.

This report discusses related provisions of four laws enacted in the 116th Congress that supplement FNS’s prior response to the COVID-19 pandemic with new funds and authorities:

• Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA; P.L. 116-127, enacted March 18, 2020);
• Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act (P.L. 116-136, enacted March 27, 2020);
• Continuing Appropriations Act, 2021 and Other Extensions Act (P.L. 116-159, enacted October 1, 2020) (“FY2021 Continuing Appropriations Act”); and
• Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, Division N, Title VII (P.L. 116-260, enacted December 27, 2020) (“FY2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act”).

This report also includes the Biden Administration announcement that, under an executive order, USDA will change the implementation of some of these laws’ provisions.

[PDF format, 26 pages].

Rebuilding the Global Economy: A Special Series Outlining Policy Priorities and Solutions in 2021

Rebuilding the Global Economy: A Special Series Outlining Policy Priorities and Solutions in 2021. Peterson Institute for International Economics. PIIE Briefing 21-1. February 2021

Rebuilding the global economy is essential to addressing many interlocking problems at once, including recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, inequality, and limiting international conflict. In the summer of 2020, the Peterson Institute for International Economics (PIIE) enlisted scholars and stakeholders to deliver 39 memoranda to a wide range of top policymakers and institutions. The authors called for dozens of specific measures to counter an economic crisis that was activated by a global pandemic but that was also years in the making. The memoranda were originally published from October through December 2020 on the Rebuilding the Global Economy microsite. Some of the recommendations have since been implemented. This PIIE Briefing collects the memoranda in a single volume.

The mandate of the Institute’s “Rebuilding the Global Economy” project has been to connect a long-term strategy with precise policy actions to achieve rapid results at the start of a new US presidential administration. The emphasis has been on advising policymakers and senior officials, as well as the public, in the United States and the European Union, and at the Bretton Woods international economic institutions. At least in the initial phase of the project, PIIE restricted itself to places where the authors had standing and experience to speak. Other nations, regions, and institutions merit the same voice on rebuilding the global economy, so while the Institute does not presume to speak for them, its leadership is encouraging them to engage with the Institute in offering their own similar advice. Many memoranda stress that the disorders they are addressing have accumulated slowly over the last two decades or even longer, culminating with the nationalism and protectionism of recent years and finally in the COVID-19 pandemic and the worldwide economic shock of 2020–21. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 155 pages].

A Comparison of National and International Approaches to COVID-19-Related Measures

A Comparison of National and International Approaches to COVID-19-Related Measures. RAND Corporation. Mahshid Abir et al. January 29, 2021.

To track how well different countries and U.S. states are responding to the pandemic—and to make valid cross-country and cross-state comparisons—uniform measures are needed for key indicators, such as case identification/testing, hospitalization, mortality, and excess mortality. The authors of this report examined measures used in the early stages of the pandemic (December 2019–May 2020) and found tremendous variability in how different countries and U.S. states measure and report on COVID-19 indicators. The authors make recommendations for the use and development of measures that would allow for more standardized and valid comparisons. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 104 pages].

Federal Resources for State and Local Economic Development

Federal Resources for State and Local Economic Development. Congressional Research Service. Julie M. Lawhorn. February 12, 2021

Congress has authorized over 130 economic development programs administered by over 20 departments and agencies. These programs support efforts to improve job opportunities, tax bases, individual or community wealth, and quality of life measures; contribute to economic growth; create reinforcing industrial clusters; and reduce economic inequality. In contrast to centrally-planned approaches, most federal programs in the United States are designed to strengthen the national economy by supporting the plans and strategies established by state and local stakeholders.

The range of economic development programs approved by Congress reflects shifting priorities, changing global market trends, and a variety of theories about what drives local and regional economies. Before World War II, federal investment in economic development programs focused on expanding infrastructure, access to public services, and industrial development. Over time Congress has authorized additional, flexible programs that support a wider array of strategies—including strategies designed to respond to structural changes in the U.S. and regional economies. State and local stakeholders also have responded to shifting priorities and markets by implementing entrepreneurial initiatives to improve competitiveness, foster innovation, and reduce capital, market, and other barriers.

[PDF format, 43 pages].