Technology, Growth, and Inequality: Changing Dynamics in the Digital Era

Technology, Growth, and Inequality: Changing Dynamics in the Digital Era. Brookings Institution. Zia Qureshi. February 12, 2021

Ours is a time of exciting technological change. The era of smart machines holds the promise of a more prosperous future for all. But it demands smarter policies to realize that promise. To capture potential gains in productivity and economic growth and to address rising inequality, policies will need to be more responsive to change as technology reshapes markets. And change will only intensify as artificial intelligence and other new advances drive digital transformation further—and at an accelerated pace in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.

As technology shifts market dynamics, policies must ensure that markets remain inclusive and support broad access to the new opportunities for firms and workers. New thinking and policy adaptations are needed in areas such as competition policy, the innovation ecosystem, digital infrastructure development, upskilling and reskilling of workers, and social protection regimes. Fostering wider diffusion of new technologies among firms and building complementary capabilities in the workforce can deliver both stronger and more inclusive economic growth. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 26 pages].

Supporting the Child Care and Early Education Workforce: A Menu of Policy Options for the COVID-19 Pandemic and Recovery

Supporting the Child Care and Early Education Workforce: A Menu of Policy Options for the COVID-19 Pandemic and Recovery. Urban Institute.  Gina Adams, Danielle Ewen, Grace Luetmer. February 11, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has created unprecedented, urgent challenges for the child care and early education workforce. Though the workforce has always been fragile, new stressors presented over the past year have highlighted fundamental structural problems in the system, including the inequities facing Black, Latina, and Native American child care and early education staff and providers. Based on interviews with 20 experts about strategies to support the child care workforce, this report presents a set of 19 diverse state and local policy strategies that policymakers, philanthropists, and key stakeholders could implement to address these structural inequities and build a stronger and more equitable workforce in the future. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 49 pages].

Measuring Civil Justice for All: What Do We Know? What Do We Need to Know? How Can We Know It?

Measuring Civil Justice for All: What Do We Know? What Do We Need to Know? How Can We Know It? American Academy of Arts & Sciences. February 2021.

Democracy requires and relies on a fair and equitable justice system that is accessible to the people it serves and provides equal justice under the law. When the justice system is closed to some, or treats them unfairly, public trust in justice suffers, and people are less likely to comply with the law.

A growing body of evidence, including two recent publications of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, suggests that the United States faces a serious crisis known as the civil justice gap: the great difference between the number of Americans who need civil legal assistance and the very few who receive help of any kind. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 40 pages].

Experts Say the ‘New Normal’ in 2025 Will Be Far More Tech-Driven, Presenting More Big Challenges

Experts Say the ‘New Normal’ in 2025 Will Be Far More Tech-Driven, Presenting More Big Challenges. Pew Research Center.  Janna Anderson, Lee Rainie, Emily A. Vogels. February 18, 2021

A plurality of experts think sweeping societal change will make life worse for most people as greater inequality, rising authoritarianism and rampant misinformation take hold in the wake of the COVID-19 outbreak. Still, a portion believe life will be better in a ‘tele-everything’ world where workplaces, health care and social activity improve

When pandemics sweep through societies, they upend critical structures, such as health systems and medical treatments, economic life, socioeconomic class structures and race relations, fundamental institutional arrangements, communities and everyday family life. A new canvassing of experts in technology, communications and social change by Pew Research Center and Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center finds that many expect similar impacts to emerge from the COVID-19 outbreak.

Asked to consider what life will be like in 2025 in the wake of the outbreak of the global pandemic and other crises in 2020, some 915 innovators, developers, business and policy leaders, researchers and activists responded. Their broad and nearly universal view is that people’s relationship with technology will deepen as larger segments of the population come to rely more on digital connections for work, education, health care, daily commercial transactions and essential social interactions. A number describe this as a “tele-everything” world. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[HTML format, various paging].

Federal Crop Insurance: A Primer

Federal Crop Insurance: A Primer. Congressional Research Service. Stephanie Rosch. February 18, 2021

The federal crop insurance program (FCIP) offers farmers the opportunity to purchase insurance coverage against financial losses caused by a wide variety of perils, including certain adverse growing and market conditions. The federal government subsidizes the premiums that farmers pay for these insurance policies to encourage farmer participation. Farmers can choose among many types of policies and policy options to customize the coverage to their farm businesses’ specific needs. Private-sector companies sell and service the policies; the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) plays critical roles in subsidizing, regulating, and reinsuring the policies.

[PDF format, 49 pages].

Protecting Democracy in an Age of Disinformation: Lessons from Taiwan

Protecting Democracy in an Age of Disinformation: Lessons from Taiwan. Center for Strategic & International Studies. Jude Blanchette, Bonnie S. Glaser, Scott Kennedy. January 27, 2021

Taiwan has long defended itself from political meddling, including disinformation, by the People’s Republic of China (PRC). Attempts to influence Taiwan’s domestic politics have increased in both intensity and severity following the election of Tsai Ing-wen in 2016, with Beijing continuing to target the basic underpinnings of Taiwan’s democratic system. The disinformation campaigns carried out by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) are often obscured by the secrecy and opacity of the CCP’s “united front” approach, which makes it difficult to accurately diagnose and right-size the problem of disinformation, complicating efforts to craft effective solutions.  While CCP disinformation campaigns pose a clearly identifiable threat to the United States and Taiwan, they are only one part of a larger disinformation problem facing democracies in this era of instant and omnipresent communication technologies. Indeed, the experience of both Taiwan and the United States suggest that rival political parties are incentivized to exaggerate and weaponize charges of “foreign interference” against each other—charges which often are more damaging to underlying trust levels in a democracy than the original foreign disinformation attacks themselves.  [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 35 pages].

Ensuring Energy Security in a Renewables World

Ensuring Energy Security in a Renewables World. Atlantic Council.  Ben Hertz-Shargel. February 4, 2021

Renewable sources of energy are gaining an increasing share of the US energy mix, bolstered by state-level commitments as well as corporate power purchase agreements. However, while renewables have become increasingly cost competitive, they still face challenges, especially related to intermittency and storage.

The Global Energy Center’s new issue brief, “Ensuring Energy Security in a Renewables World,” by Ben Hertz-Shargel explores the energy security implications of greater integration of renewables into the grid. The issue brief looks at intermittence and the need for flexible capacity, grid stability, long-distance transmission, and cybersecurity. Hertz-Shargel also examines the episodes of wildfires and extreme weather in the summer of 2020 and the affects of extreme weather events on a decarbonized grid system.  [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 17 pages].

After COVID-19: Building a More Coherent and Effective Workforce Development System in the United States

After COVID-19: Building a More Coherent and Effective Workforce Development System in the United States. Brookings Institution. Harry J. Holzer. February 15, 2021

Workforce development in the United States today is spread across higher education institutions (primarily public two-year and for-profit colleges), labor market institutions, and workplaces, with public funding from a range of sources. But outcomes for students and workers are weaker than they could be, especially among disadvantaged students and displaced workers; funding for workforce development programs is insufficient and not always effective. I propose the following changes: (1) Implement reforms and additional funding in the Higher Education Act of 1965 (HEA) for postsecondary occupational training for disadvantaged students. (2) Add modest taxes on worker displacement along with new funding for retraining. (3) Create a permanent version of the Trade Adjustment Assistance Community College and Career Training (TAACCCT) grants to fund partnerships among community colleges, workforce institutions, and states. Together, these actions would improve credential attainment and employment outcomes among the disadvantaged and employees at the risk of being displaced. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 33 pages].

Arts Workers in California: Creating a More Inclusive Social Contract to Meet Arts Workers’ and Other Independent Contractors’ Needs

Arts Workers in California: Creating a More Inclusive Social Contract to Meet Arts Workers’ and Other Independent Contractors’ Needs. Urban Institute. Jenny R. Yang et al. January 19, 2021

As the economy transforms, more workers find themselves working as independent contractors outside traditional employment structures, without access to social insurance programs and worker protections. Arts workers have been particularly affected by the sector’s reliance on nonstandard work arrangements and by misclassification. By focusing on California, which is at the forefront of misclassification, this report aims to offer a better understanding of arts workers, their working arrangements, and the challenges they face, particularly when working as independent contractors. This information offers a lens to identify policy solutions to create a more inclusive social contract that provides freelance arts workers and other independent contractors with access to fundamental social insurance programs and worker protections. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 79 pages].

Renewable Natural Gas as a Climate Strategy: Guidance for State Policymakers

Renewable Natural Gas as a Climate Strategy: Guidance for State Policymakers. World Resources Institute.  Tom Cyrs, John Feldmann and Rebecca Gasper.  December 2020

Renewable natural gas (RNG), also known as biomethane or upgraded biogas, is growing in prominence as a strategy to help achieve state climate, waste management, and other sustainability goals. However, questions remain on whether projects can be easily deployed, the extent to which they can contribute to ambitious climate and environmental goals, and the trade-offs of supporting RNG versus alternative decarbonization strategies. This paper provides comprehensive guidance for policymakers on evaluating RNG resource potential, greenhouse gas emissions impacts, and deployment and policy options at the state level. [Note: contains copyrighted material].

[PDF format, 62 pages].