New America Policy Papers: 2012

Papers and other formal publications from our policy programs are available below. To jump to another year in the archives, please use the links at right.

Student Loan Interest Rates: History, Subsidies, and Cost

  • By
  • Jason Delisle,
  • New America Foundation
February 9, 2012

In his State of the Union address, President Obama called on Congress to prevent federal student loan interest rates from doubling later this year. This is the culmination of decades of legislative changes to the federal student loan program. Few people are aware of the policies that led to the pending student loan interest rate increase and many question whether the 6.8 percent fixed interest rate charged on the most widely-available loans provides a real benefit to students.

Programs:

The Economic and Geo-Political Implications of China-Centric Globalization

  • By
  • Thomas Palley,
  • New America Foundation
February 8, 2012

The last 30 years have witnessed the era of globalization which has been marked by the creation of an integrated global economy. Globalization has been the product of both policy and market forces, and U.S. policymakers have persistently been in the vanguard. However, what began as a project of globalization has been transformed with little explicit public discussion into a project of China-centric globalization.

Programs:

The 80 Percent Solution

  • By Thomas F. Lynch III
February 2, 2012

With the death of Osama bin Laden in May 2011, the United States and Western governments scored a major but still underappreciated victory in the nearly decade-and-a-half-old war against al-Qaeda. Bin Laden’s death did not eliminate all of the features of al-Qaeda that make it dangerous as a factor in terrorism internationally. Its role in assisting regional jihadist groups in strikes against local governments and by inspiring “lone wolf” would-be martyrs in acts of violence will remain with us for many years.  Yet the manner in which U.S.

Programs:

Analysis of CBO's Budget and Economic Projections and CRFB's Realistic Baseline

January 31, 2012

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its updated budget and economic projections today, showing the appearance of a sustainable debt trajectory over the next ten years. However, these projections do not incorporate the costs of policies lawmakers are very likely to continue, nor do they show the long-term costs of an aging population and growing health care costs beyond the ten year window.

Among our major findings based on the report:

Programs:

Economic Security Through Employment Assurance

  • By Steven Attewell, PhD Student, Policy History, UCSB
January 27, 2012

There are many reasons why America’s system of economic security is not working. Chief among them is a common factor in almost all of our social policies: they are designed with the assumption that people are constantly employed. For example, most social insurance programs, from Social Security to Unemployment Insurance to Medicare, require people to build up years of contributions before they can access benefits.1

Programs:

Ideas for Refining Children's Savings Account Proposals

  • By
  • William Elliott,
  • New America Foundation
January 26, 2012

“Creating a Financial Stake in College” is a four-part series of reports that focuses on the relationship between children’s savings and improving college success. This series examines: (1) why policymakers should care about savings, (2) the relationship between inequality and bank account ownership, (3) the connections between savings and college attendance, and (4) recommendations to refine children’s savings account proposals.

Programs:

The Progressive Case for Corporate Tax Reform

  • By Bruce Stokes, Senior Transatlantic Fellow for Economics, German Marshall Fund
January 26, 2012

In his January 2012 State of the Union address, President Barack Obama called for cutting taxes for companies that produce in the United States, especially high-tech manufacturers. He proposed eliminating deductions for firms that move jobs abroad. And he suggested a minimum tax on all multinational corporations.

Programs:

What We Hope to See From the Extensions Conference Committee

January 25, 2012

At the end of last year, lawmakers enacted a temporary two-month extension of several policies set to expire, including the temporary payroll tax holiday, expanded unemployment insurance, the doc fix, and various health provisions. Encouragingly, the $33 billion cost of the extensions was fully offset over a ten-year period and a Conference Committee was appointed to determine how any further extensions would be treated.

Programs:

We Save, We Go to College

  • By
  • William Elliott,
  • New America Foundation
January 19, 2012

“Creating a Financial Stake in College” is a four-part series of reports that focuses on the relationship between children’s savings and improving college success. This series examines: (1) why policymakers should care about savings, (2) the relationship between inequality and bank account ownership, (3) the connections between savings and college attendance, and (4) recommendations to refine children’s savings account proposals.

Programs:

Does Structural Inequality Begin with a Bank Account?

  • By
  • William Elliott,
  • New America Foundation
January 12, 2012

“Creating a Financial Stake in College” is a four-part series of reports that focuses on the relationship between children’s savings and improving college success. This series examines: (1) why policymakers should care about savings, (2) the relationship between inequality and bank account ownership, (3) the connections between savings and college attendance, and (4) recommendations to refine children’s savings account proposals.

Programs:
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