Research Library

Fellows Joyce Beebe and Edward M. Emmett discuss the child care shortage in the U.S. and evaluate a variety of policy solutions.

Experts from the Edward P. Djerejian Center for the Middle East explore the challenges facing the world’s 36 million refugees and internally displaced people.

Modern-day stresses affect our mental health — but how are they impacting our brain chemistry? An emerging area of research argues that, if unaddressed, deteriorating brain health could diminish economic productivity, social cohesion, and overall happiness. This episode digs into the idea of “brain capital”: a framework that addresses intersections between brain health and other areas of public policy.

The pandemic spurred a rollercoaster of quick, subsequent economic events in three years that might normally occur across three decades: record unemployment, a brief recession, federal assistance, highest inflation since the 1980s, interest rate increases, and in 2023, concerns regarding a looming recession. Some U.S. consumers have dealt with the aftermath of this whiplash by shifting their spending and saving behaviors. Our experts discuss U.S. consumer trends since the pandemic — what’s stayed the same, new phenomena, and notable policy developments.