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Ratio of Government Employment to Population

May 7, 2013 • Charts

While the private sector has added jobs to the economy in every month since March 2010, a total increase of approximately 6.8 million jobs through April 2013, the public sector has contracted. To put this in perspective, federal, state, and local governments added jobs in only twelve of the thirty-eight months between March 2010 and April 2013 and have lost more than 625,000 jobs over this period. This figure shows the ratio of government employment to the civilian non-institutional population going back to 1980. For the twenty years prior to the Great Recession, this ratio stayed relatively constant, but since then it has dropped precipitously (except for the temporary uptick in 2010 when government employment rose to accommodate demand for U.S. Census workers). The ratio of government employment to population is currently at a decades-long low: it has not been below 9 percent since the mid-1960s.

Investing in What Works: The Importance of Evidence-Based Policymaking—Photo Gallery

April 19, 2013 • Photo Galleries

On April 17th, The Hamilton Project at Brookings and Results for America, an initiative of America Achieves, co-hosted a forum and release two new papers on the important role of evidence in policymaking. U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), Alan Krueger, Chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, and other distinguished experts participated in roundtable discussions on the proposals and how evidence-based policymaking can improve the effectiveness of federally funded programs.

Investing in What Works: The Importance of Evidence-Based Policymaking—Introduction & Panel 1

April 18, 2013 • Video

Founder & Chairman of Evercore Partners Roger Altman provided welcoming remarks to kick off this forum co-hosted by The Hamilton Project and Results for America. In the first panel discussion, Jeffrey Liebman of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and Louis Jacobson of New Horizons Economic Research presented new proposals on the crucial role of evidence and results in policymaking. The authors were joined by former White House Domestic Policy Council Director John Bridgeland, New York City Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs, Results for America Managing Director Michele Jolin and Hamilton Project Director Michael Greenstone for a discussion of the new papers.

Investing in What Works: The Importance of Evidence-Based Policymaking—Panel 2

April 18, 2013 • Video

U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), and Alan Krueger, Chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, joined former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin for a roundtable discussion on the importance of harnessing evidence to improve the effectiveness of federally funded programs.

Investing in What Works: The Importance of Evidence-Based Policymaking—Introduction & Panel 1: Opportunities for Bringing Evidence to Policymaking

April 18, 2013 • Audio

Founder & Chairman of Evercore Partners Roger Altman provided welcoming remarks to kick off this forum co-hosted by The Hamilton Project and Results for America. In the first panel discussion, Jeffrey Liebman of Harvard University's John F. Kennedy School of Government and Louis Jacobson of New Horizons Economic Research presented new proposals on the crucial role of evidence and results in policymaking. The authors were joined by former White House Domestic Policy Council Director John Bridgeland, New York City Deputy Mayor Linda Gibbs, Results for America Managing Director Michele Jolin and Hamilton Project Director Michael Greenstone for a discussion of the new papers.

Investing in What Works: The Importance of Evidence-Based Policymaking—Panel 2: Using Evidence To Drive Public Dollars Toward What Works

April 18, 2013 • Audio

U.S. Senator Rob Portman (R-OH), U.S. Senator Mark Warner (D-VA), and Alan Krueger, Chair of the President’s Council of Economic Advisers, joined former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin for a roundtable discussion on the importance of harnessing evidence to improve the effectiveness of federally funded programs.

U.S. National Defense Outlays

March 14, 2013 • Charts

The U.S. military is the strongest in the world, but it is also by far the most costly. The Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) legislated $500 billion of cuts to the national defense budget over the next ten years—an abrupt change that could weaken the Department of Defense (DoD) if the cuts are not distributed efficiently. However, as this graph demonstrates, sudden and significant changes to defense spending are not new challenges. Although the national defense budget has seen many fluctuations from 1940 to 2010, it is now at its highest level since World War II. With the right policy changes, the DoD can absorb the BCA cuts while strengthening our force and maintaining its powerful position in the world.

Debt-to-GDP Ratio under Various Policy Assumptions, 2012-2023

March 14, 2013 • Charts

Over the next ten years, approximately $4 trillion of deficit reduction are set to take place through the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA) the American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 (ATRA) and the sequestration, which went into effect on March 1, 2013. This graph, from the introduction of The Hamilton Project’s 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget shows how these policies are projected to affect the debt-to-GDP ratio over the next decade. With the sequester in place, our debt will rise to a high of about 78 percent of GDP in 2014 before falling and reaching about 74 percent by 2023.

Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget—Part II: Addressing Entitlements, Taxation and Revenues—Introduction

February 28, 2013 • Video

Co-Chair of the Council on Foreign Relations and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin provided opening remarks at The Hamilton Project's Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget--Part II: Addressing Entitlements, Taxation and Revenues.

Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget—Part II: Addressing Entitlements, Taxation and Revenues—The State of the Budget: Prospects, Challenges, and Opportunities

February 28, 2013 • Video

Founder & Chairman of Evercore Partners Roger Altman facilitated a discussion on the state of the budget with Director of the Tax Policy Center Donald Marron, Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution Alice Rivlin, and Distinguished Institute Fellow and President Emeritus at The Urban Institute Robert Reischauer.

Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget—Part II: Addressing Entitlements, Taxation and Revenues—Panel 1: An Enduring Social Safety Net

February 28, 2013 • Video

President of the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association Edward Thomas; Professor of Health Care Policy in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School Michael Chernew; Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Jonathan Gruber; Malcolm Wiener Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Jeffrey Liebman; and Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Paul Van de Water participate in a roundtable discussion on the nation's social safety net moderated by S.K. and Angela Chan Professor of Global Management at the University of California--Berkeley Haas School of Business Laura D'Andrea Tyson.

Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget—Part II: Addressing Entitlements, Taxation and Revenues—Panel 2: Innovative Approaches to Tax Reform

February 28, 2013 • Video

Vice President and Co-Director of Economic Studies at The Brookings Institution Karen Dynan; Resident Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute Alan Viard; Senior Fellow and Policy Director of The Hamilton Project Adam Looney; Chief Economist at Pew Charitable Trusts Diane Lim; and Assistant Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Joseph E. Aldy participate in a roundtable discussion on innovative approaches to tax reform moderated by President of the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Robert Greenstein.

Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget—Part II: Addressing Entitlements, Taxation and Revenues—Panel 3: New Sources of Revenue and Efficiency

February 28, 2013 • Video

Senior Research Associate at The Urban Institute Benjamin H. Harris; Fellow and Policy Director of Economic Studies at The Brookings Institution Adele Morris; Assistant Vice President and Senior Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Pia Orrenius; Professor of International Economics at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy Phillip Swagel; and Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company Tyler Duvall participate in a roundtable discussion on new sources of revenue and efficiency moderated by Senior Fellow and Director of The Hamilton Project at The Brookings Institution Michael Greenstone.

Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget—Part II: Addressing Entitlements, Taxation and Revenues—Introduction

February 27, 2013 • Audio

Co-Chair of the Council on Foreign Relations and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert Rubin provided opening remarks at The Hamilton Project's Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget--Part II: Addressing Entitlements, Taxation and Revenues.

Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget—Part II: Addressing Entitlements, Taxation and Revenues—The State of the Budget: Prospects, Challenges, and Opportunities

February 27, 2013 • Audio

Founder & Chairman of Evercore Partners Roger Altman facilitated a discussion on the state of the budget with Director of the Tax Policy Center Donald Marron, Senior Fellow at The Brookings Institution Alice Rivlin and Distinguished Institute Fellow and President Emeritus at The Urban Institute Robert Reischauer.

Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget—Part II: Addressing Entitlements, Taxation and Revenues—Panel 1: An Enduring Social Safety Net

February 27, 2013 • Audio

President of the Natural Hazard Mitigation Association Edward Thomas; Professor of Health Care Policy in the Department of Health Care Policy at Harvard Medical School Michael Chernew; Professor of Economics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Jonathan Gruber; Malcolm Wiener Professor of Public Policy at the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government Jeffrey Liebman; and Senior Fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities Paul Van de Water participate in a roundtable discussion on the nation's social safety net moderated by S.K. and Angela Chan Professor of Global Management at the University of California--Berkeley Haas School of Business Laura D'Andrea Tyson.

Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget—Part II: Addressing Entitlements, Taxation and Revenues—Panel 3: New Sources of Revenue and Efficiency

February 27, 2013 • Audio

Senior Research Associate at The Urban Institute Benjamin H. Harris; Fellow and Policy Director of Economic Studies at The Brookings Institution Adele Morris; Assistant Vice President and Senior Economist at the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Pia Orrenius; Professor of International Economics at the University of Maryland School of Public Policy Phillip Swagel; and Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company Tyler Duvall participate in a roundtable discussion on new sources of revenue and efficiency moderated by Senior Fellow and Director of The Hamilton Project at The Brookings Institution Michael Greenstone.

Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget—Part I: Budgeting for a Modern Military—Full Audio

February 22, 2013 • Audio

On February 22nd, The Hamilton Project at Brookings hosted a forum and released new proposals on ways to create greater efficiency in the U.S. defense budget while maintaining our national security. Former Treasury Secretary gave opening remarks before retired four-star Admiral Gary Roughead, a former chief of Naval Operations; Kori Schake, a reserach fellow at the Hoover Institution; and Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Cindy Williams, a former assistant director of the Congressional Budget Office, offered two new proposals for reducing future defense budgets. The authors were joined by former Deputy Secretary of Defense John Deutch, former Undersecretary for Defense Michèle Flournoy, and former Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman Sam Nunn (D-Ga.) for a roundtable discussion on the new proposals, and a broader discussion around the dynamics of ongoing defense budget negotiations. Following the roundtable, the panelists took audience questions.

Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget—Part I: Budgeting for a Modern Military—Photo Gallery

February 22, 2013 • Photo Galleries

THP’s two-part budget series kicked off on Feb. 22nd with a forum on the defense budget, which included a lively roundtable discussion with Fmr. Sen. Sam Nunn (D-GA), Adm. Gary Roughead (USN Ret.) and other distinguished experts.

Real Specifics: 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget

February 20, 2013 • Video

Despite widespread agreement that the federal budget is on an unsustainable path, there is also widespread disagreement about what should be done. The Hamilton Project asked leading experts from a variety of backgrounds—the policy world, academia, and the private sector, and from both sides of the political aisle—to develop and share their ideas for addressing the deficit. The proposals will be released at two events scheduled for February 22 and February 26. In a dialogue previewing those events, Hamilton Project Director Michael Greenstone and Policy Director Adam Looney discuss some of the key ideas offered by the experts.

Greenstone stresses that the goal of the papers is to move beyond the fights and disagreements between President Obama and Congress and to provide some of the poetry, or some of the details, on how government might run better. The papers will also be featured in a book, 15 Ways to Rethink the Federal Budget, and will take on a wide-ranging set of topics, including immigration, transportation, health care, defense spending, and tax expenditures.

When will we reach 6.5 percent unemployment?

January 15, 2013 • Charts

The announcement by the Federal Reserve Board that it will not increase the interest rate until the unemployment rate falls below 6.5 percent raises the question of when we will reach this unemployment level. If the job-creation rate holds at last year’s pace, we will reach the Fed’s benchmark in about two and a half years.

New Directions for U.S. Energy Policy: A Hamilton Project Forum at Stanford University - Event Photos

June 13, 2012 • Photo Galleries

The U.S. energy system is benefiting from an unprecedented increase in North American supplies of natural gas and petroleum. These changes are strengthening our economy and altering the relationships between our energy choices and health, climate change, and national security. At the same time, there is tremendous hope that innovation in the energy sector will identify new solutions to these problems. On June 13th, The Hamilton Project at Brookings held an event at Stanford University to explore how best to manage these opportunities while achieving our long-term energy and environmental goals.

New Directions for U.S. Energy Policy - Panel 3: Challenges and Opportunities for America’s Energy Future

June 13, 2012 • Video

Evercore Partners Founder and Chairman Roger C. Altman moderates roundtable discussion with former Michigan Governor Jennifer Granholm, Admiral (ret.) Gary Roughead, Hoover Institution Distinguished Fellow George P. Shultz, and Farallon Capital Management Senior Managing Member Thomas F. Steyer at the New Directions for U.S. Energy Policy: A Hamilton Project Forum at Stanford University event.

U.S. Immigration Policy - Featured Remarks: The Economic Imperative for Immigration Reform

May 15, 2012 • Video

Cecilia Muñoz, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, gives featured remarks on the Obama Administration’s efforts to reform America’s broken immigration system and why that is an economic imperative.

U.S. Immigration Policy - The Challenges and Opportunities for Immigration Reform in the United States

May 15, 2012 • Video

Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Edward Alden moderates a discussion between former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Silver Lake Co-Founder Glenn Hutchins, National Council of La Raza President and CEO Janet Murguía, and UNITE HERE President John Wilhelm on many of the broader issues surrounding today’s immigration reform debate.

U.S. Immigration Policy - Roundtable: A Market-Based Approach to Immigration Reform

May 15, 2012 • Video

UC Davis Economist Giovanni Peri presented a new proposal for a market-based approach to immigration reform, followed by a discussion of the proposal with National Public Radio Ombudsman Edward Schumacher-Matos, 3M Senior Vice President Legal Affairs and General Counsel Marschall Smith and Ocean Mist Farms Director of Human Resources Jorge Suarez, moderated by Hamilton Project Director Michael Greenstone.

U.S. Immigration Policy - Welcome and Introductions

May 15, 2012 • Video

Former Treasury Secretary and Hamilton Project Advisory Council member Robert E. Rubin welcomes the crowd at The Hamilton Project event "U.S. Immigration Policy: The Border Between Reform and the Economy."

U.S. Immigration Policy - Featured Remarks: The Economic Imperative for Immigration Reform

May 15, 2012 • Audio

Cecilia Muñoz, Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, gives featured remarks on the Obama Administration’s efforts to reform America’s broken immigration system and why that is an economic imperative.

U.S. Immigration Policy - The Challenges and Opportunities for Immigration Reform in the United States

May 15, 2012 • Audio

Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow Edward Alden moderates a discussion between former U.S. Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), Silver Lake Co-Founder Glenn Hutchins, National Council of La Raza President and CEO Janet Murguía, and UNITE HERE President John Wilhelm on many of the broader issues surrounding today’s immigration reform debate.

U.S. Immigration Policy - Roundtable: A Market-Based Approach to Immigration Reform

May 15, 2012 • Audio

UC Davis Economist Giovanni Peri presented a new proposal for a market-based approach to immigration reform, followed by a discussion of the proposal with National Public Radio Ombudsman Edward Schumacher-Matos, 3M Senior Vice President Legal Affairs and General Counsel Marschall Smith and Ocean Mist Farms Director of Human Resources Jorge Suarez, moderated by Hamilton Project Director Michael Greenstone.

Economic Facts About Taxes: Roundtable: Key Principles for a Successful Reform Effort

May 3, 2012 • Audio

Hamilton Project Director Michael Greenstone moderates a panel discussion between Business Roundtable President and former Michigan Governor John Engler; Center for American Progress Chair and Counselor John Podesta; NBER President and CEO James Poterba; and Brookings Senior Fellow Alice Rivlin at The Hamilton Project event "Economic Facts About Taxes: Rates, Revenues and Reform Options."

PhDs, Policies, and Patents: Remarks on President Obama’s Regulatory Review Process

June 28, 2011 • Audio

Full audio of OIRA Administrator Cass Sunstein's remarks on President Obama’s Regulatory Review Process from the event PhDs, Policies, and Patents: Innovation and America's Future.

PhD’s, Policies, and Patents: Panel 3: A Path Forward — The Future of Innovation in the U.S.

June 28, 2011 • Audio

Full audio of Panel Three: "A Path Forward — The Future of Innovation in the U.S." from the event PhD's, Policies, and Patents: Innovation and Amerca's Future.

PhDs, Policies, and Patents: Panel 2: Obstacles and Opportunities for American Science and Innovation

June 28, 2011 • Audio

Full audio of Panel Two: Panel 2: "Obstacles and Opportunities for American Science and Innovation" from the event PhD's, Policies, and Patents: Innovation and Amerca's Future.

PhDs, Policies, and Patents: Welcome and Panel 1: The State of Scientific America

June 28, 2011 • Audio

Full audio of Welcome and Panel 1: "The State of Scientific America" from the event PhDs, Policies, and Patents: Innovation and America's Future.

Public Water and Transportation Spending by State and Local Governments

February 25, 2011 • Charts

State and local governments provide most of the funding for critical infrastructure systems, but spending has declined over the last 50 years.

High School and College Completion and Spending per Pupil

February 25, 2011 • Charts

Despite increases in per-student education spending, high school and college completion rates have stagnated over the past 30 years.

Governor Jennifer Granholm’s Keynote Remarks at Hard Times, Solid Policies to Renew American Communities

October 13, 2010 • Video

Governor Jennifer Granholm (D-Mich.) gives keynote remarks at the Hard Times, Solid Policies to Renew American Communities Hamilton Project event.

Robert E. Rubin Moderates Discussion on Perspectives from the Front Lines of American Communities

October 13, 2010 • Video

Council on Foreign Relations Co-Chair and Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Robert E. Rubin moderates discussion on perspectives from the front lines of American communities at the Hard Times, Solid Policies to Renew American Communities Hamilton Project event.

Roger Altman’s Opening Remarks and Panel on Possible Solutions for Growth and Regeneration

October 13, 2010 • Video

Evercore Partners Founder and Chairman Roger C. Altman gives opening remarks at The Hamilton Project event Hard Times, Solid Policies to Renew American Communities. Hamilton Project Director Michael Greenstone moderates panel discussion on possible solutions for growth and regeneration.

Change in Employment-to-Population Ratio Following 1980 Recession

October 13, 2010 • Charts

Employment gaps created during the 1980-1982 recessions still remain today.

Missing Markets: Fostering Market Based Solutions to Major Risks: Event Photos

August 23, 2010 • Photo Galleries

The Hamilton Project hosted a discussion focusing on what the government can do to foster market-based solutions to major risks. Markets that could potentially mitigate or reduce some of the biggest risks faced by the American people and their broader communities are nonexistent or underutilized.

Historical GDP per Capita and Three Potential Future Growth Scenarios

April 20, 2010 • Charts

Three different GDP growth scenarios show potential growth scenarios for the next twenty years.

Facilitating and Rewarding Work: Event Photos

December 12, 2008 • Photo Galleries

The Hamilton Project hosted a two-part forum on ways to encourage, facilitate, and reward work. Jason Furman provided an overview of a strategy paper, which suggested a long-term approach to expanding opportunity, along with specific near-term policies to promote work and reduce poverty.

If, When, How? Prospects for Fiscal Stimulus in the U.S. Economy: Event Photos

January 10, 2008 • Photo Galleries

The Hamilton Project released a briefing paper and convened a discussion among key economic thinkers on what economists know about fiscal stimulus — if it is appropriate, when should it be implemented, and how it should it be done.

Douglas Elmendor Explains the Roots of the Sub-prime Mortgage Crisis

October 5, 2007 • Video

Then-Hamilton Project Director Douglas W. Elmendorf explains the roots of the crisis surrounding the sub-prime mortgage default rate and suggests that greater financial literacy would be useful to homeowners and prospective homeowners.

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