Douglas W. Elmendorf

The Hamilton Project hosted a policy discussion on the challenges of prisoner reentry that featured a keynote address by U.S. Senator Jim Webb (D-Va.). The event also featured a policy roundtable with a diverse group of experts on the need for a national prisoner reentry strategy.

The Project released new discussion papers and hosted panel discussions on housing and credit markets. The first panel explored ways to reform low-income housing assistance, while the second focused on innovative mortgage ideas to help protect consumers.

Governor Tim Kaine joined Robert E. Rubin and Lawrence H. Summers in the opening session of a Hamilton Project public forum on the need for a national strategy that promotes infrastructure as a central component of long-term, broadly shared growth.

Manasi Deshpande and Douglas W. Elmendorf argue that America now has the opportunity to channel public concern and frustration into a national infrastructure strategy that promotes infrastructure as a central component of long-term, broadly shared growth.

The Hamilton Project hosted a discussion 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.

The Hamilton Project hosted a conversation on proposed policy responses to the mortgage-foreclosure problem. Many Americans now owe more on their mortgages than their homes are worth; however, which policies provide the most effective remedy to the problem remains unanswered.

Without government action, mortgage foreclosures will rise steeply for the next several years, argues Doug Elmendorf. He analyzes the wide range of proposals for tackling this problem, arguing that policy-makers should weigh the fairness of alternative approaches and effects on future mortgage credit, as well as the consequences of inaction.

The livelihoods and living standards of many Americans are at stake in any discussion about stimulus. This paper considers several key questions on stimulus and provides principles and examples for effective implementation.

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

The Project convened a discussion with experts to help frame the challenges currently facing housing and the financial markets: where we are, what it means for the U.S. economy, possible next steps for recovery, and ways to minimize future problems.