What’s next?
More of the same, plus some experimentation
When we launched Briefing Book last September, our goal was to help readers develop informed opinions about public policy issues by presenting rigorous analysis clearly and concisely. We wanted to focus on facts, telling people what to think about rather than what to think.
Welcome to Briefing Book
Before I had done any work in economic policy, I thought that in order to be successful in a high-level position like Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, Treasury Secretary or Director of the National Economic Council or Office of Management and Budget, one needed to understand a huge range of issues deeply.
Our approach was inspired by our time as economic policy staffers, and although our experience came in Democratic administrations, our purpose has never been partisan. For that reason, we aren’t rethinking everything or planning to overhaul our entire approach in response to the outcome of the election earlier this month. Sound policy analysis is no less valuable to the public when Republicans are in power than it is when Democrats are, and we plan to continue providing it, whichever way the political winds may blow.
The topics we cover may shift as new policy proposals emerge and things happen in the world, but we don’t plan to start chasing the story of the day. Leading up to the election, we published posts on several issues that were at play in the campaign, and we will continue to look for opportunities to inform active policy debates.
The coming debate over the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act
The stakes for tax policy are high this election year. Even putting aside the proposals that have popped up during the silly season of tax policy this election year – such as not taxing tips, exempting the Social Security income of even the richest retirees from taxation, and replacing the entire income tax system with regr…
Why broad-based import tariffs can hurt exports and manufacturing jobs
A new “Washington Consensus” has emerged where higher tariffs feature prominently in U.S. international economic policy. A key objective of the tariff increases is to protect and promote U.S. manufacturing employment. However, the balance of the evidence to date points to few benefits and net costs to U.S. manufacturing activ…
But we will also continue to cover issues that are developing or under the radar. A post on a topic that is out of the news today can become a resource when the focus shifts next week, next month, or next year.
Talking shop: The way forward on child care
We are trying something new this week, in the spirit of another suggestion we received in response to our reader survey several weeks ago. Rather than a traditional post, we are sharing the transcript of a conversation we had about child care policy. What problems need to be solved in the child care market? How could p…
Expanding in-home care coverage is a needed evolution of Medicare
Recent policy proposals, including one from the Harris-Walz campaign, have called for expanding coverage of in-home assistance with basic tasks that often become more difficult as people age, such as eating, bathing and dressing independently, to all Medicare beneficiaries with established care needs.
This is not to say that nothing will change going forward. As we have a few times in recent months, we will try new post formats, highlight new data, expand our pool of contributors, and maybe even move beyond mere pixels at some point.
We hope that your feedback will guide our experimentation. If there are topics you want to read about, people you want to hear from, alternative ways you would like to consume policy analysis, or any other comments you want to share, please get in touch. We can be reached through comments on posts, by email, or on Twitter or Bluesky.