The Urban Institute | Decision Points '08

Nonpartisan Economic and Social Policy Research

Crime and Justice •
Economy •
Education •
Families •
Health Care •
Housing •
Immigration •
Poverty and the
Social Safety Net •
Retirement and
Social Security •
Taxes •
Work and Income •

When the candidates debate the issues, turn to Urban Institute experts to separate politics from policy.

Select a topic to view experts and listen to their podcasts.

Urban Institute researchers can offer facts and nonpartisan perspectives for columns, articles, and broadcast reports.

To interview a UI expert, contact Elizabeth Cronen at (202) 261-5723 or ecronen@urban.org.

View past Topic Archives

Richard Johnson is an economist and expert on older workers. He knows the retirement-policy landscape, and can offer facts and nonpartisan perspectives on the retirement issues facing voters and candidates this election season.

Read a fact sheet that reports retirement account values have fallen by $1.6 trillion (18 percent) over the past 12 months.


Experts on Crime and Justice	Terence Dunworth • criminal justice policy • federal court systems • policing	Nancy La Vigne • crime prevention • prisoners returning to the community
Back to Top	John Roman • crime statistics • drugs and crime • forensics • juvenile justice John Roman on crime trends and crime prevention: mp3	Amy Solomon • community crime-prevention efforts • corrections and incarceration • criminal justice policy

Experts on Economy	Len Burman • federal tax and budget issues • economic stimulus packages	Rudolph Penner • budget policies and process • federal government bailouts • economic stimulus • Social Security • spending on entitlement programs Rudolph Penner on what the next administration can do to protect our fiscal future: mp3
Back to Top	Eric Toder • federal budget issues • fiscal policy

Experts on Education	Beatriz Chu Clewell • gender issues and education • school language policy • teacher and school performance evaluation	Jane Hannaway • elementary and secondary school education • local education reform • teacher and school performance evaluation • vouchers Jane Hannaway describes the achievement gap: mp3
Back to Top	Kim Rueben • education finance • state and local taxes and budgeting • teacher labor markets

Experts on Familes	Ajay Chaudry • child care and development Ajay Chaudry sizes up child care cost and quality: mp3	Olivia Golden • children's health and development • child welfare • economic well-being • Head Start
Back to Top	Jennifer Macomber • child protective services • early childhood • foster care and adoption • vulnerable families	Margaret Simms • economics of race and ethnicity • low-income working families Margaret Simms on the challenges facing low-income working families: mp3

Experts on Health Care	Robert Berenson • care coordination • cost containment • health care spending • Medicare • pay-for-performance • physician payment	Linda Blumberg • coverage for high-cost populations • health care financing • health care reform • interactions between public and private coverage • private health insurance markets • the uninsured
	Stan Dorn • children's health insurance • health coverage tax credits • Medicaid • State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) • the uninsured	John Holahan • cost containment • health care financing • insurance coverage • Medicaid • state health policy • the uninsured John Holahan on the health policy challenges facing the next president: mp3
	Rich Johnson • health care at older ages • long-term care • retiree health insurance	Genevieve Kenney • children's health insurance • interactions between public and private coverage • Medicaid • State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) Genevieve Kenney describes some families' difficulties obtaining insurance and the public programs designed to help them: mp3
Back to Top	Stephen Zuckerman • cost containment • health care safety net • Medicaid and Medicare physician payment • state health policy

Experts on Housing	Tom Kingsley • housing needs and market assessments • housing policy • urban planning and economic development	Sue Popkin • housing vouchers • public housing • residential segregation
	Kim Rueben • state and local taxes and budgeting Kim Rueben on what the housing crisis means for state and local government budgets: mp3	Peter Tatian • housing and economic development • measuring neighborhood progress • subprime lending • Washington, D.C. housing market Peter Tatian describes the causes and consequences of the subprime crisis: mp3
Back to Top	Margery Austin Turner • housing and mortgage lending discrimination • housing choice and residential mobility • residential segregation and poverty concentration

Experts on Immigration	Randy Capps • immigrant children • immigrant integration • immigration policy • social and economic contributions of immigrants • unauthorized immigrants Randy Capps on the underlying problems of our immigration system and what real reform should address: mp3	Rosa Maria Castañeda • children of immigrants • immigration policy
Back to Top	Karina Fortuny • immigrant families and children • immigrant integration • immigration policy • immigrant workforce	Everett Henderson • immigration policy • trends and characteristics in immigrant populations

Experts on Poverty and the Social Safety Net	Greg Acs • family economic well-being • income and wealth distribution • low-wage labor market • poverty	Martha Burt • adolescents • domestic violence/violence against women • homelessness • mental health • social services integration
	Barbara Butrica • economic well-being of the baby boom generation • retirement income and assets • Social Security	Melissa Favreault • income and wealth distribution • retirement and aging • Social Security • Supplemental Security Income • women and retirement security
	Kenneth Finegold • food stamps • welfare reform and safety net issues Ken Finegold on changes in nutrition aid to low-income households: mp3	Robert Lerman • assets • economic inequality • financial literacy • labor markets • marriage-promotion programs
	Signe-Mary McKernan • credit and asset-building for low-income families • poverty • welfare reform Signe-Mary McKernan on how to promote saving and assets among low-income families: mp3	Caroline Ratcliffe • credit and asset-building for low-income families • poverty • welfare-to-work programs
Back to Top	Margaret Simms • employment and training • income and wealth • low-income working families • low-wage labor markets • minority labor markets • poverty • welfare reform Margaret Simms on the challenges facing low-income working families: mp3	Sheila Zedlewski • food stamps • child nutrition programs • poverty • state spending for low-income individuals • welfare reform • work support programs

Experts on Retirement and Social Security	Melissa Favreault • retirement and aging • Social Security • Supplemental Security Income • women and retirement security	Richard Johnson • older workers • retiree health insurance • retirement and aging • pensions
Back to Top	Rudolph Penner • Social Security and Medicare solvency • tax treatment of the elderly Rudolph Penner on the budget demands of Social Security and Medicare: mp3	Sheila Zedlewski • work and volunteering at older ages

Experts on Taxes	Len Burman • alternative minimum tax (AMT) • federal tax and budget issues • estate tax • health insurance tax incentives • the presidential candidates' tax plans • retirement tax incentives • tax reform • taxes and social policy Len Burman on the tax policy challenges facing the next president: mp3 Len Burman on capital gains and the middle class, and the wisdom of the "Unfrozen Caveman Lawyer": mp3	Rudolph Penner Former director of the Congressional Budget Office. • budget policies and process • general tax policy issues • Social Security • tax treatment of the elderly
	Kim Rueben • California's budget and taxes • state and local budgets and fiscal policy	Eric Toder • compliance costs • tax gap • tax policy and administration • tax reform • taxes and social policy Eric Toder on why it's hard to close the tax gap and what steps can realistically be taken: mp3
Back to Top	Roberton Williams • federal tax and budget issues • the presidential candidates' tax plans • tax reform Roberton Williams explains what the McCain and Obama tax plans mean for voters: mp3 Roberton Williams on the politics and policies behind our complex federal tax code: mp3

Experts on Work and Income	Greg Acs • family economic well-being • low-wage labor • poverty	Harry Holzer • low-wage labor • the working poor • worker training Harry Holzer on worker training and today's economy: mp3
	Richard Johnson • older workers • pensions • retiree health insurance • retirement and aging Rich Johnson discusses how work at older ages improves retirement security: mp3	Signe-Mary McKernan • credit and asset-building for low-income families • poverty • welfare reform Signe-Mary McKernan on how to promote saving and assets among low-income families: mp3
Back to Top	Margaret Simms • employment and training • income and wealth • low-income working families • low-wage labor markets • minority labor markets • poverty • welfare reform Margaret Simms on the challenges facing low-income working families: mp3	Sheila Zedlewski • food stamp policy • state spending on low-income people • work support programs