Brookings: Experts - Julia B. Isaacs

Spending on Children and the Elderly

Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The United States spends 2.4 times as much on the elderly as on children, measured on a per capita basis, with the ratio rising to 7 to 1 if looking just at the federal budget, Julia Isaacs finds. She looks at expenditures on children and the elderly in the United States compared to other countries and, from a life-cycle perspective, asks whether these spending patterns makes sense for the long-term good of our country.

The Potential Role of Entitlement or Budget Commissions in Addressing Long-term Budget Problems

Tue, 02 Jun 2009 00:00:00 GMT

The United States faces a looming fiscal imbalance brought on by an aging population and rising health care costs. Yet, the current political environment discourages our leadership from making the tough choices required to fix our fiscal house. In this paper, a diverse group of budget experts reviews some of the recent history of appointed commissions, and discusses their potential role in long-term federal budgeting policy.

Wisconsin Poverty Report

Mon, 11 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

In the first Wisconsin Poverty Report, Julia Isaacs and Timothy Smeeding examine poverty in Wisconsin and ask key questions, including: Where is poverty highest? How does Wisconsin poverty compare to that of its neighbors? Where is poverty growing—or receding in the state?

Federal Expenditures on Infants and Toddlers in 2007

Tue, 05 May 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Despite extensive research documenting the benefits of investing in young children, infants and toddlers are underrepresented in the federal budget, researchers from the Brookings and the Urban Institute found. The nation’s 12.5 million children under age 3 are 4.2 percent of the population, but they received just 2.1 percent—$44.1 billion—of federal domestic spending in 2007. Domestic outlays, which exclude defense, homeland security, and international affairs, totaled $2.1 trillion.

New Approaches to Addressing Long-Term Fiscal Responsibility

Thu, 19 Feb 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A bipartisan group of budget experts from 7 different organizations view President Obama’s Fiscal Responsibility summit as a good first step to addressing the enormous long-term fiscal problem facing the United States, but urge him to lead a major public engagement effort – beyond a one-day summit – to inform Americans of the scale and nature of the long-term fiscal crisis, explain the consequences of inaction and discuss the options for solving the problem. The effort should include the creation of an independent and truly bipartisan commission or other mechanism capable of bringing about decisive action that has broad public support.

A Budget We Can Believe In

Tue, 27 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

A diverse group of experts urged President Obama, in his first budget submission, to strike a judicious balance between America’s short-term and long-term economic needs. While the need to boost spending to stimulate the economy is important, they say these short-term steps must not make it harder to achieve our long-term goals. They note that fundamental reforms of major entitlement programs and the tax system are needed to bring spending and revenues into better balance over the longer-term.

Policy Proposals to Help Support Young Children and their Families

Thu, 08 Jan 2009 00:00:00 GMT

Julia Isaacs outlines three policy proposals that have proved cost-effective and that can help to reduce burdens on young families.

The Limits On Economic Mobility

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:00 GMT

The past few decades have led to more inequality in both income and wealth than we have seen since the late 1920s. Despite this, Americans seem to care more about equality of opportunity than about equality of outcomes. Julia Isaacs and Isabel Sawhill describe ways to ensure greater equality of opportunity and economic mobility.

Supporting Young Children and Families: An Investment that Pays

Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Julia B. Isaacs details how the growing evidence about the importance of children’s early years is changing public attitudes toward early childhood programs. Adopting a well-designed package of investments in children from birth to five will improve children’s health, school achievement, and opportunities for future economic success.

Impacts of Early Childhood Programs

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Julia Isaacs and Emily Roessel assess the effects of five early childhood education programs—State Pre-K, Head Start, Early Head Start, Model Early Childhood Programs and Nurse Home Visiting—that have had positive impacts on children’s cognitive skills and/or school outcomes.

Invest More In Students Under Age 5

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Julia B. Isaacs calls for both presidential candidates to consider effective preschool programs in their domestic policy platforms.

Supporting Young Children and Families: An Investment Strategy That Pays

Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Julia Isaacs details the evidence supporting the long-term benefits of investment in early childhood education, along with prenatal care and greater access to health care for very young children in impoverished families. In a new Opportunity 08 paper, she proposes federal policies for the next President that will provide big returns.

Candidate Issue Index: Children

Thu, 15 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Compiled by Brookings Institution experts, this chart is part of a series of issue indices being published during the 2008 Presidential election cycle. In this index, candidates' views on children's issues are presented.

The Impact of the Mortgage Crisis on Children and Their Education

Thu, 01 May 2008 00:00:00 GMT

In a new paper from Brookings and First Focus, Julia Issacs and Phillip Lovell show that nearly two million children will be directly impacted by the mortgage crisis. When forced from their homes, children’s education is disrupted, their peer relationships crumble, and the social networks that support them are fractured.

Taking Back our Fiscal Future

Tue, 01 Apr 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Unsustainable deficits in the federal budget threaten the health and vigor of the American economy. When the next president and Congress take office in January 2009, they will face one crucial question that has been almost absent from the current election campaign: how to close the enormous gap between projected federal spending and revenues.

The Costs of Benefit Delivery in the Food Stamp Program

Mon, 24 Mar 2008 00:00:00 GMT

This study by Brookings expert Julia Isaacs compares the Food Stamp Program with eight other public assistance programs across four measures of program effectiveness—administrative costs, error payments, program access, and benefit targeting.

Getting Ahead or Losing Ground: Economic Mobility in America

Wed, 20 Feb 2008 00:00:00 GMT

Is America still the land of opportunity and mobility? How much opportunity to get ahead actually exists in America? Brookings scholars Julia Isaacs, Isabel Sawhill and Ron Haskins provide new evidence and summarize research on both the extent of intergenerational mobility in the United States and the factors that influence it.

The Frayed American Dream

Wed, 28 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

A sharp rise in income inequality in the United States has created large gaps between the haves and the have-nots. Based on new Brookings research, most of today’s adults are better off than their own parents were when they were growing up. The converse: one third remains worse off. Many middle-class families are only one earner away from poverty. Isabel Sawhill and Julia Isaacs argue that America could and should do better, through better access to education, including early childhood education.

The American Dream for Some

Thu, 15 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Julia Isaacs discussed her new report which found that two out of three Americans are making more money today than their parents did in the '60s, but for African-American men, that statistic is much lower.

Economic Mobility of Black and White Families

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Julia Isaacs explores the differences between white and black families with regard to economic success and income mobility.

Economic Mobility of Families Across Generations

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Julia B. Isaacs takes a comprehensive view of economic mobility, asking questions about both absolute and relative mobility.

Economic Mobility of Men and Women

Tue, 13 Nov 2007 00:00:00 GMT

Julia Isaacs reviews overall income trends based on Census Bureau data and provides an intergenerational analysis based on a longitudinal data set that allows a direct match of the family income of parents in the late 1960s to their children’s family income in the late 1990s to early 2000s.

Priority or Afterthought? Children and the Federal Budget

Thu, 01 Mar 2007 00:00:00 GMT

A country's priorities are reflected in its budget. Most people agree that "children are our future," but there's less agreement on how well we are preparing the next generation to lead us into that future. Many argue that it is important to invest in children and youth, building their knowledge and skills so they can be productive workers and citizens. But are we investing enough in them?

Cost-Effective Investments in Children

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 00:00:00 GMT

How can we balance the budget in the next five years? In a series of papers on budget choices, Brookings analysts examine options for reducing domestic discretionary spending, pruning the defense budget, raising revenues, and investing additional resources in children. An overall deficit reduction plan uses the ideas developed in this series to balance the budget in the next five years. All five papers in this series, and more information about the Budgeting for National Priorities project, can be found at www.brookings.edu/budget.