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Home  >  Publications  > 
Political Economy
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The Swedish Solution
A Social Security reform made in Scandinavia?
By James C. Capretta
Posted: Thursday, March 13, 2008
Swedish social security is solvent because payouts are automatically adjusted to stay within available revenue.  If similar provisions were adopted in the U.S., it would make a damaging payroll tax increase unnecessary.  [Read More]
The Political Economy of State-Based Pensions
A Focus on Innovative Reforms
By James C. Capretta
Posted: Wednesday, September 12, 2007
In the developed world, the ratio of pensioners to the working age population is set to double over the next half century. Such a dramatic shift toward an older population will not occur without difficulty. Perhaps surprisingly, many countries have put in place reforms in the last fifteen years that have improved the long-term outlook, even if modestly.  [Read More]
To Be Continued
The Democratic Congress's inadvertent budget reform.
By James C. Capretta, Yuval Levin
Posted: Thursday, February 22, 2007
Amidst the clang and symbolism of the new Democratic Congress's first month, between the hundred-hour marathon and the posturing about Iraq, a peculiar thing has happened. In a matter of a few weeks, with only minor controversy and little fanfare, a 2007 federal budget has taken shape that includes only modest increases over last year's spending, some minor substantive adjustments to programs, and essentially no earmarks. If congressional conservatives are paying attention, they may just find in this ad hoc experiment an exceptional opportunity for budget reform.   [Read More]
Taxing Debate
With his balanced-budget plan, the president ups the ante
By James C. Capretta
Posted: Friday, January 12, 2007
What if the budget could be balanced without a tax increase? In some sense, Democratic incredulity over such a possibility is understandable, as President Bush himself has, until this year, steadfastly refused to get into a balanced budget debate with Democrats for fear it would disrupt more important priorities, particularly in the national security arena. Now, however, conditions have changed sufficiently to make a balanced budget on Bush’s terms a real possibility, at least as a proposal.  [Read More]
Global Aging and the Sustainability of Public Pension Systems
An Assessment of Reform Efforts in Twelve Developed Countries
By James C. Capretta
Posted: Thursday, January 4, 2007
Global population aging is forcing governments all over the world to rethink their public pension programs. Over the last decade, many countries have put in place significant reforms, often rolling back the promises they are making to the current generation of workers. Even with these reforms, most countries continue to face significant financial shortfalls in their pension programs as their populations continue to live longer and have fewer children.  [Read More]
The Health of the States
The real lesson of the Romney health care plan.
By James C. Capretta, Yuval Levin
Posted: Thursday, December 14, 2006
Most of the commentary on the details of  the Massachusetts health care reform initiative has tended to miss the larger meaning of the Romney plan for the health care debate. Rather than a model for other states to copy in its every detail, the Romney approach is most notable as an example of health care federalism -- that is, of a state-level response to the larger problem of the uninsured.  [Read More]
Putting Parents First
A new approach to domestic policy for conservatives.
By Yuval Levin
Posted: Thursday, November 30, 2006
Domestic policy issues have been largely absent from the campaign trail since September 11th, but look very likely to make a serious comeback in the 2008 campaign. For conservatives, this presents both a challenge and an opportunity. The challenge is the tension at the heart of the conservative movement between the interests of the traditional family and the interests of free markets. But the opportunity is the chance to turn that very tension into a source of energy for a revived domestic agenda that focuses on the concerns of parents.  [Read More]
U.S. Should Study Swedish and German Social Security Reforms
By James C. Capretta
Posted: Tuesday, October 24, 2006
President Bush's attempt in 2005 to start the entitlement reform process with Social Security showed just how steep the hill is for would-be reformers. With no imminent crisis, U.S. politicians have found it relatively easy to delay the tough decisions on entitlements even as the budget crunch draws near. That's not the case for most of Europe's state pension programs.  [Read More]
Articulating a Policy Framework for Long-Term Federal Entitlement Reform
By James C. Capretta
Posted: Tuesday, August 1, 2006
President Bush's top first-term objectives were waging and winning the global war on terror, significantly enhancing our homeland security systems, and strengthening economic growth. With sluggish economic growth following the 2001 recession persisting in 2002 and 2003 the President placed a high premium on tax relief proposals aimed at accelerating the pace of short and long-term economic growth. In this context, it is not at all surprising that large federal budget deficits emerged. In the aftermath of the 2004 U.S. elections, however, reducing the federal budget deficit in the coming years has become a major issue for the President and Congress.  [Read More]
Building Automatic Solvency into U.S. Social Security
Insights from Sweden and Germany
By James C. Capretta
Posted: Tuesday, August 1, 2006
Although Social Security reform appears to be off of the national agenda for now, real funding problems remain for America’s popular retirement program that policymakers need to address. The payroll taxes that support Social Security's "pay–as-you-go" system will begin to fall short of outlays in 2017 and will be sufficient to finance only 74 percent of scheduled annual benefits by 2041, when the Social Security trust fund is projected to be exhausted.  [Read More]
Total Records: 33
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EPPC on Book TV
Weigel Featured on "In Depth"

On Sunday, June 1, EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel was featured on C-SPAN2/Book TV's program "In Depth."

Click here to view the program online.   


Religion and the Media
Michael Cromartie
Faith Angle Conference -- May 2008

EPPC Vice President Michael Cromartie moderated a series of discussions in May at the semi-annual Faith Angle Conference sponsored by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life and held in Key West, Florida. Transcripts of the informative talks are now available online.


American Evangelicalism: New Leaders, New Faces, New Issues -- D. Michael Lindsay, author of Faith in the Halls of Power: How Evangelicals Joined the American Elite, describes eight fallacies or misconceptions he held as he began his book.

Religious Voters in the 2008 Election: What It Means for Democrats, Republicans -- William A. Galston, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution and an assistant for domestic policy in the Clinton administration, discusses the importance of the Catholic vote in 2008.

How Our Brains are Wired for Belief -- What does brain science add to age-old debates about the existence of God and the value of religion? Can political parties and religious groups use scientific insights to influence the beliefs of others? Dr. Andrew Newberg and Mr. David Brooks raise these questions and share their insights with journalists.