New Blog Posts

  • Reimagining Retirement: Higher Social Security Taxes and the Impact on the Labor Force

    Reimagining Retirement: Higher Social Security Taxes and the Impact on the Labor Force

    Part One of a Four-Part Blog Series on Aging, Economics, and Social Insurance. Maddie Shirley is a staff writer and second-year MPP student. Most people aim to have financial stability. But how about economic stability? The U.S. was built during a time of momentous population growth, but now with slowing growth, we must figure out…

  • Rethinking Trust in Digital Finance, a Policy Insight at the BTC in DC Conference

    Rethinking Trust in Digital Finance, a Policy Insight at the BTC in DC Conference

    Vannia Yalan is a staff writer and second-year MPA student. In an era when global finance stands at the intersection of innovation and uncertainty, technology is reshaping the foundations of the global economy. The BTC in DC Conference offered a timely reflection on the ethics, opportunities, and vulnerabilities of digital finance. Held at The Donald…

  • Reimagining Cooperation in a Digital and Divided World: Reflections from the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings

    Reimagining Cooperation in a Digital and Divided World: Reflections from the IMF-World Bank Annual Meetings

    Vannia Yalan is a staff writer and second-year MPA student. The 2025 IMF–World Bank Annual Meetings brought together finance ministers, central bank governors, development experts, and civil society leaders from 190 countries to address the most pressing challenges facing the global economy. Held in Washington, D.C., from October 13-18, these meetings serve as the world’s…

  • Reclaiming Community and Building Equity Policy

    Reclaiming Community and Building Equity Policy

    Vannia Yalan is a staff writer and second-year MPA student. Place is more than geography: it is identity, opportunity, and belonging. This conviction was fiercely reinforced at the People and Places Conference hosted by five national community development organizations: Community Opportunity Alliance, National CAPACD, National Urban League, Black Community Developers Group, and NALCAB.  Through the…

  • Youth Leadership and the Future of Global Governance: Lessons from the Youth Vision Assembly in Amsterdam

    Youth Leadership and the Future of Global Governance: Lessons from the Youth Vision Assembly in Amsterdam

    Vannia Yalan is a staff writer and second-year MPA student. When I arrived in Amsterdam for the Youth Vision Assembly, I expected a conference about policy; what I found instead was a conversation about power dynamics and representation. Over several days of dialogue and debate, young leaders from across the globe gathered to explore how…