New Blog Posts

  • Islamic State Influence in the Philippines

    Islamic State Influence in the Philippines

    Hope Ajayi, MPA Since May, based on the number of events and fatalities, the Philippines has had the third highest conflict event count in South and Southeast Asia behind India and Pakistan, according to the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project (ACLED). Abu Sayyaf and Maute: Two Jihadist Groups The conflict in the Philippines…

  • Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2017

    Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation 2017

    Shiva Sharma, MPP, Staff Writer, Brief Policy Perspectives Consisting of 21 countries, Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) encourages free trade throughout the Asia-Pacific region. The 21 member countries include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, Peru, Philippines, Russia, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand, United States, and Vietnam.…

  • GW WonkCast S2E8: The Role of Political Appointees in Government

    GW WonkCast S2E8: The Role of Political Appointees in Government

    On Nov. 24, Richard Cordray stepped down as the director of the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB), a bureau that protects consumers from financial fraud. This made Deputy Director Leandra English acting director, however President Trump also named Mick Mulvaney as the acting director. An lawsuit by English was overruled by the US District Court for…

  • Getting Washington Metro’s Budget On Track

    Getting Washington Metro’s Budget On Track

    Kelly Straub, MPA, Staff Writer, Brief Policy Perspectives The last two years of SafeTrack maintenance plus decades of fiscal mismanagement have placed a huge strain on the bottom line at the Washington Metro Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Due to overlapping jurisdictions between D.C., Maryland, and Virginia, WMATA funding is a budgetary hot potato, as each local…

  • With Tax Plan, Senate Submits Bid to Destabilize ACA Marketplace

    With Tax Plan, Senate Submits Bid to Destabilize ACA Marketplace

    Steve Bruns, MPP, Staff Writer, Brief Policy Perspectives Senate Republicans announced that the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, heralded as the first potential legislative achievement of the Trump era, will also include a repeal of the Affordable Care Act’s (ACA) individual mandate. Republican lawmakers cite public budgeting and political reasons for repealing the mandate’s tax penalty…