New Blog Posts

  • GW WonkCast S2E4: Education Policy and Student Loans

    GW WonkCast S2E4: Education Policy and Student Loans

    The Perkins federal loan program expired on Sept. 30. In light of this, what is the state of federal loans for education in America? Guest Ashley Walsh, who worked for a federal loan servicer for the Department of Education, joins the GW WonkCast team to discuss education policy and student loans. Listen to hear what…

  • Evidence in Public Policy: The Good, the Bad, and the Obvious

    Evidence in Public Policy: The Good, the Bad, and the Obvious

    Shiva Sharma, MPP, Staff Writer, Brief Policy Perspectives Policymaking is an inherently complex process because it strives to address problems that are grounded in changing social realities; this makes evidence collection difficult at best. Evidence-based policymaking is gaining prominence due to increased availability of data, new investments in rigorous research, and a growing focus on program…

  • Amid Signs of Stability, White House Injects Uncertainty into ACA Marketplace

    Amid Signs of Stability, White House Injects Uncertainty into ACA Marketplace

    Steve Bruns, MPP, Staff Writer, Brief Policy Perspectives Just this past summer, the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC) Health Plan announced that insurance premiums in the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace would rise by eight percent, on average, in 2018 to compensate for the anticipated increase in health care costs. Fast forward to mid-October, when…

  • GW WonkCast S2E3: Immigration Policy & DACA

    GW WonkCast S2E3: Immigration Policy & DACA

    Trachtenberg alumni and Policy Analyst at Education Reform Now Janette Martinez joins the GW WonkCast crew to discuss the administration’s efforts to end DACA, Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, a program that had protected nearly 800,000 young undocumented immigrants brought to the US as children from deportation. Janette explains what DACA status means for individuals, the…

  • Statehood as a Solution for Puerto Rico’s Economy

    Statehood as a Solution for Puerto Rico’s Economy

    Kelly Straub, MPA, Staff Writer, Brief Policy Perspectives In the wake of Hurricane Maria’s devastation, Puerto Rico’s economic and political future looks increasingly uncertain. The past decade has been especially difficult for the island territory. Puerto Rico’s recession began in 2006 when corporate tax breaks that benefitted the Puerto Rican manufacturing sector ended. The Great Recession…