The article argues that targeted cash transfers represent a feasible, scalable mechanism to end extreme poverty, noting that previous growth-based models have stalled since 2015. Evidence from existing evaluations demonstrates that unconditional cash transfers positively impact consumption, health, and education without discouraging labor force participation. To move beyond small pilots, the authors propose initiating a national-scale "proof-of-concept" program, funded by private capital and embedded within a government structure. This approach is crucial not only for immediate poverty reduction but also for generating the necessary evidence to build state capacity and enable global replication of the model.
Black businesses as community anchors: History, economic power, and the fight to preserve it
English Summary
Black-owned businesses serve as critical anchors for community wealth, resilience, and cultural identity in major cities like Tulsa, Durham, New Orleans, and Birmingham. Brookings' Black Business Parity Dashboard models the economic gains—in revenue, jobs, and wages—that communities could realize if Black business ownership matched the Black population share, identifying where progress is accelerating and where ownership gaps remain entrenched. The research reveals measurable social and economic returns from closing ownership disparities while highlighting a shifting legal landscape that complicates efforts to sustain equitable economic development. Public, private, and philanthropic strategies will be essential to preserving and expanding Black business ecosystems amid heightened policy scrutiny.
中文摘要
黑人所有企業在美國主要城市（如土爾沙、達勒姆、紐奧良和伯明罕）的社區財富、韌性和文化認同中發揮著關鍵支柱作用。布魯金斯學會的《黑人企業平價儀表板》模型化了經濟效益——包括營收、就業機會和薪資——如果黑人企業所有權比例與黑人人口比例相匹配，社區可實現的經濟增長，並識別出進展加速的地區及企業所有權差距仍然根深蒂固的地區。研究揭示了縮小所有權差距帶來的可量化社會經濟回報，同時強調了日益變化的法律環境，這使維持公平經濟發展的努力面臨複雜挑戰。在政策審查日益加強的背景下，公共、私人及慈善機構的戰略將對於保護和擴展黑人企業生態系統至關重要。
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The 25th anniversary of 9/11 necessitates a comprehensive assessment of how the attacks permanently reshaped U.S. national security, foreign policy, and domestic governance. The analysis argues that policymakers must move beyond the initial 'war on terror' framework to understand how modern threats are evolving through emerging technologies and shifting transnational networks. Key discussions will focus on reassessing the lasting impacts of 9/11 across economic, defense, and diplomatic spheres. Consequently, strategic policy recommendations involve adapting U.S. global engagement strategies to address complex, technologically advanced terrorist challenges rather than relying on post-2001 paradigms.
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Europe has emerged as a global leader in sanctioning Russia's 'shadow fleet,' significantly increasing its vessel designations and improving coordination with the UK and U.S. However, the analysis finds that these European sanctions alone have had only a limited impact on overall Russian oil exports from the Baltic Sea due to gaps in coverage. To maximize pressure on Russian revenue, the report argues that comprehensive action requires either the U.S. implementing broader secondary sanctions or Europe aggressively holding flag states accountable for oversight of flagged vessels. Collectively, these measures are necessary to significantly strengthen the enforcement of G7 price caps and constrain Russia's oil trade.