The article argues that recent executive overreach and politicization have severely undermined established norms of U.S. civil-military relations. To restore professional standards, the incoming Congress must actively exercise its oversight powers, moving beyond mere criticism to demanding transparency in defense policy and personnel decisions. Key reforms include enforcing meritocratic promotion processes, requiring documented justification for senior officer removals, and preventing the partisan use of the military. These actions are crucial for bolstering public trust and ensuring the military remains a nonpartisan instrument of civilian control.
Do Immigration Quotas Benefit Native-Born Workers?
English Summary
Analysis of historical immigration quotas (1921, 1924) suggests that these restrictions negatively impacted the intergenerational mobility and wages of US-born white men, particularly in areas with high immigrant exposure. Conversely, the quotas may have modestly improved occupational prospects for Black men by reducing competition for lower-skilled urban jobs. The research suggests that immigrants generally complement native workers by increasing productivity, noting that the negative mobility effects were significantly larger for white men in counties reliant on non-English-speaking immigrant labor. Policymakers should consider the labor market dynamics and the complementary role of immigration when evaluating quota policies.
中文摘要
分析歷史上的移民配額（1921年、1924年）顯示，這些限制對美國出生的白人男性，特別是在移民接觸度高的地區，產生了負面的跨代流動性和工資影響。相反地，這些配額可能透過減少低技能的城市工作競爭，對黑人男性的職業前景帶來了溫和的改善。研究指出，移民普遍透過提高生產力來互補本土勞工，並特別提到，對於依賴非英語系移民勞動力的縣市而言，白人男性面臨的負面流動性影響顯著更大。政策制定者在評估配額政策時，應考慮勞動力市場的動態，以及移民所扮演的互補角色。
Related Entries
-
1.
-
2.
The article argues that Donald Trump's unique and prolonged lame-duck period, coupled with domestic political pressures, makes him dangerously prone to international instability. Having exhausted major diplomatic gambits, Trump is expected to channel his energy into high-stakes, unilateral actions, primarily targeting adversaries such as Iran and Cuba. These potential actions—ranging from fresh strikes in the Persian Gulf to attempts at regime change—carry a significant risk of destabilizing regional security and triggering a global economic crisis. Policymakers must anticipate this pivot to high-risk foreign policy to mitigate potential international flare-ups.
-
3.
The Blue Wave signals significant voter frustration with cost of living and inflation, giving Congress a mandate to prioritize affordability and cost-reduction measures. Economically, the rapid build-out of AI data centers is creating localized stress, driving up skilled labor wages and straining resources, while also facing constraints from power grids and potential local regulatory backlash. Policymakers must manage this 'sequencing issue'—addressing rising costs before full productivity gains from AI can materialize—and anticipate shifts in global data center infrastructure as the market matures.
-
4.
The built environment workforce, comprising 15.3 million workers across 95 occupations, is foundational to modern infrastructure and economic stability. While highly paid, the workforce suffers from significant demographic imbalances, being disproportionately white and male, and often lacking clear career progression pathways. To prevent project delays and cost overruns, policy must mandate that capital asset owners treat labor market forecasting as core to project planning. Strategic interventions are required to strengthen career pipelines through robust apprenticeships, improve retention, and actively recruit younger and more diverse workers.
-
5.
The U.S. is drastically reducing core funding to multilateral institutions, withdrawing from numerous bodies due to perceived misalignment with national interests. While multilateral channels offer critical advantages—such as pooling resources for global public goods and managing risk in fragile settings—the U.S.'s funding remains heavily 'earmarked,' which effectively 'bilateralizes' the system and undermines shared burden-sharing. This practice, coupled with deep cuts, diminishes the multilateral system's effectiveness and efficiency, particularly in humanitarian aid. Policy recommendations suggest the U.S. must adopt a systematic, published strategy for aid channel choice and shift from restrictive project-level earmarking to broader thematic funding to restore global cooperation.