This week's TTR brings some surprising data about faith-based programs, some unpleasant facts about economic mobility and how to improve it, a simple solution to the problems of youth unemployment and poverty, and the challenges of getting an international clean energy agreement off the ground.
- Faith-Based Favor. New Pew Research Center data shows continued support for faith-based programs, with nearly 70 percent of Americans in favor of allowing churches and other religious organizations to apply for government dollars when providing social services. That's slightly down from 2001 -- when President Bush introduced his faith-based initiative -- but surprisingly, Democrats are now more supportive than Republicans: 77 percent to 66 percent. The survey notes that concerns remain about church-state relations, with three-quarters opposing government-funded organizations hiring only people with those specific beliefs. Additionally, not all religions received consistent support: more than half of respondents are against allowing Muslim mosques to apply for funds. -- MH
- Halting the Economic Backsliding. The Pew Economic Mobility Project has unveiled an ambitious road map to restore American prosperity, ranging from comprehensive investment and savings tutorials for underprivileged parents and students to early-life investment accounts automatically assigned to children. Today, 42 percent of Americans born into the bottom of the economic ladder remain there, a figure that exceeds many industrial nations by a factor of two. Women continue to lag behind men in upward mobility, while African Americans are more likely to fall from the middle class than whites. When almost 50 percent of black children born to middle class parents end up in lower income brackets compared to only 16 percent of white children, new approaches are necessary. -- MZ
- National Service to Combat the Recession. The Center for American Progress proposes a simple policy solution for two casualties of the Great Recession: unemployed youth and the growing number of Americans in poverty. The answer is to increase funding for national service programs such as AmeriCorps and VISTA so that young people can get job experience while helping those in need. For $1.5 billion, the government could create 100,000 jobs for young people in the next year. Additionally, such an investment in youth unemployment has long-term benefits, preparing both youth and the poor for jobs in a better economy while hastening recovery by increasing aid and employment. -- PL
- Leading the Race to the Bottom. The path to achieving a legally binding energy and emissions agreement in Copenhagen is littered with institutional and domestic roadblocks, reports the World Resources Institute. Several countries, including the United States, are expected to reject international compliance standards. Instead, the U.S. proposal is even less ambitious than the House ACES Bill, explicitly putting domestic law above multilateral enforcement, making international accounting standards and comparisons a waste of time. -- LL
-- TAP Staff
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