Racial Unemployment Gaps, How Afghanistan Shaped a Generation in the West, and More

September 3, 2021

A strong labor market is associated with significant reductions in racial and ethnic disparities in unemployment rates, but it is not enough to remove gaps that have persisted for decades. Stephanie Aaronson, Mitchell Barnes, and Wendy Edelberg call for bold action from policymakers to make the U.S. economy more equitable and outline a series of proposals for consideration.

“Our priority now must be to save Afghans. But we are also saving ourselves.” Constanze Stelzenmüller reflects on the impact of the Afghanistan military intervention and subsequent evacuation efforts on government, veterans, and civil society in America and Europe.

More than one out of every seven dollars that are owed in taxes in the United States are not paid. William Gale argues that President Biden’s proposed transformational policies could substantially reduce tax cheating and thus make the U.S. tax system fairer for the large majority of taxpayers who are honest.

Help support Brookings with a donation

Brookings is committed to making its high-quality, independent policy research free to the public. Please consider making a contribution today to our Annual Fund to support our experts' work.

The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brookings Institution campus in Washington, D.C. is currently closed and all events are virtual only. For more information on the Institution's response, read our full guidance here.

Manage your newsletter preferences | Receive the Brookings Brief less often