Setting National Priorities

Budget Choices for the Next Century

Robert D. Reischauer

• Publisher: Brookings Institution Press
• Year: 2010
• Edition: 1
• eBook ISBN:
  9780815720577
• Topic: Politics & International Relations
• Subtopic: American Government
• Index: Politics & International Relations

The federal policy changes that Congress and the President will have to make as we approach the 21st century will be among the most far-reaching since the enactment of the New Deal. The scope of legislation before policymakers as they continue their efforts to balance the budget will be vast and many of its elements very technical. This new, highly accessible book examines the nature of the challenges confronting policymakers, the options that are available to address these challenges, and the ramifications of the various options.
This new book, which continues Brookings' highly acclaimed and influential Setting National Priorities series, will serve as a guide for understanding and evaluating proposals of the next Congress and the new administration. It is also designed to inform the policy debate during the presidential election. Edited by Robert Reischauer, one of the nation's most noted budget experts, the book covers such critical issues as prospects for economic growth, how to reduce domestic discretionary spending, how to restructure Medicare; how much to lower the safety net, how to reshape national security for the post-Cold War world, whether to transform the tax system, and how to prepare for the retirement of the baby boom generation.
This book will be extremely useful for citizens anxious to make sense out of the campaign rhetoric, journalists attempting to explain the issues at play, and students of public policy, public health, political science, and economics.
In addition to Reischauer, the contributors include Henry J. Aaron, Barry Bosworth, Gary Burtless, David Cutler, William G. Gale, Thomas E. Mann, Charles L. Schultze, John D. Steinbruner, R. Kent Weaver, and Joshua M. Wiener.

Table of contents

• Foreword
• Tables
• Figures
• 1. The Budget: Crucible for the Policy Agenda
• 2. Is Faster Growth the Cure for Budget Deficits?
• 3. The Future of the Social Safety Net
• 4. The Unfulfillable Promise: Cutting Nondefense Discretionary Spending
• 5. International Security Reconsidered
• 6. Restructuring Medicare for the Future
• 7. Fundamental Tax Reform: Miracle or Mirage?
• 8. Preparing for the Baby Boomers’ Retirement
• Appendix