Northern America

The UN-defined Northern America region includes the United States, Canada, as well as Greenland and a few additional nations.

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Why Killing OPT Hurts American Workers More Than It Helps

05.27.25

“OPT is not about ‘foreigners’ taking American jobs. It is about ensuring that future generations of Americans inherit a nation that continues to lead in science, technology, and higher education. Policymakers should strengthen oversight where needed but preserve and expand OPT as a strategic pillar of U.S. innovation, workforce competitiveness, and global influence.”

International and Global Affairs

US-China Tech Decoupling: A Shift Towards a More Paranoid World

05.27.25

“The impact of this digital isolation has been amplified in recent years by Beijing’s efforts to tightly interlink data security with national security, as well as reduced people-to-people and business exchanges from the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical tensions. In the U.S., growing suspicion of China has led to increasingly aggressive efforts to excise Chinese technology and capital from its supply chain. People from the two countries are farther apart than ever.”

Business and Government

The “Yes In God’s Backyard” Movement and the Preservation of Religious Spaces

05.23.25

Interest in “faith-based development” to repurpose underutilized land and buildings for the creation of affordable housing, is growing among congregations and policymakers. This movement, also known as “Yes in God’s Backyard” or YIGBY, offers many benefits for religious groups, including a compelling alignment with a moral imperative to serve the unhoused and financially distressed.

Social and Urban Policy

Leveling the Airwaves: FCC Reform and the Fight for Electoral Fairness

05.23.25

By pegging advertising costs to the least expensive market, the national Lowest Unit Rate ensures every candidate can afford to reach voters across early states without excessive financial barriers. This reform removes the advantage wealthy or well-funded candidates currently hold, creating a more inclusive primary competition.

Democracy and Institutions

From Moonshots to Stagnation: Is Government Innovation a Thing of the Past?

05.13.25

“Today, the term moonshot is most commonly associated with the tech ecosystem, where Big Tech has assumed the role of global innovation leadership. This raises a fundamental question: Is the trajectory of human progress now dictated solely by private-sector interests? If innovation were to be driven primarily by profit-driven corporations, what values and priorities shape the future of technological development?”

Business and Government

On the Anniversary of the Fall of Saigon, Beware of the Desire to Save Face at All Costs

04.30.25

Fifty years ago today, Saigon fell to the North Vietnamese, officially rendering the United States’ decades-long misadventure in Vietnam a failure.[i] The troubling reality of wartime decision-making is that it was not based primarily on whether the United States could feasibly win, or even whether Vietnam was strategically important. Rather, policymakers in Washington escalated the […]

International and Global Affairs

Coping with America First: Lessons from History 

04.30.25

Since President Trump returned to the Oval Office in January 2025, the relationship between the United States and Europe has been in free fall.

International and Global Affairs

Treat Family Child Care Providers Like the Small Businesses They Are

04.23.25

“Despite their critical importance in Massachusetts’ mixed-delivery system for early childhood care, most of these family child care providers earn less than minimum wage.[iv] At the same time, early education and care costs in Massachusetts are among the highest in the nation.”

Social and Urban Policy

Why Are We Not Talking About Climate Change’s Role in Escalating Gender-Based Violence?

04.22.25

“The world today has no shortage of climate shocks, and its impacts continue to be dangerously and disproportionately felt by marginalized groups, perpetuating an enduring cycle of violence.”

International and Global Affairs

Building Wealth Early: Why America Needs Mandatory Financial Literacy Education

03.14.25

“Equipping young people to manage money effectively ensures they can afford critical life milestones, like homeownership, family planning, and eliminating student debt, rather than struggling with financial insecurity for decades.”

Social and Urban Policy

Suturing the Benefit Gap

03.10.25

“Imagine a world where low-income individuals walk into a community health clinic for a check-up and leave with the financial resources to build a healthier, more secure future for their families. That vision is now a reality.”

Social and Urban Policy

Democrats Need to Mobilize. Here’s Where They Should Start.

03.1.25

“Now is not the time to retreat to our bubbles, to put our heads in the sand, or to shout “I told you so.” It’s time to frame Trump’s actions in terms most meaningful to those we lost from the party. If we stay silent, this dystopia might be here to stay.”

Democracy and Institutions

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