Congress opposes direct public access to most Congressional Research Service reports, so people who care to read the reports on current policy issues must work around the Congressional barrier. Some noteworthy new reports from CRS include the following (all pdf).
The U.S. Export Control System and the President’s Reform Initiative, July 14, 2011
A Balanced Budget Constitutional Amendment: Background and Congressional Options, July 8, 2011
Selected Characteristics of Private and Public Sector Workers, July 1, 2011
The Sustainability of the Federal Budget Deficit: Market Confidence and Economic Effects, June 28, 2011
War Powers Litigation Initiated by Members of Congress Since the Enactment of the War Powers Resolution, June 22, 2011
The potential implication of these evidence gaps becomes more consequential when you look at how institutions actually make decisions day to day.
Every new institution inherits something – existing incentives, existing staff, decades of prior investment that shaped what’s possible.
This is not the first time Google has agreed to censor imagery at the behest of governments, but be warned: obfuscation at this broad level poses a direct threat to the public’s ability to monitor and scrutinize government operations.
America’s affordability problem is bigger than home prices and rents. The best housing policies make it easier to build homes, and recognize how housing connects to other domains.