Democracy as a political system has not advanced around the world in the past decade and by some measures it has actually declined, a new report from the Congressional Research Service observes.
The obstacles are not all located abroad. Unlike its predecessors, the Trump Administration does not include democracy promotion as part of its national security strategy, CRS noted. And for the first time last year, the Economist Intelligence Unit categorized the United States as a “flawed democracy.”
See Global Trends in Democracy: Background, U.S. Policy, and Issues for Congress, October 17, 2018.
Other new and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.
FY2019 National Defense Authorization Act: Selected Military Personnel Issues, October 16, 2018
The Peace Corps: Current Issues, updated October 12, 2018
NIH Funding: FY1994-FY2019, updated October 15, 2018
Congressionally Directed Medical Research Programs Funding for FY2019, CRS In Focus, updated October 15, 2018
Given the unreliability of private market funding for agricultural biotechnology R&D, substantial federal funding through research programs such as AgARDA is vital for accelerating R&D.
“Given the number of existential crises we must collectively confront, I have found policy entrepreneurship to be a fruitful avenue towards doing some of that work.”
We sit on the verge of another Presidential election – an opportunity for meaningful, science-based policy innovations that can appeal to lawmakers on both sides of the aisle.
Outdated Bureau of Labor Statistics classifications hampers the federal government’s ability to design and implement effective policies for emerging technologies sectors.