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Begin New Search Topic Human Welfare Author Peter R. Orszag

1. Improving the Saver's Credit

Author:
William G. Gale and Peter R. Orszag
Publication Date:
07-2004
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Brookings Institution
Abstract:
For decades, the U.S. private pension system has provided preferential tax treatment to employer-provided pensions, 401(k) plans, and individual retirement accounts relative to other forms of saving. The effectiveness of this system of subsidies is controversial. Despite the accumulation of vast amounts of wealth in pension accounts, concerns persist about the ability of the pension system to raise private and national saving, and in particular to improve saving outcomes among those households most in danger of inadequately preparing for retirement.
Topic:
Economics, Government, and Human Welfare
Political Geography:
United States

2. Higher Education Spending: The Role of Medicaid and the Business Cycle

Author:
Thomas J. Kane and Peter R. Orszag
Publication Date:
09-2003
Content Type:
Policy Brief
Institution:
The Brookings Institution
Abstract:
In recent years, many public colleges and universities around the country have announced double-digit increases in tuition. The recession and the resulting squeeze on state revenues are the immediate causes. However, the short-term crisis should not be allowed to obscure a longer-term shift in state financing of higher education, which began more than a decade ago. As states have struggled to respond to other demands on their budgets-primarily due to rising state Medicaid obligations-parents and students have been asked to pay an increasingly large share of the costs in public higher education.
Topic:
Economics and Human Welfare
Political Geography:
United States