January 19, 2022

Biden's nominees would bring diversity to the Fed—if they're confirmed

President Biden's nominees for the Federal Reserve's Board of Governors would advance his economic agenda at the central bank, diversify the ranks of economic policymakers, and likely tighten supervision of Wall Street. But with increasing levels of partisanship and belligerence in the Senate, their confirmations are anything but guaranteed.

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Inflation politics is clearer than inflation economics

Overwhelming numbers of Americans list inflation as a big worry, something that may prove disastrous for Democrats in the midterms. William Galston and Elaine Kamarck examine how public perceptions of this economic trend could seriously limit President Biden's political agenda—and even impact his re-election fight.

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Listen: Will Biden's call for Senate filibuster reform carve out a path for voting rights?

The fight over voting rights has taken center stage in the Senate this week. On the latest episode of The Current, Rashawn Ray explains the importance of protecting access to the ballot box, the dynamics of filibuster reform, and what lies ahead for American democracy if these efforts fail.

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More from Governance Studies

Vaccine mandate cases, polarization, and judicial norms. Richard Lempert examines recent legal action around the Biden administration's COVID-19 vaccine requirements—and how polarization's ill effects are impacting the Supreme Court.

"It is time for the federal judiciary to have an inspector general." An IG could improve operations and increase public confidence in the judicial branch, Glenn Fine argues in The Washington Post.

Corporal punishment, schools, and race. While the use of corporal punishment in public schools has decreased, research from Dick Startz finds that Black children are still twice as likely as white students to be subjected to it.