Democratic Leadership Council HomeProgressive Policy Institute Home


Ideas

Leaders





About the DLCResources for ElectedsResources for Press

Today:

Three New PPI Reports on :
Closing the Security Gap.

New Dem Dispatch: The View from the Vital Center






Idea of the Week: Making Work Pay For Men
For millions of poor women and their children, the great welfare reform experiment of the 1990s was a tremendous success -- inspiring a dramatic increase in work participation as well as a dramatic reduction in poverty. The next big step in ending poverty as we know it is to inspire and expect the same from men.

Idea of the Week: A Free Trade Agreement With Peru
Shaped by Reps. Charles Rangel and Sandy Levin, the Free Trade Agreement with Peru strikes a good balance between traditional market-opening measures and progressive social goals.

Idea of the Week: Building Coalitions To Deal With the Budget Crisis
To dramatize the budget crisis, and begin building an atmosphere for cross-partisan solutions, the Progressive Policy Institute has reached out to the conservative Heritage Foundation, the independent New America Foundation, and the bipartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, to host a joint event tomorrow in Washington, co-chaired by Sens. Tom Carper (D-DE) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC).

Idea of the Week: Three Reforms For the Housing Market
In a new Progressive Policy Institute report, Paul Weinstein Jr. offers three immediate steps that could offer relief to struggling homeowners and help for new homebuyers, and for the housing market as a whole.

Quality of Life
America's population growth and the emergence of a New Economy have combined to push a new set of "quality of life" issues to the fore: traffic, congestion, disappearance of open spaces, and lack of affordable housing, among others. New Democrats believe these issues are not peripheral but of central importance -- they are where many big economic and non-economic issues converge.
Routledge Press | Article March 22, 2005
The Politics of Gridlock
By Robert Atkinson
It appears that Congress will finally reauthorize legislation governing the nation's surface transportation system. But even with new legislation, it's likely that when Congress reauthorizes the legislation again in four years that Americans will suffer from worse, not better, traffic conditions. In this new article, Atkinson examines how the politics of mobility that prevailed until the 1970s has since turned into the politics and gridlock, and what we can do about it.


DLC | Blueprint Magazine January 8, 2004
Gotham Blues
By Fred Siegel
Narrow fringe groups are strangling New York politics. By rejecting nonpartisan elections, they've depressed turnouts, driven up city labor costs, and catered to the public sector unions.


DLC | Blueprint Magazine January 8, 2004
Too Much Froth
By Joel Kotkin and Fred Siegel
The latte quotient is a bad strategy for building middle-class cities.


DLC | Blueprint Magazine November 20, 2003
Worse Than Corruption
By Fred Siegel
It may be too much to ask, but one can only imagine a brighter future if our cities manage to play to their strengths and effectively deliver basic services at a reasonable price.


The Hill | Article September 24, 2003
Conflicts Brew Over TEA-21 Legislation
By Robert Atkinson
At the end of the day, the silver lining behind the TEA-21 reauthorization impasse is that it may give Congress both the time and incentive to do more than simply cobble together a status quo reauthorization.


PPI | Front & Center August 28, 2003
Ending the Gridlock
By Robert D. Atkinson
The recent Northeast blackout, caused by a system overload, is endemic to our nation's entire transportation and transmission infrastructure. Whether it's transmitting electrons, moving people, or shipping freight, much of our nation's infrastructure is at overcapacity.


PPI | Testimony May 6, 2003
The Role of Road Pricing in Reducing Traffic Congestion
By Robert Atkinson
While technologies enabling no-hassle road pricing have advanced dramatically, federal and state laws and resistance by transportation agencies hold back this promising innovation.


coletta & company | Broadcast April 26, 2003
Transforming Cities
By Robert D. Atkinson
Smart CityTM is a weekly hour-long public radio talk show that takes an in-depth look at urban life. In April 2003, PPI's Robert D. Atkinson was on the program to discuss "Transforming Cities."


DLC | Blueprint Magazine February 11, 2003
A Conversation with Dan Malloy on the Quality of Life
Stamford, Conn., 25 miles northeast of New York City, is an economically and culturally diverse community of 120,000 people. Unlike some of its tony suburban neighbors, Stamford is not an exclusive playground for the well-heeled -- one-quarter of its households have incomes of $25,000 or less. Yet it is frequently praised for its high quality of life. Blueprint asked Mayor Dan Malloy about the city's challenges and the secrets of its success.


PPI | Policy Report December 10, 2002
Getting Unstuck: Three Big Ideas To Get Americans Moving Again
By Robert D. Atkinson
As they consider the first major federal transportation legislation of the 21st century, Congress and the administration need to go beyond the status quo and embrace fundamental reform, including increasing surface transportation funding, demanding real accountability for results from states, and harnessing market incentives to solve congestion.


The Washington Post | Editorial November 10, 2002
In Virginia, Roadkill Right From the Start
By Rob Atkinson
At some point, growing gridlock will again force us to consider taxing ourselves so our infrastructure can catch up with growth. If supporters can learn from this defeat, next time they'll have an easier time winning the hearts and minds of the voters.


DLC | Blueprint Magazine July 29, 2002
Rethinking Urbanism
By Robert D. Atkinson
A review of Myron Orfield's "American Metropolitics: The New Suburban Reality."


DLC | Blueprint Magazine September 10, 2001
A New Economy Strategy for Reducing Congestion
By Brad Allenby
Teleworkers who avoid the commute are more productive.


DLC | Blueprint Magazine September 10, 2001
Ending Runway Gridlock
By Dorothy Robyn
It's time to update policies that stretch U.S. airports beyond capacity.


DLC | Blueprint Magazine September 10, 2001
Gateways to Growth
By Hugh O'Neill
With more ships carrying larger loads, smarter port management is in order.


DLC | Blueprint Magazine September 10, 2001
Get on the Bus, Gus
By Martin Wachs
Five ways to make public transit friendlier and more efficient.


DLC | Blueprint Magazine September 10, 2001
Getting Smart Behind the Wheel
By C. Kenneth Orski
A primer for "intelligent transportation systems" to help drivers avoid bottlenecks and locate destinations.


DLC | Blueprint Magazine September 10, 2001
Keeping America Moving
By The Editors
Transportation policy should focus on how people actually live and work, not how some would wish them to.


DLC | Blueprint Magazine September 10, 2001
Lean and Clean
By Les Jackson
Government can help speed the transition to fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly cars.


DLC | Blueprint Magazine September 10, 2001
Life in the Not-So-Fast Lane
By Alan E. Pisarski
Between outdated infrastructures and an overload of motorists, road travel is driving us crazy.


Subscribe to the New Dem Dispatch
Learn More Previous Dispatches


Inside DLC.org

Search Tips 

Support the DLC


Brian SchweitzerNew Democrat of the Week

Montana Governor Brian Schweitzer


DLC_State_&_Local_Playbook
Universal High-Speed Broadband Access


News Headlines
The Myth of Vanishing Middle-Class Jobs
- The New Jersey Star-Ledger

Blackwater May Be Tip of the Iceberg
- The Baltimore Sun

Follow Principles of Fair Globalization
- The Miami Herald

The Center Holds
- The New York Times

Who Bears Blame For Anti-War Failures?
- Politco.com



Privacy StatementJobsInternshipsContact UsSupport UsEmail NewslettersPublications

Site designed and managed by Beaconfire Consulting