The Brookings Economic Studies program provides analysis of current and emerging economic issues to promote innovative and practical policy solutions. Economic Studies scholars conduct rigorous research and policy analysis and communicate their findings to inform policymakers and the public in the areas of broad-based economic growth, economic opportunity and mobility, inclusive social policy, sound monetary and fiscal policy, and climate-resilient growth. To help organize, focus, and leverage their work, Economic Studies contains a variety of Centers, Projects, and major initiatives. See a list of these efforts below, along with some of their key products.

• Brookings Papers on Economic Activity Publishing research on current issues in macroeconomic policy, described in a clear and accessible style to maximize the impact on economic policymaking.
  • Coinciding with each new edition, twice per year the Economic Studies program holds a conference presenting the new research – watch the spring 2022 Brookings Papers on Economic Activity conference.
• Center on Children and Families Studying policies for the well-being of children and their parents in order to find more effective means of addressing poverty, inequality, and lack of opportunity in the U.S.
• Center on Regulation and Markets Providing independent, non-partisan research on regulatory policy, applied broadly across microeconomic fields.
  • The Brookings Regulatory Tracker provides background information and status updates on a curated selection of particularly important regulatory changes.
• Center on Social Dynamics and Policy Improving the understanding of complex issues such as health epidemics and potential policy responses to those crises through the use of computational modeling and simulation techniques.
• Future of the Middle Class Initiative The goal of the Future of the Middle Class Initiative is to improve the quality of life of America’s middle class and to increase the number of people rising to join its ranks. Through independent, non-partisan analysis and policy development, the Initiative seeks to advance public understanding of challenges facing the middle class and barriers to upward mobility.
• The Hamilton Project Producing evidence-based policy proposals to help create broad-based economic growth by harnessing the power of markets, enhancing individual economic security, and embracing a role for effective government.
• The Hutchins Center on Fiscal & Monetary Policy The Hutchins Center on Fiscal and Monetary Policy provides independent, non-partisan analysis of fiscal and monetary policy issues in order to further public understanding and to improve the quality and effectiveness of those policies.
  • The Hutchins Center Fiscal Impact Measure is a gauge of the contribution of federal, state, and local fiscal policy to near-term changes in the gross domestic product, the tally of all the goods and services produced in the economy.
• The Retirement Security Project Promoting efforts to make retirement saving easier and more rewarding, so as to improve retirement income prospects for American workers.
• Urban-Brookings Tax Policy Center Clarifying the nation’s tax policy choices with timely, accessible analysis and facts for policymakers, journalists and researchers.
• USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative for Health Policy A partnership between Economic Studies and the USC Schaeffer Center for Health Policy & Economics, the USC-Brookings Schaeffer Initiative aims to inform the national health care debate with rigorous, evidence-based analysis leading to practical recommendations using the collaborative strengths of USC and Brookings.
  • The Schaeffer Solutions, a set of practical recommendations and analysis for the Biden administration and the 117th Congress in a number of critical health care areas.