Commentary and Analysis

By investing in infrastructure, the US can prepare communities to participate in a changing economy, increase access to opportunity, and address challenges highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Data from the 2016 and 2020 elections show it’s not just large cities, their suburbs, and university towns that have shifted toward Democrats.

If Biden and a new Congress deliver a long overdue (and now urgent) infrastructure agenda focused on sustainability, equity and a clean energy future for the United States, it can both reinvigorate the Midwest and support national economic growth.

Dina Smeltz, Craig Kafura, Karl Friedhoff, Brendan Helm, and Alexander Hitch document the ups and downs of the public mood, sharing highlights of their 2020 research.

An important debate has cracked open about the future of the U.S.-China relationship. This was inevitable. But the debate, while increasingly contentious, has been limited to politicians, policymakers, and pundits, largely overlooking what most Americans think.

Vietnam is likely the Trump administration’s next trade target. But the calculus differs in key ways from China.

German policy and thought leaders generally look for political and economic integration to ensure stability. This presents a sharp contrast to the drum-beating "America First" position.

For decades, the United States has been the driving force pushing for new rules to govern world trade. What if the other major countries of the world assumed that mantle in our absence? It’s happening.

To pass legislation and end any uncertainty swirling around the trade pact, NAFTA's new labor chapter may need further tweaking.

Although Midwesterners differ slightly from the general population in their views of international trade, Midwesterners without postsecondary education are more suspicious.