Isabel V. Sawhill
Brookings
Washington, DC, United States
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Past articles by Isabel:
A primer on access to and use of paid family leave
Access to paid family or medical leave is highly unequal in the U.S. Understanding the data on current access and use is essential as policymakers become increasingly interested in paid leave policy. → Read More
Too much tribalism? National service to the rescue
In this highly polarized era, national service could heal a divided nation. → Read More
Six facts about wealth in the United States
Senator Elizabeth Warren wants a wealth tax on the richest Americans. Here are six things to know about wealth in the United States. → Read More
Lots of plans to boost tax credits: which is best?
Recent tax credit proposals to help low- and middle-income families, such as Senator Kamala Harris’ LIFT the Middle Class Act, are being hotly debated. We examine the ability of these proposals, th… → Read More
What the forgotten Americans really want−and how to give it to them
Isabel Sawhill discusses what she learned talking with Americans left behind by the U.S. economy, what policymakers get wrong, and what these Americans had to say about how their circumstances can best be improved. → Read More
Seven reasons to worry about the American middle class
On May 8th, Brookings officially launched a new initiative on the Future of the Middle Class. Through this initiative, we will publish research, analysis, and insights that are motivated by a desir… → Read More
Inflation? Bring It On. Workers Could Actually Benefit.
There’s no need to worry that super-low unemployment will set off inflation. This economy can take it. → Read More
Sorry, NYT: For Child Poverty, Family Structure Still Matters
Single parenthood is not "the" factor driving child poverty in America, but it is "a" factor ... → Read More
The flu is awful, a lack of sick leave is worse
Eleanor Krause and Isabel Sawhill make the care for a national paid sick leave policy. → Read More
Visiting working class America
We recently traveled together to the heartland – the western Ohio River Valley – to meet working-class Americans. We saw a lot of pain: dislocated workers, economic stagnation, drug addiction, fami… → Read More
Inclusive growth requires maintenance of full employment
One reason for growing inequality is high rates of joblessness among those without much education. If you don’t have a job, your income plummets. And while unemployment insurance or other benefits … → Read More
Creating opportunity for the forgotten Americans
Isabel Sawhill and Edward Rodrigue share three policy areas the Trump administration can focus on to improve upward mobility and lower the poverty rate in the U.S. → Read More
The most educated women are the most likely to be married
Marriage used to be a classless phenomenon. But recently, marriage rates have been rising amongst higher-educated women while continuing to decline among the less educated. → Read More
To help low-income American households, we have to close the “work gap”
Isabel Sawhill, Nathan Joo, and Edward Rodrigue summarize findings from their new paper, One third of a nation: Strategies for helping working families. They find that the most important reason for low-incomes in the bottom-third of households is due to a "work gap": the fact that many are not employed at all, or work limited hours. → Read More
Does pre-K work—or not?
In this tumultuous election year one wonders whether reasoned debate about education or other policies is still possible. That said, research has a role to play in helping policymakers make good decisions – if not before than after they are in office. So what do we know about the ability of early education to change children’s lives? At the moment, scholars are divided. → Read More
The gender pay gap: To equality and beyond
Women earn the majority of bachelor's and graduate degrees, yet they continue to earn less than men. If we want to eliminate the pay gap, we must also focus on helping women balance work and family life. → Read More
End of life planning: An idea whose time has come?
Far too many people reach their advanced years without planning for how they want their lives to end. The result too often is needless suffering, reduced dignity and autonomy, and agonizing decisions for family members. → Read More
Boys need fathers, but don’t forget about the girls
We have known for some time that children who grow up in single parent-families do not fare as well as those with two parents – especially two biological parents. In recent years, some scholars have argued that the consequences are especially serious for boys. Not only do boys need fathers, presumably to learn how to become men and how to control their often unruly temperaments, but less… → Read More
Taking the long view: Budgeting for investments in human capital
Ahead of the unveiling of President Obama's final budget, Beth Akers and Isabel Sawhill discuss the need for accurately capturing the benefits of investments in education. → Read More
The case for 'race-conscious' policies
Even if the case for reparations for slavery and its aftermath is already won, obstacles remain in terms of policy, politics, and law. Isabel Sawhill and Richard Reeves argue for race-conscious policies, which would be designed to close racial gaps without targeting specific racial groups. → Read More