Wheeling, West Virginia Correspondent — It's felt structural here for thirty years, and I'd gently suggest that the question is only being asked now because it started showing up in national election returns. Coastal metros captured most of the high-value service and technology growth. Many interior communities were left with weaker job markets and falling … Continue reading Is the growing gap between coastal economic performance and that of the interior becoming a structural political problem rather than a temporary one?
Champagne Summit 2018
Thinking Outside the Boxe — 2018 Champagne Summit, July 4, 2018 in Orlando, Florida. Each correspondent is allotted up to five minutes. Only initial comments are recorded; subsequent discussion is not part of the record.
How can the United States reduce its dependence on single foreign sources for critical rare-earth minerals without triggering new trade conflicts?
Novi, Michigan Correspondent — Diversify among allied countries, invest in domestic processing, improve recycling. The automotive angle is that an electric motor needs magnets and the magnets need these elements, and the industry is committing to electrification on the assumption that the supply exists. Nobody in my business has a plan B for neodymium. We … Continue reading How can the United States reduce its dependence on single foreign sources for critical rare-earth minerals without triggering new trade conflicts?
Will the continued rise in student loan balances eventually force a broader political confrontation over higher-education financing?
Dayton, Ohio Correspondent — It's already moved from background complaint to active fight, and I'd date that shift to about two years ago. What makes it political rather than economic is that three different groups arrived at the same grievance from different directions. Families feel the debt. Employers see the mismatch between the degree and … Continue reading Will the continued rise in student loan balances eventually force a broader political confrontation over higher-education financing?
Should cities that have declared themselves sanctuaries face greater federal pressure on immigration enforcement, or is local discretion still preferable?
Clermont, Florida Correspondent — Immigration enforcement is a federal responsibility, but cities and counties absorb the daily effects on policing, schools, and budgets, and that's where the argument actually lives. Complete local non-cooperation makes enforcement harder and produces uneven application of the law across a metro area. Turning every local police department into an immigration … Continue reading Should cities that have declared themselves sanctuaries face greater federal pressure on immigration enforcement, or is local discretion still preferable?
Is the current regulatory approach to large technology companies sufficient to address concerns about market power and data privacy?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent — The current approach lags the reality of how these platforms operate, and the gap is widest on the data side. Existing antitrust doctrine can be applied more vigorously to mergers and exclusionary conduct. That's a question of will rather than of authority. Privacy and data portability are different — there … Continue reading Is the current regulatory approach to large technology companies sufficient to address concerns about market power and data privacy?
Will the midterm elections of 2018 produce a meaningful shift in the balance of power between Congress and the executive branch?
Dayton, Ohio Correspondent — Midterms usually act as a check when one party holds the White House, and I'd expect this one to run true to form. If the opposition takes the House you get aggressive oversight, subpoenas, and resistance to the agenda. That's a real shift in the day-to-day even if the Senate stays … Continue reading Will the midterm elections of 2018 produce a meaningful shift in the balance of power between Congress and the executive branch?
How should Western governments respond to the increasing use of social-media platforms by foreign actors to influence domestic political debates?
Wheeling, West Virginia Correspondent — Foreign attempts to stir up division aren't new. My father's union dealt with people who turned up to make a strike worse on somebody else's instructions. What's new is the speed and the price. Governments need better detection and public attribution when a campaign is clearly state-directed. Platforms have to … Continue reading How should Western governments respond to the increasing use of social-media platforms by foreign actors to influence domestic political debates?
Should the Federal Reserve begin reducing its balance sheet more aggressively even if it risks tighter financial conditions later in the year?
Owatonna, MN Correspondent — The balance sheet is still far larger than it was before the crisis, and gradual reduction is appropriate for exactly that reason. It got that way over years and it should come down over years. Moving aggressively risks a sharp tightening the real economy may not be ready to absorb. The … Continue reading Should the Federal Reserve begin reducing its balance sheet more aggressively even if it risks tighter financial conditions later in the year?
Is the rapid growth of online political advertising and micro-targeting creating a permanent disadvantage for candidates who lack sophisticated data operations?
Prescott Valley, AZ Correspondent — The tools have changed the cost of entry, and I'd distinguish that from changing the cost of winning. Candidates who can afford serious digital operations can test messages, find narrow audiences, and spend more efficiently than those relying on broadcast and field. That doesn't make victory automatic. It does create … Continue reading Is the rapid growth of online political advertising and micro-targeting creating a permanent disadvantage for candidates who lack sophisticated data operations?
Will the escalating trade disputes with China produce lasting changes in global supply chains, or will most companies simply absorb higher costs and move on?
Dayton, Ohio Correspondent — We're already seeing companies redesign around the tariffs rather than swallow them. Some final assembly is moving back or going to Mexico and Southeast Asia. The high-value components and the tooling generally stay in China, because the supplier ecosystem there is still deeper than anywhere else and a tool shop isn't … Continue reading Will the escalating trade disputes with China produce lasting changes in global supply chains, or will most companies simply absorb higher costs and move on?
