🎉 Our greatest hits this year. As was the case in the previous year, some of our most popular pieces were about the COVID-19 pandemic, including its effects on U.S. students. Education issues were also at the center of American politics in 2021, driving many readers to explore questions like why states are banning critical race theory.
And throughout the year, as the Biden administration struggled to work with a divided congress, the Senate filibuster came up as a frequent topic of discussion. This helpful explainer by Molly Reynolds offered readers a closer look at the Senate cloture rule, its history, and options for reform.
🔎 Looking back at 2021. Though the public health crisis posed by COVID-19 dominated global headlines, countries around the world also struggled with economic recovery, climate change, and political turmoil. In this roundup, our Global Economy and Development program reviews some of the biggest challenges that shaped the world in 2021 and policy recommendations on how to address them.
Americans were also deeply concerned about the pace of their own country’s recovery. To help tell the story of that recovery, The Hamilton Project at Brookings shares a compilation of important figures from each month.
Finally, our last Brookings Cafeteria podcast episode of the year captures the most significant moments from the show in 2021, including commentary on racial injustice, how mothers spent their time during the pandemic, the Taliban retaking Afghanistan, and more.
⏳ Looking ahead toward 2022. As the new year approaches, one of the biggest issues to watch will be technology competition between the U.S. and China. To help make sense of the current landscape, our foreign policy experts answer major questions on this topic.
2021 was a big year for infrastructure—in good ways and bad. With climate change devastating many areas, buildings, neighborhoods, and cities took hits that will take time and resources to recover from. However, the passage of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act offers the chance to build resilience and strength. Our Brookings Metro experts share a list of issues around the built environment to look out for in the coming year.
Africa’s democratic trajectory has been volatile this year, and elections in Angola, Kenya, and Senegal in 2022 will provide an important bellwether for where the continent is heading. For more research and analysis on the continent, stay tuned for our annual Foresight Africa report coming out in January.
🗓️ Join us for our first event in 2022. On January 6, we are convening an expert panel to reflect on the one-year anniversary of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and discuss its lasting effects. Be sure to register for the webinar here.
