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The Brademas Center sponsors public lectures, symposia, conferences, roundtables and briefings that address the question of Congressional capacity for decision making -- whether, how and why that capacity has declined; and what measures can be taken by Congress to strengthen and enhance its ability to make good public policy. Events covering a range of policy and procedure issues take place in New York City, Washington, DC, and at various NYU international sites.

Friday, March 30, 2007

Legislating for the Future: Global Environment

Science Subcommittee Hearing Room
2325 Rayburn House Office Building
Corner of Independence and 1st Streets, SW
Washington, DC

This conference on global environmental change will focus on three papers dealing with the difficulties of addressing the complex long-range issue of the global environment, given the institutional barriers to action in Congress. The panel of three speakers will examine the politics of the global environmental issue, ways that Congress can anticipate the future through new analytic approach, and the overall challenges of making long-range policy.

Tuesday, April 10, 2007

Conversation on Global Climate Change & the Environment

325 Russell Senate Office Building
1st and C Streets, NE
Washington, DC

Please join us for a discussion between Senator John Kerry, author of This Moment on Earth, and Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich, author of Winning the Future: A 21st Century Contract with America, on the topic of global climate change and the environment.

Friday, September 21, 2007

Legislating for the Future: Social Security

U.S. House of Representatives, Rayburn Building B-318, Washington, D.C.

Social Security remains one of the most controversial policy problems on the legislative agenda.  Although many experts agree that the program is headed for crisis, Congress simply cannot find enough focus to examine the problems, sift through the solutions, and reach a consensus on how to protect Social Security into an uncertain future.  The question is not whether the program will need repair, but what kinds of repairs Congress can bear.
 
This question will be addressed in three papers to be presented September 21 by the Brademas Center for the Study of Congress, based at NYU Wagner.  The papers are written by several of the leading scholars in the field -- former White House aides and Brookings Institution scholars William Galston and Jason Furman, who has been a Visiting Scholar at Wagner,and RAND scholar Steven Popper.  Galston's paper will explore the politics of making tough decisions on the program, Furman will talk about potential policy solutions for the future, and Popper will ask about the long-range solvency of the program under different scenarios.  Together, the three scholars will help Congress understand both what might be done and how to generate enough political will to act.
 
The program is part of the Legislating for the Future project organized by Paul C. Light, the Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service at Wagner.

Wednesday, November 7, 2007

Book Launch: Adlai Stevenson's Lasting Legacy

Kimmel Center for University Life - Rosenthal Pavilion
60 Washington Square South

Governor of Illinois, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, and twice Democratic nominee for President of the United States, Adlai E. Stevenson II played a key role in American politics and international relations throughout the middle of the twentieth century. Acclaimed as one of the world’s great statesmen, Stevenson displayed a passion for a sensitive U.S. foreign policy in the nuclear era, emphasizing international institutions, consensus-building and diplomacy, a legacy that is vital today. Stevenson’s belief that America must lead by example to foster democracy, security, and peace continues to inspire.
 
 
Contributors to the volume will discuss the impact of Adlai Stevenson and how his legacy offers insights into current issues in American politics and foreign policy:
 
John Brademas, President Emeritus, New York University
William H. Luers, President, United Nations Association-USA
Adlai E. Stevenson III, former U.S. Senator from Illinois
Sir Brian Urquhart, former Under Secretary General of the United Nations
William J. vanden Heuvel, former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations
Felicity Yost, Electoral Observer,United Nations
 
Moderated by: Alvin Liebling, U.S. Administrative Law Judge & editor, Adlai Stevenson’s Lasting Legacy
 
The program will include a Question & Answer session with the audience and will be followed by a wine and cheese reception at which copies of the book will be available for purchase.

Friday, December 14, 2007

Legislating for the Future: Defense

U.S. House of Representatives, Rayburn Building B-318, Washington, D.C. - Southwest of the Capitol on a site bounded by Independence Avenue, South Capitol Street, First Street, and C Street, S.W.

When setting legislative agendas in Washington, Defense has always been a controversial issue. But it will become even more controversial in the future as Congress eventually comes to grips with the War on Terror and other defense issues such as changes in force structure, Department of Defense reform and base closing. The question is how Congress can address these defense issues before they become so difficult that action is impossible.
 
This question will be addressed in three papers to be presented December 14th by the Brademas Center for the Study of Congress, based at NYU Wagner. The papers are written by several of the leading scholars in the field – Paul K. Davis, Principal Researcher, The Rand Corporation, Kenneth R. Mayer, Professor of Political Science, University of Wisconsin-Madison, and Michael O’Hanlon, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution.

Monday, March 24, 2008

The Brademas Center Presents a New Book: Reclaiming Conservatism

Juan Carlos Center
53 Washington Square South

Come meet the Author and Brademas Center Advisory Board Member Mickey Edwards, as he talks about his new book.

Mickey Edwards was a member of Congress for 16 years and chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee. He has taught at Harvard and Georgetown and is now on the faculty of Princeton’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs and a vice president of the Aspen Institute. He has been a regular columnist for the Chicago Tribune and Los Angeles Times and a weekly commentator on National Public Radio’s “All Things Considered”.


Monday, April 28, 2008

The Brademas Center Presents a New Book: AMERICA: Our Next Chapter

*NOTE LOCATION CHANGE* The event will now be held at:
Kimmel Center for University Life - Eisner & Lubin Auditorium
60 Washington Square South - 4th Floor

Senator Chuck Hagel has long been admired by his colleagues on both sides of the Senate floor for his honesty, integrity, and common-sense approach to the challenges of our times. The Los Angeles Times has praised his "bold positions on foreign policy and national security" and wondered, "What's not to like?" In America: Our Next Chapter, Nebraska-born Hagel offers a hard-hitting examination of the current state of our nation and provides substantial, meaningful proposals that can guide America back onto the right path.

In America: Our Next Chapter, Hagel speaks the truth as he sees it—in a direct and refreshingly unvarnished manner. Basing his suggestions on thorough research and careful thought, as well as on personal insight from his years as a political insider, successful businessman, and decorated war hero, he discusses domestic issues—including the health care crisis, immigration, and Social Security and Medicare reform—and global climate change. He confronts foreign policy problems that the current administration has bungled or ignored, including China's growing economy; control of U.S. debt; India's and Pakistan's nuclear capabilities; and Iran's aggressive political, ideological, and nuclear stances. He decries the pervasive disease of third world poverty, arguing convincingly that this is where the real fight against terrorism must begin. Always true to the beliefs instilled in his childhood on the prairie, he speaks passionately about service—to one's country and to one's fellow citizens—as the path toward a renewed America. And, of course, he gives a candid examination of the debacle that is the Iraq War.

A staunch Republican yet a "hero to liberals" (Time), Hagel asks the tough questions and delivers straight answers to America's most pressing problems. America: Our Next Chapter is a serious, honest, and, ultimately, optimistic look at our nation's future, from an American original.

 

Tuesday, May 6, 2008

Federal Disaster Response Policy: Priorities for Reform

Rayburn House Office Building
House Judiciary Committee Room, 2226
Washington, DC 20515

Federal Disaster Response Policy: The Stafford Act and Priorities for Reform, presented by New York University’s Center for Catastrophe and Preparedness Response (CCPR) and John Brademas Center for the Study of Congress, host a discussion on the cornerstone of federal disaster relief legislation, the Robert T. Stafford Act, and needed reforms.

The program will begin with a forty-five minute panel coupled with a short question and answer session. Immediately following the panel will be keynote address by James Lee Witt, CEO of James Lee Witt Associates, a part of GlobalOptions Group, and director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during the Clinton Administration.

Lunch will be provided.

Moderator:
Gerard Hoetmer
, Executive Director, Public Entity Risk Institute 

Panelists:
Paul Light
, Ph.D. Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service, Wagner School of Public Service, NYU; Investigator, CCPR; Affiliated Faculty, Brademas Center, NYU

Mitchell Moss, Ph.D. Henry Hart Rice Professor of Urban Policy and Planning, Wagner School of Public Service, NYU; Investigator, CCPR, NYU

Ms. Claire B. Rubin, M.A., President of Claire B. Rubin & Associates, is a social scientist with 30 years of experience as a researcher, practitioner, and academic in the fields of emergency management and homeland security

Keynote:
James Lee Witt, CEO, James Lee Witt Associates, a part of GlobalOptions Group; Director, FEMA, 1993-2001