The American Rescue Plan’s Secret Ingredient, Techlash Continues, and More

Exploiting weaknesses in the white supremacy movement, implications of public mistrust in tech, and flexible state and local aid.

View in browser April 5, 2021 The American Rescue Plan's secret ingredient? Flexible state and local aid   In a big departure from the norm on federal grants, state and local funds from the American Rescue Plan (ARP) are available for use for several years and come with minimal restrictions. Mark Muro, Eli Byerly Duke, and Joseph Parilla write that this feature makes the ARP more supportive of innovative recovery solutions than past relief packages.   Read more Techlash continues to batter technology sector   Public opinion on the technology sector has tanked globally, despite the world's increasing dependency on technology during the pandemic. Darrell West discusses the potential policy implications of this declining trust, including support for more regulation, higher taxes for technology firms, and bans on certain applications.   Read more Identifying and exploiting the weaknesses of the white supremacist movement   White supremacists have been a leading source of terrorist violence in the United States over the last decade, responsible for 40 plots or attacks from 2011 to 2020. In their new policy brief, Daniel Byman and Mark Pitcavage outline critical weaknesses in the movement that can be used to reduce the threat of white supremacy as a whole.    Read more Help support Brookings with a donation   Brookings is committed to making its high-quality, independent policy research free to the public. Please consider making a contribution today to our Annual Fund to support our experts' work. The conclusions and recommendations of any Brookings publication are solely those of its author(s), and do not reflect the views of the Institution, its management, or its other scholars. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Brookings Institution campus in Washington, D.C. is currently closed and all events are virtual only. For more information on the Institution's response, read our full guidance here. The Brookings Institution, 1775 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Unsubscribe Manage your newsletter preferences | Receive the Brookings Brief less often