Advanced search Help
Clear all search criteria
Only 2/3! You are seeing results from the Public Collection, not the complete Full Collection. Sign in to search everything (see eligibility).
-
Department of Defense Climate Risk Analysis
From the Executive Summary: "Climate change is reshaping the geostrategic, operational, and tactical environments with significant implications for U.S. national security and defense. Increasing temperatures; changing precipitation patterns; and more frequent, intense, and unpredictable extreme weather conditions caused by climate change are exacerbating existing risks and creating new security challenges for U.S. interests. The risks of climate change to Department of Defense (DoD) strategies, plans, capabilities, missions, and equipment, as well as those of U.S. allies and partners, are growing. Global efforts to address climate change - including actions to address the causes as well as the effects - will influence DoD strategic interests, relationships, competition, and priorities. To train, fight, and win in this increasingly complex environment, DoD will consider the effects of climate change at every level of the DoD enterprise."
United States. Department of Defense. Office of the Under Secretary for Policy
2021-10
-
COVID-19 Pandemic: Observations on the Ongoing Recovery of the Aviation Industry, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "International flight restrictions, local stay-at-home orders, and a general fear of contracting and spreading COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] through air travel had a sudden and profound effect on the U.S. aviation industry. According to Department of Transportation (DOT) statistics, passenger traffic in April 2020 was 96 percent lower systemwide than April 2019, and remained 60 percent below 2019 traffic levels throughout 2020. This report examines (1) immediate effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on businesses across the aviation industry; (2) actions those businesses took in response; (3) actions the FAA [Federal Aviation Administration] took to help the industry respond to the pandemic; and (4) the outlook for industry recovery, among other issues."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-10
-
Weapon System Requirements: Joint Staff Lacks Reliable Data on the Effectiveness of Its Revised Joint Approval Process, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "In the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2017, Congress mandated revisions to the JCIDS [Joint Staff uses the Joint Capabilities Integration and Development
System] process by modifying the scope of the JROC [Joint Requirements Oversight Council]'s responsibilities. The accompanying Senate Armed Services Committee report noted that these changes were, in part, to improve the timeliness of the JCIDS process. House Armed Services Committee report 116-120 included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review the revisions to the JCIDS process. This report examines (1) key revisions to the process, (2) how many programs have been through the revised process and how long it took, and (3) the Joint Staff's ability to assess the timeliness of the process."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-10
-
Alternatives to Radioactive Materials: A National Strategy to Support Alternative Technologies May Reduce Risks of a Dirty Bomb, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "Radioactive material, which is dangerous if mishandled, is found in many medical and industrial applications. In the hands of terrorists, it could be used to construct a radiological dispersal device, or dirty bomb, that uses conventional explosives to disperse the material. Replacing technologies that use dangerous radioactive materials with safer alternatives may help protect people and reduce potential socioeconomic costs from remediation and evacuation of affected residents. Senate Report 116-102 included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to review alternative technologies to applications that use radioactive materials. This report examines (1) the potential for adopting alternative technologies in the United States for the six most commonly used medical and industrial applications; (2) factors affecting adoption of alternative technologies; and (3) federal activities relating to alternative technologies in the United States."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-10
-
National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality
From the Document: "This strategy is the product of and roadmap for a whole-of-government effort to advance gender equity and equality. Responsibility for realizing its bold vision is not the task of a sole agency or White House office, but rather a responsibility that cuts across the work of the Biden-Harris Administration in both domestic and foreign affairs. In order to mainstream gender equity and equality across our domestic and foreign policy, we will elevate gender in strategic planning and budgeting, policy development, management and training, and monitoring and evaluation efforts. We will also strengthen data collection and analysis and take steps to ensure transparency and accountability for progress toward the goals laid out in this strategy. This work will be conducted in partnership with Congress, state, local, territorial, and Tribal governments, foreign governments and multi-lateral organizations, and non-governmental actors--including faith-based groups, civil society, and private sector organizations--who were also consulted in the development of the strategy and have an essential role in the work ahead."
United States. White House Office
2021-10?
-
Are We Entering a New Age of Pandemics?
From the Document: "COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] is only the latest in a succession of new infectious threats that have emerged in recent decades. Since 1970, we've faced bird flu, SARS [Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome], Ebola, Nipah virus, Marburg fever, cryptosporidiosis and hantavirus. Not to mention resurging diseases, which include monkeypox, dengue and yellow fever, drug-resistant malaria, and even plague. And while HIV, the virus that causes AIDS, may have emerged as early as the 1920s, it only became a mass global killer in the 1980s, responsible for over thirty million deaths since then. The irony of our progress against death from infection over the past two centuries is that our success has helped create the perfect environment for the emergence of a new disease outbreak, and for that outbreak to have catastrophic global social and economic impact. Does that mean we are entering a new age of pandemics? Certainly, the risk is there. Evolutionary biologist Katherine Smith and colleagues at Brown University studied more than 12,000 reported disease outbreaks worldwide since 1980 and concluded that both the number of diseases and the number of outbreaks have been increasing over time. [...] Adding to the danger--and despite everything we've learned since the first age of pandemics--the world responds poorly to the risk of outbreak infections. Not least, we could reduce that risk in the first place through far better sanitation, for humans and domestic animals alike."
Center for Global Development
Kenny, Charles
2021-10
-
Trusted Internet Connections 3.0: Remote User Use Case, Version 1
From the Introduction: "Trusted Internet Connections (TIC), originally established in 2007, is a federal cybersecurity initiative intended to enhance network and perimeter security across the Federal Government. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and the General Services Administration (GSA) oversee the TIC initiative through a robust program that sets guidance and an execution framework for agencies to implement a baseline perimeter security standard. The initial versions of the TIC initiative sought to consolidate federal networks and standardize perimeter security for the federal enterprise. As outlined in OMB Memorandum (M) 19-26: 'Update to the Trusted Internet Connections (TIC) Initiative', this modernized version of the initiative expands upon the original to drive security standards and leverage advances in technology as agencies adopt mobile and cloud environments. The goal of TIC 3.0 is to secure federal data, networks, and boundaries while providing visibility into agency traffic, including cloud communications."
United States. Cybersecurity & Infrastructure Security Agency
2021-10
-
PFAS Strategic Roadmap: EPA's Commitments to Action 2021-2024
From the Introduction: "Harmful per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are an urgent public health and environmental issue facing communities across the United States. PFAS have been manufactured and used in a variety of industries in the United States and around the globe since the 1940s, and they are still being used today. Because of the duration and breadth of use, PFAS can be found in surface water, groundwater, soil, and air--from remote rural areas to densely-populated urban centers. A growing body of scientific evidence shows that exposure at certain levels to specific PFAS can adversely impact human health and other living things. Despite these concerns, PFAS are still used in a wide range of consumer products and industrial applications. Every level of government--federal, Tribal, state, and local--needs to exercise increased and sustained leadership to accelerate progress to clean up PFAS contamination, prevent new contamination, and make game-changing breakthroughs in the scientific understanding of PFAS. The EPA Council on PFAS developed this strategic roadmap to lay out EPA's whole-of-agency approach to addressing PFAS. To deliver needed protections for the American people, the roadmap sets timelines by which the Agency plans to take specific actions during the first term of the Biden-Harris Administration. The strategic roadmap builds on and accelerates implementation of policy actions identified in the Agency's 2019 action plan and commits to bolder new policies to safeguard public health, protect the environment, and hold polluters accountable."
United States. Environmental Protection Agency
2021-10
-
COVID-19 Contracting: Indian Health Service Used Flexibilities to Meet Increased Medical Supply Needs, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Government Accountability Office Highlights: "The Indian Health Service (IHS) serves over 2 million American Indians and Alaska Natives. These groups have been disproportionately vulnerable to negative outcomes from COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019]. During emergencies, federal contracting staff face pressure to work quickly to meet increased needs. We examined some of IHS's COVID-related contracts to see how the agency's efforts fared. [...] We analyzed relevant federal procurement data through June 30, 2021. We also reviewed four contracts-- covering about 1/4 of obligations in IHS's largest product category (medical and surgical instruments, equipment, and supplies). We also interviewed IHS contracting officials."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-10
-
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Climate Adaptation Action Plan [October 2021]
From the Introduction: "Climate change poses a real and present danger to communities all across the country. Its impacts are already being felt. President Biden's Executive Order 14008, 'Tackling the Climate Crisis at Home and Abroad,' requires federal agencies to develop Climate Action Plans that describe their agency's climate vulnerabilities and the steps it will take to bolster adaptation and increase resilience to the impacts of climate change. This 2021 EPA [Environmental Protection Agency] Climate Adaptation Action Plan ('Plan') builds on a strong foundation. The agency released its first Climate Change Adaptation Plan in June 2014, followed by 17 Climate Change Adaptation Implementation Plans prepared by its National Environmental Program Offices, National Support Offices, and 10 Regional Offices. The 2021 Plan accelerates action and focuses agency attention on priority actions it will take to fulfill our mission and increase human and ecosystem resilience even as the climate changes. This Plan will be followed by updates to the 17 'Implementation Plans' produced in 2014. Every office will report on its progress since 2014 and identify future actions to address the agency-wide priorities identified in this Plan. EPA offices will engage with states, tribes, territories, local communities, and other stakeholders when updating their plans."
United States. Environmental Protection Agency
2021-10
-
Report on the Impact of Climate Change on Migration
From the Introduction: "The climate crisis is reshaping our world, as the Earth's climate is now changing faster than at any point in the history of modern civilization. Defined by changes in average weather conditions that persist over multiple decades or longer, climate change includes changes in temperature, precipitation patterns, the frequency and severity of certain weather events, and other features of the climate system. When combined with physical, social, economic, and/or environmental vulnerabilities, climate change can undermine food, water, and economic security. Secondary effects of climate change can include displacement, loss of livelihoods, weakened governments, and in some cases political instability and conflict. In recognition of this, on February 9, 2021, President Biden signed Executive Order (E.O.) 14013, 'Rebuilding and Enhancing Programs to Resettle Refugees and Planning for the Impact of Climate Change on Migration,' in which he directed the National Security Advisor to prepare a report on climate change and its impact on migration. This report marks the first time the U.S. Government is officially reporting on the link between climate change and migration."
United States. White House Office
2021-10
-
Fast Act Expires; the Department of Transportation Initiates Shutdown Procedures [October 1, 2021]
From the Document: "At midnight on September 30, 2021, the law authorizing federal surface transportation programs, the Fixing America's Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act; P.L. [Public Law] 114-94), as extended, expired. The House is considering the Senate-passed Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (H.R. 3684), which would reauthorize surface transportation programs. In the absence of new authority to expend from the Highway Trust Fund (HTF), the Department of Transportation (DOT) has begun to shut down the programs and activities supported by the HTF and furlough staff. The Anti-Deficiency Act (ADA; 31 U.S.C. [United States Code] §1341 [hyperlink]) prohibits agencies from incurring obligations that are in advance of appropriations except in certain circumstances. This means that transportation programs and activities supported by money from the general fund of the U.S. Treasury must be appropriated. In contrast, HTF funding is a form of budget authority, known as contract authority, which by law may be obligated prior to an appropriation and is effectively an exception under the ADA. However, the authority to make new obligations from the HTF must be authorized, and that authorization expired September 30, 2021. The highway taxes that support the HTF have not expired, and their revenues will continue to be deposited into the HTF. Under current authority, the motor fuel and tire taxes expire at the end of September 30, 2022, and the heavy vehicle use tax expires at the end of September 30, 2023. According to DOT's September 28, 2021, shutdown plan [hyperlink], all HTF-funded personnel not needed to fulfill excepted activities under the ADA (such as life, safety, and the protection of property), or funded with appropriations, would be furloughed. Approximately 3,700 employees in the four DOT surface transportation agencies discussed below would be affected."
Library of Congress. Congressional Research Service
Kirk, Robert S.
2021-10-01
-
Masks and Respirators for the 21st Century: Policy Changes Needed to Save Lives and Prevent Societal Disruption
From the Executive Summary: "Masks and respirators have played an essential role in the response to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic for both healthcare workers and the public. However, the masks and respirators that both healthcare workers and the public have needed to rely upon leave much to be desired. [...] In this report, we provide an overview of the history and types of masks and respirators that exist and consider the development, manufacture, approval, and stockpiling of better respiratory protection for healthcare workers, the nonhealthcare workforce, and the public in the United States. We address issues related to acceptance and willingness to wear face coverings, masks, or respirators. We discuss ways to foster ingenuity in designs of new devices, promote advanced development, obtain regulatory approval, and stockpile a reasonable number of devices."
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Center for Health Security
Toner, Eric (Eric S.); Veenema, Tener Goodwin; Adalja, Amesh A. . . .
2021-10
-
Irrigation Organizations: Water Storage and Delivery Infrastructure
From the Abstract: "In 2018, 40 percent of all water applied to irrigated cropland came from an off-farm water source. Irrigation districts, ditch companies, acequias, and other water delivery organizations use infrastructure such as canals, reservoirs, and turnouts to transport, store, and deliver off-farm water to farms and ranches. This infrastructure is a critical part of an organization's ability to meet the water needs of irrigated agriculture. The U.S. Department of Agriculture's 2019 Survey of Irrigation Organizations is a nationally representative review of the water management organizations that deliver water to farms or influence on-farm groundwater use. This report leverages these survey data to provide an overview of the vital irrigation infrastructure owned and managed by water delivery organizations."
United States. Department of Agriculture. Economic Research Service
Hrozencik, R. Aaron; Wallander, Steven; Aillery, Marcel P.
2021-10
-
Federal Hiring: OPM Should Collect and Share COVID-19 Lessons Learned to Inform Hiring During Future Emergencies, Report to Congressional Addressees
From the Highlights: "The COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic has had far-reaching effects on federal programs and operations. To address this public health crisis, Congress and the administration made several hiring authorities available to agencies to hire staff with the needed skills to effectively respond to the pandemic. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to report on ongoing monitoring and oversight efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report examines: (1) the new hiring authorities provided to federal agencies for COVID-19 response and the extent to which selected agencies have used them; (2) selected agencies' experiences using those hiring authorities, including lessons learned; and (3) OPM [Office of Personnel Management]'s efforts to assess agencies' use of the COVID-19 related hiring authorities."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-10
-
COVID-19: Federal Agencies' Initial Reentry and Workplace Safety Planning, Report to Congressional Addressee
From the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Highlights: "The federal government employs approximately 2.8 million civilian workers, a workforce that plays an important role in maintaining vital government services. The White House, OMB [Office of Management and Budget], and other cognizant agencies issued guidance to support federal agencies as they developed tailored plans for bringing the federal workforce back to offices and safely conducting on-site work. The CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act included a provision for GAO to monitor and oversee the federal government's response to the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic. This report (1) examines agencies' approaches to initial reentry planning, (2) assesses the extent to which agencies' workplace safety plans are consistent with federal guidance, and (3) examines the coordination and oversight of federal reentry and workplace safety planning across the government. GAO analyzed federal guidance from cognizant agencies to identify crosscutting themes for reentry planning, and reviewed OMB guidance on workplace safety principles. GAO assessed workplace safety plans, reentry plans, and relevant documentation from the 24 CFO [Chief Financial Office] Act agencies against the themes and principles identified in guidance and interviewed agency officials. GAO also reviewed guidance to identify oversight and coordination responsibilities and reviewed prior GAO work on pandemic preparedness and interagency collaboration."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-10
-
COVID-19: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Accountability and Program Effectiveness of Federal Response, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "As of September 23, 2021, the U.S. had about 43 million reported cases of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] and about 699,000 reported deaths, according to CDC [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention]. The country also continues to experience economic repercussions from the pandemic. Six relief laws, including the CARES [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security] Act, had been enacted as of August 31, 2021, to address the public health and economic threats posed by COVID-19. As of that same date (the most recent for which governmentwide data was available), the federal government had obligated a total of $3.9 trillion and expended $3.4 trillion of the $4.8 trillion in COVID-19 relief funds that had been appropriated by these six laws, as reported by federal agencies. The CARES Act includes a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to report on its ongoing monitoring and oversight efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report examines the federal government's continued efforts to respond to, and recover from, the COVID-19 pandemic."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-10
-
U.S. Agency for Global Media: Additional Actions Needed to Improve Oversight of Broadcasting Networks, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "USAGM [United States Agency for Global Media], formerly known as the Broadcasting Board of Governors, is an independent federal agency whose mission is to provide unbiased news in some countries where freedom of information is restricted. With a budget of around $810 million in fiscal year 2020, USAGM oversees two federal networks--Voice of America and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting--and four grantees--Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia, Middle East Broadcasting Networks, and Open Technology Fund. Each grantee has a separate board. A Senate committee report included a provision for GAO [Government Accountability Office] to consult with the Committee on Appropriations on an evaluation of USAGM's governance structure and oversight processes for its broadcasting entities. This report examines (1) how recent statutory amendments affected USAGM's governing authority and organizational structure, (2) the extent to which USAGM's management actions aligned with its policies on protecting editorial independence, and (3) the extent to which USAGM has taken actions to ensure oversight of network operations and accountability of its grantees."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-10
-
Department of Energy Contracting: NNSA Has Taken Steps to Improve Its Work Authorization Process, but Challenges Remain, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "NNSA [National Nuclear Security Administration] relies on seven M&O [management and operating] contractors to manage and operate its eight laboratory and production sites. NNSA uses documents called WAs [work authorizations] to direct the work of its contractors. NNSA's program offices collectively issued on average 94 WAs per fiscal year from 2018 to 2020. In 1990, GAO [Government Accountability Office] designated the Department of Energy's (DOE) contract management as a high-risk area and continues to identify ongoing challenges with NNSA's management of its contractors. As part of an effort to understand the status of NNSA's actions to address contract management challenges, GAO was asked to review NNSA's work authorization process and documentation. This report examines NNSA's (1) efforts to improve its work authorization process, and (2) use of WAs in its contractor performance evaluation process."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-10
-
Protecting Critical and Emerging U.S. Technologies from Foreign Threats
From the Document: "Given the unique opportunities and challenges posed by emerging technologies, the National Counterintelligence and Security Center (NCSC) today announced it is prioritizing its industry outreach efforts in a select few U.S. technology sectors where the stakes are potentially greatest for U.S. economic and national security. These sectors produce technologies that may determine whether America remains the world's leading superpower or is eclipsed by strategic competitors in the next few years. [...] As mandated by Congress, a core NCSC mission is to conduct counterintelligence (CI) outreach to the U.S. private sector, academic and research communities, as well as other external stakeholders to arm them with information about foreign intelligence threats to their organizations and ways to mitigate risk. NCSC, a center within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence responsible for leading and supporting the CI and security activities of the U.S. Government, routinely partners with other federal agencies in conducting outreach to industry. NCSC outreach to emerging technology sectors is designed to raise awareness of nation-state threats and help these sectors protect their human talent and cutting-edge research, while not stifling their innovation and scientific collaboration. NCSC seeks to safeguard these technological sectors and allow their growth and development. [...] U.S. leadership in emerging technology sectors faces growing challenges from strategic competitors who recognize the economic and military benefits of these technologies and have enacted comprehensive national strategies to achieve leadership in these areas. According to the 2021 Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. Intelligence Community, with a more level technology playing field anticipated in the future, new technological developments will increasingly emerge from multiple countries and with less warning."
National Counterintelligence and Security Center (U.S.)
2021-10
-
Border Patrol Agents in Secret Facebook Group Faced Few Consequences for Misconduct
From the Executive Summary: "This staff report presents the findings of an investigation launched in 2019 by the Committee on Oversight and Reform into violent and offensive posts by Customs and Border Protection (CBP) personnel in secret Facebook groups. The most prominent of these groups, a private group for Border Patrol agents called 'I'm 10-15,' had more than 9,500 members in July 2019. The Committee's investigation followed alarming media reports of CBP employees threatening harm to migrants and elected officials on the 'I'm 10-15' page. [...] The offensive images and comments on the 'I'm 10-15' Facebook group are antithetical to the CBP ethos and undermine the work carried out by dedicated CBP employees every day. Unfortunately, the agency failed to take adequate steps to prevent this conduct or impose consistent discipline on agents who engaged in it, creating a serious risk that this conduct could continue. This report makes several recommendations to improve CBP's policies, training, and disciplinary process in order to address these issues."
United States. Congress. House. Committee on Oversight and Reform
2021-10
-
Federal Sentencing of Child Pornography Production Offenses
From the Introduction: "This publication is the second report of a two-part series that updates and expands upon the United States Sentencing Commission's 2012 Report to the Congress: Federal Child Pornography Offenses (the '2012 Child Pornography Report'). In the 2012 Child Pornography Report, the Commission analyzed offenders sentenced under the federal child pornography sentencing guidelines and their corresponding statutes to assess how these offenders were prosecuted, sentenced, and supervised following their reentry into the community. This report focuses on offenders sentenced for child pornography production offenses under §2G2.1 of the Guidelines Manual (Sexually Exploiting a Minor by Production of Sexually Explicit Visual or Printed Material; Custodian Permitting Minor to Engage in Sexually Explicit Conduct; Advertisement for Minors to Engage in Production).2 The issues the Commission discussed in the 2012 Child Pornography Report persist today: the continued growth in the number of child pornography production cases, the volume and accessibility of child pornography images due to advancements in technology, and the resulting lengthy sentences for child pornography production offenders. Notably, in 2020 alone, the Cyber Tipline of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children received 21.7 million reports of child sexual abuse imagery, online child exploitation and enticement, child sexual molestation, and child sex trafficking. [...] This update to the 2012 Child Pornography Report is intended to provide stakeholders with current information on child pornography production offenses, offenders, and sentencing outcomes. This report provides the Commission's most in-depth study of child pornography production offenses to date through an analysis of three primary factors that the Commission has identified as relevant to sentencing child pornography production offenders: (1) 'Proximity' [...]; (2) 'Participation' [...]; [and] (3) 'Propensity'[.]"
United States Sentencing Commission
2021-10
-
Making Our Roads Safer: One Countermeasure at a Time
From the Abstract: "The Proven Safety Countermeasure Initiative (PSCi) is a collection of 28 countermeasures and strategies effective in reducing roadway fatalities and serious injuries on our Nation's highways. Transportation agencies are strongly encouraged to consider widespread implementation of PSCs [Proven Safety Countermeasures] to accelerate the achievement of local, State, and National safety goals. This booklet provides 1-page handouts for all 28 PSCs, broken into the focus areas of speed management, roadway departure, intersections, pedestrians/bicyclists, and crosscutting for countermeasures that apply across categories."
United States. Federal Highway Administration. Office of Safety
Albee, Matt; Bobitz, Phillip
2021-10
-
COVID-19 Pandemic and Its Impact on Socioeconomic Inequality in Psychological Distress in the UK: An Update
From the Introduction: "Understanding Society, the UK Household Longitudinal Study (UKHLS), has tracked its participants with web-based Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] Surveys during the first two waves of the pandemic, between April 2020 and March 2021. This paper addresses socioeconomic inequality in mental health, measured by the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), and extends the work of Davillas and Jones (2021) that presented results for the first wave of Covid in the UK between April and July 2020. The contribution of this short paper is to extend the span of the UKHLS Covid-19 Survey data to include all survey waves. This allows us to follow the progress of the UK population's mental wellbeing during the easing of the first national lockdown, the period of limited restrictions during the summer of 2020 and the second national lockdown up to March 2021. After the outbreak of Covid-19 there was a substantial deterioration in population mental wellbeing and the prevalence of mental problems increased (e.g., Banks and Xu, 2020). The experience of mental health problems is disproportionate across groups, by gender, age, race and socioeconomic status. Groups with disadvantaged backgrounds such as lower socioeconomic positions and pre-existing psychological distress were more likely to experience adversities including job loss and financial stress, and difficulties accessing basic requirements like food and medical care (Pierre et al., 2021)."
IZA Institute of Labor Economics
Gao, Xiaoying; Davillas, Apostolos; Jones, Andrew M., 1960-
2021-10
-
Improving Women's Mental Health During a Pandemic
From the Abstract: "In low-income settings, women are vulnerable to the psychological distress caused by the social and economic impact of large-scale shocks (e.g., pandemics, natural disasters, political). This paper evaluates a randomized over-the-phone counseling intervention aimed at mitigating the mental health impact of COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] on a sample of 2,402 women across 357 villages in Bangladesh. We find that the provision of mental support to participating women improves their mental health ten months post-intervention, leading to reductions of 20.4% in the prevalence of moderate and severe stress and 32.8% in depression, relative to women in the control group. We also find positive impacts on economic outcomes: household food security and time invested in homeschooling of children, suggesting that improvement in mental health is an important step toward better economic well-being for these women. Finally, we also observe impacts on various other outcomes, including preventive health behavior associated with COVID-19 and vaccination take-up. Our results suggest that this type of low-cost intervention can be effective in providing rapid psychological support to vulnerable groups in times of crises."
IZA Institute of Labor Economics
Vlassopoulos, Michael; Siddique, Abu; Rahman, Tabassum . . .
2021-10
-
COVID-19 Pandemic and School Closure: Learning Loss in Mathematics in Primary Education
From the Abstract: "Italy was the first Western country hit by Covid-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] in February 2020, responding with a tight lockdown and full school closure until the end of the school year. This paper estimates the effect of the pandemic and school closure on the math skills of primary school pupils in Italy. We compare the learning achievements of two cohorts of pupils, the pre-Covid and the Covid cohort. For both cohorts, we match scores on the national standardised assessment in grade 2 with scores on a standardised test delivered by the researchers at the end of grade 3. The pandemic had a large negative impact on the pupils' performance in mathematics (-0.19 standard deviations). Among children of low-educated parents, the learning loss was larger for the best-performing ones (up to -0.51 s.d.) and for girls (-0.29 s.d.)."
IZA Institute of Labor Economics
Contini, Dalit; Di Tommaso, M. L. (Maria Laura); Muratori, Caterina . . .
2021-10
-
Remote Working and Mental Health During the First Wave of COVID-19 Pandemic
From the Abstract: "We use longitudinal data from the SHARE [Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe] survey to estimate the causal effect of remote working during the COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] pandemic on mental health of senior Europeans. We face endogeneity concerns both for the probability of being employed during the pandemic and for the choice of different work arrangements conditional on employment. Our research design overcomes these issues by exploiting variation in the technical feasibility of remote working across occupations and in the legal restrictions to in-presence work across sectors. We estimate heterogeneous effects of remote working on mental health: we find negative effects for respondents with children at home and for those living in countries with low restrictions or low excess death rates due to the pandemic. On the other hand, the effect is positive for men and for respondents with no co-residing children."
IZA Institute of Labor Economics
Bertoni, Marco; Cavapozzi, Danilo; Pasini, Giacomo, 1976- . . .
2021-10
-
Captured Courts: The GOP's Big Money Assault on the Constitution, Our Independent Judiciary, and the Rule of Law [October 2021]
From the Overview: "At midnight on September 1, 2021, five Republican justices on the Supreme Court told millions of women living in Texas that they have no right to an abortion. The order came as abortion providers in Texas sought emergency relief from the Supreme Court, asking the justices to prevent Texas's newest abortion ban--S.B. 8-- from going into effect. S.B. 8 bans abortions after six weeks of pregnancy--before most women know they are pregnant--and outsources enforcement of the law to private bounty hunters who are promised at least $10,000 if they successfully sue someone who provides an abortion or helps a woman get an abortion after six weeks. [...] Faced with the decision of whether to respect its precedents or to allow this 'flagrantly unconstitutional' law to go into effect, five Republican justices chose the latter. Shortly before midnight the next day, these justices issued an unsigned order that did not even bother to mention the landmark precedents of 'Roe v. Wade' or 'Planned Parenthood v. Casey.' [...] This 'Captured Courts' report examines how the October 2020 Supreme Court term continued to reshape American law to benefit these special interests. Throughout this term, the Court weaponized its 'shadow docket' to change the law in the dead of night and issued opinion after opinion corroding protections to our democracy, undermining the rights of vulnerable groups, and favoring wealthy corporations over working-class Americans."
United States. Congress. Senate. Democratic Policy Committee
Stabenow, Debbie; Schumer, Charles E.; Whitehouse, Sheldon, 1955-
2021-10
-
COVID-19: Lessons Learned from Interior and Treasury's Administration of Cares Act Funds Could Improve Federal Emergency Relief to Tribes, Report to Congressional Committees
From the Highlights: "GAO [United States Government Accountability Office] has previously found that COVID-19 [coronavirus disease 2019] disproportionately harmed the public health and economies of tribal nations in the U.S. In March 2020, the CARES Act [Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act] appropriated over $9 billion for federal programs for tribes and their members--this amount included $8 billion for Treasury's CRF [Community Reinvestment Fund] Tribal Set-Aside and $453 million for Interior's OIP [Operation of Indian Programs] (CARES Act funds). The CARES Act includes a provision for GAO to report on its ongoing monitoring and oversight efforts related to the COVID-19 pandemic. This report is part of that body of work. It examines (1) approaches Interior and Treasury took to distribute CARES Act funds to tribes and steps necessary for tribes to access and use these funds, and (2) challenges the agencies and selected tribes faced and lessons learned that could improve future federal emergency relief to tribes."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-10
-
Missing or Murdered Indigenous Women: New Efforts Are Underway but Opportunities Exist to Improve the Federal Response, Report to Congressional Requesters
From the Highlights: "According to researchers, AI/AN [American Indian and Alaska Native] women in the U.S. experience higher rates of violence than most other women, and tribal and federal officials have stated that this incidence of violence constitutes a crisis. Various federal officials and tribal stakeholders have raised concerns about challenges with cross-jurisdictional cooperation and a lack of comprehensive national data on cases. GAO [Government Accountability Office] was asked to review the federal response to the missing or murdered AI/AN women crisis. This report examines the extent to which (1) the number of missing or murdered AI/AN women in the U.S. is known and (2) DOJ [ Department of Justice] and DOI [Department of the Interior] have taken steps to address the crisis."
United States. Government Accountability Office
2021-10
