2021 Annual Report

Blueprints For American Renewal
And Prosperity

Blueprints For American Renewal and Prosperity

Innovative Ideas to Meet the Nation’s Biggest Challenges

Brookings launched the Blueprints for American Renewal & Prosperity in December 2020 to provide Congress and the new presidential administration with innovative ideas to meet the many challenges facing the country. The Blueprints were released at a time when the nation was struggling with the still-surging global pandemic and its resulting recession, and at the same time it was confronting its history of racial injustice and inequality. The scale and scope of these issues require big ideas for the nation and world to emerge from crisis stronger, more equitable, and more resilient. Through the Blueprints, Brookings delivered innovative solutions to meet the gravity of the moment, just as we have for more than 100 years.

Published to coincide with key inflection points during the presidential transition and early in the Biden administration, Brookings published over 40 signature policy briefs on economic growth and dynamism, racial justice and worker mobility, domestic and international governance, international security, and climate and resilience. Through corresponding events and podcasts, amplified across all Brookings communication channels, the Blueprints informed policy discussions on the most critical issues affecting lives and livelihoods.

Racial Justice and Worker Mobility

Economic Growth and Dynamism

The pandemic set off a recession that demanded swift and decisive action to generate economic growth and dynamism. Brookings put forth policy solutions in six Blueprints aimed at countering the pandemic, reviving the economy, increasing opportunity, and reducing inequality to promote resilience and recovery.

International Security

In addition to the many challenges posed by the pandemic at home, the United States faces a volatile and uncertain international environment. Brookings published eight Blueprints offering concrete ideas for managing the challenges posed by China’s rise, retooling U.S. alliances in Europe and Asia, rightsizing America’s role in the Middle East, and addressing a range of transnational threats, including pandemic prevention, nonproliferation, and countering extremism through education, as well as bolstering democracy around the world.

Governance

Climate and Resilience

The climate crisis represents one of the greatest threats to the world, and addressing its causes and mitigating its effects are urgent. Brookings’s five climate and resilience Blueprints proposed innovative ideas for reducing risk, incentivizing resilience, and engaging with the global community through actionable domestic and international policies.