The Brookings Scholars program welcomes leading experts from the Brookings Institution to UNLV each month to conduct research and interact with faculty, students and community leaders in areas such as renewable energy, climate change, transportation and public policy.
Each visiting scholar also lends their insight on key regional issues through the Brookings Scholars Lecture Series, a free public discussion to be held in conjunction with each scholar's visit to campus.
Brookings Scholars Lectures
For more information, visit the Brookings Mountain West web site.
By Choice or by Chance: Why is Nevada Last in Federal Funding and What Can Be Done About It?
An examination of the reasons for Nevada's "donor state" status including state demographics, federal funding formulas, and state policy decisions.
- When: 5:30 p.m., Sept. 11
- Where: Greenspun Hall, first-floor auditorium
- Speaker: Tracy Gordon, fellow in economic studies
The Hidden STEM Economy: The Surprising Diversity of Jobs Requiring Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math Knowledge
A surprisingly high number of jobs require high-level STEM knowledge in at least one field, and roughly half of these jobs do not require a bachelor's degree. This presentation will discuss the policy implications for STEM (science, technology, engineering, math) education and workforce development nationally and at the regional level.
- When: 5:30 p.m., Sept. 18
- Where: Greenspun Hall, first-floor auditorium
- Speaker: Jonathan Rothwell, Metropolitan Policy Program associate fellow
Innovation, Inequality, and the Commercialization of Academic Research
The speaker will identify the institutional arrangements that reinforce a very asymmetric distribution of political and economic resources among universities and then characterize subtle but important links between these inequalities and the social distribution of the benefits of innovation.
- When: 5:30 p.m., Sept. 25
- Where: Greenspun Hall, first-floor auditorium
- Speaker: Walter Valdivia, Center for Technology Innovation fellow
Overcoming Legislative Gridlock in the U.S. Congress: How Procedural Rules Affect Legislative Obstructionism
Using new data on the procedural rules in the U.S. states, Molly Jackman's presentation will identify the chambers in which legislators can block bills from the legislative agenda. Then, Jackman will demonstrate that there is an explicit link between the presence of legislative rules that allow for obstructionism and the policies that the states ultimately enact.
- When: 5:30 p.m., Oct. 2
- Where: Greenspun Hall, first-floor auditorium
- Speaker: Molly Jackman, Governance Studies fellow
Could a State-Level Carbon Tax Work in the Intermountain West?
Adele Moriss' talk will explore the option for Intermountain West states to tax carbon, including how they could establish a tax base, set price signals, and manage revenue.
- When: 5:30 p.m., Oct. 8
- Where: Greenspun Hall, first-floor auditorium
- Speaker: Adele Moriss, fellow and policy director for Climate and Energy Economics
The Challenge of Obesity, and a Systems Approach to Solutions
Ross Hammond's talk will review the data and trends on obesity in U.S. (and globally), and discuss promising approaches for prevention science and policy.
- When: 5:30 p.m., Oct. 22
- Where: Greenspun Hall, first-floor auditorium
- Speaker: Ross Hammond, Director for the Center on Social Dynamics and Policy, senior fellow, Economic Studies
Can America Govern Itself?: Deficits, Debt, and Delay
Ron Haskins will address questions about the growing U.S. debt burden and the inability of the federal government to reach a long-term solution to the deficit and debt crisis.
- When: 5:30 p.m., Oct. 30
- Where: Greenspun Hall, first-floor auditorium
- Speaker: Ron Haskins, senior fellow in economic studies, co-director of the Center on Children and Families
Is College a Good Investment?: An Economic and Policy Analysis
Beth Akers' lecture provides a theoretical framework for thinking about the financial returns on the investment in higher education degrees and will present the latest empirical finding on this question.
- When: 5:30 p.m., Nov. 6
- Where: Greenspun Hall, first-floor auditorium
- Speaker: Beth Akers, fellow at Brookings' Brown Center on Education Policy
