Dr. Wilhelmina Leigh will join a roundtable discussion on "What's Next for Social Security" at the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management Fall Research Conference on Thursday, November 8, 2012, in Baltimore, Maryland.

The last few years of economic uncertainty have left policymakers struggling with the best way to address the effects of a slow economic recovery. Meanwhile, Americans have seen sources of their retirement income security – home equity, defined benefit pension plans, 401(k)s, personal savings –weakening in recent years, particularly in the wake of the housing finance crisis and the Great Recession. Social Security, the bedrock of most American’s retirement security, finds itself at the center of public debate about how to address its long-term revenue shortfall. But even before the economic downturn, policymakers often discussed Social Security’s long-term solvency through the lens of what cuts needed to be made, despite the fact many Americans found themselves increasingly reliant on the program during the Great Recession. This roundtable will explore provocative questions, seeking fresh ways to bring inside-the-Beltway thinking and policymaking more into line with public support for Social Security by discussing and developing realistic options to improve benefits and pay for the improvements.

Click here for more information on Dr. Leigh's panel. To learn more about the APPAM conference, which runs November 8 through 10, click the REGISTER button to your right.