At this AEI event, housing policy experts will discuss the condition of the housing market and evaluate policy proposals. Mark Fleming, chief economist at CoreLogic, will describe the current status and outlook of the US housing market. Christopher J. Mayer of Columbia University will present the refinance proposal that he and R. Glenn Hubbard of AEI and Columbia University first offered in 2009. AEI’s Phillip Swagel, assistant secretary for economics at the Treasury Department during the financial crisis, will assess the Hubbard/Mayer proposal and other policy options and Steve Liseman from CNBC will comment on the broader macroeconomic impact of these policies and expectations from Wall Street.

With the economy mired in a deep recession, economic recovery is slated to be the top policy priority of the incoming Obama administration. A wide variety of tax, spending, and financial-market measures will be on the table in January as Congress debates a stimulus package that may approach $1 trillion....

Should there be a bailout for the masses?

Economic instability has spread beyond housing, but housing is the place to fix it.

If we can stop the decline in home prices, we can stop the crisis.

Major federal social programs have done a much better job over the past generation than most of recognize.