The Brookings Institution publishes a phenomenal series of academic research papers on current issues in economics and economic policy. Papers are published and presented twice a year, and the release of the papers is a major event in the worlds of economics, public policy, and, increasing, media. To learn more about the Brookings Papers, click here.

This fall’s conference is underway. I’m disappointed that I won’t be able to make it — duty calls elsewhere. But I will be reading the papers.

I’m especially interested in the papers on….

….labor force participation:

The decline in the labor force participation rate—the number of Americans either working or looking for work as a percentage of the population—is primarily due to the aging population and other structural factors, rather than cyclical weaknesses, and is expected to continue. The finding has implications for policymakers who are grappling with whether the sluggish job market can be improved with government tools, and for the potential growth rate of the U.S. economy through the end of the decade. The rate is projected to decline to 61 percent by 2022—a level as low as the early 1970s.

…the Affordable Care Act:

The number of Americans insured in the individual health insurance market through exchanges and directly through insurers was at least 13.2 million in the second quarter of 2014—larger than reported by the government, which only includes the number insured through exchanges—and at least 4.2 million of them would not have been insured in this market had pre-2014 trends continued, but average per-person premiums increased over 24 percent. This large premium increase stands in contrast to the experience in Massachusetts, which saw premium decreases after its 2006 reform; Massachusetts also saw decreases in markups (premiums minus costs), which have been rare in other states in 2014.

…and European integration

Although each major step forward in European integration has caused popular support to drop, support for the common currency remains strong—mainly out of fear. The paper finds that the so-called father of Europe Jean Monnet’s, chain reaction theory—that partial steps toward unification would generate crises increasing demand for further integration—has worked in fostering that integration, but at the cost of a decline in popularity as well as jeopardizing future sustainability such as increasing the risk of an economic meltdown.

The other papers look fascinating, too.

To find all the papers, paper summaries, and explanatory videos by co-editor Justin Wolfers, click here.

— Michael R. Strain is a resident scholar and economist at the American Enterprise Institute. You can write to him on Twitter at twitter.com/MichaelRStrain.