The D.C. Policy Center’s Rivlin Initiative for Economic Policy and Competitiveness has completed the first round of the Quarterly Business Sentiments Survey for 2026.[1] The results show that surveyed businesses are entering 2026 under pressure.[2] Demand has weakened, costs remain elevated, hiring has stalled, and six-month expectations for the local and regional…

On April 2, 2026, Executive Director Yesim Sayin was quoted in Housing Wire: “Allowing single-stair buildings at modest heights does not create a new class of high-risk construction,” Yesim Sayin, D.C. Policy Center’s executive director, said in testimony at a January hearing on the ordinance. “It enables small walk-ups and adaptive reuse projects to…

Three core problems the District can no longer ignore The District of Columbia is entering a different phase of governing, one that no longer benefits from the steady tailwinds that shaped much of the past two decades. For years, growth did a significant share of work. Rising population, expanding employment, and increasing…