From student debt to climate action and worker empowerment, the last three years have seen remarkable shifts in policymaking approaches. Landmark legislation and executive action hold the promise not just of important investments but of a real and lasting shift in the government’s role in our economy.

On November 16, 2023, Felicia Wong, Roosevelt Institute President and CEO and coauthor of the newly released report Sea Change How a New Economics Went Mainstream; and Franklin Foer, author of The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future, discussed our current economic moment, how we got here, and the achievements and challenges of implementing President Biden’s economic agenda.

This economic shift is the result of over a decade of work by advocates in the face of repeated crises that called into question the old, neoliberal approach. But, what will it take to ensure this new approach marks an enduring transformation? Do these new policies do enough to shift the balance of power in our economy? And what are the challenges we face as we advocate for a larger and permanent economic realignment?

Felicia and Franklin charted the origins of this paradigm shift—and evaluated its successes and limitations through the lens of their new publications.

In Conversation

• Felicia Wong, President and CEO, Roosevelt Institute and coauthor, Sea Change: How a New Economics Went Mainstream
• Franklin Foer, author, The Last Politician: Inside Joe Biden’s White House and the Struggle for America’s Future, and Staff Writer, the Atlantic