A New Vision for the Economy

A New Economic Paradigm Emerges

President Biden’s economic agenda has held some surprises.

Specifically, we’re seeing the influence of a new economic paradigm—a new approach to governance and to shaping markets—in Biden’s personnel and policy choices. 

Roosevelt President and CEO Felicia Wong joined the Ezra Klein Show to discuss this paradigm shift—one that is, as she says, “high-care, low-carbon,” that uses more of the tools at the government’s disposal, and that embraces high levels of public spending as a way to “push on the size of the economy and . . . drive healthy growth.” 

“It’s a kind of new economics, a kind of mission economics, or purpose economics that sees that a lot of spending is what you have to do,” Wong says. “And in fact, in some cases, you could argue that spending is the feature not the bug here.” 

Listen to the full podcast or read the transcript.

Abolish the Filibuster to Protect American Workers

“The filibuster’s antilabor history should be understood as part of the story of how this procedural rule has undermined American democracy and fostered inequality for decades,” write Roosevelt’s Emily DiVito and Suzanne Kahn in the Washington Post.  

“Labor Day recognizes the fact that a robust and equitable economy and democracy requires empowered workers. But for almost three-quarters of a century, the filibuster has blocked measures that would help workers organize.”

Read “The Filibuster Has Long Hurt American Workers Too.”

A Look Back

On Labor Day, we celebrate the contributions and achievements of US workers, and recognize how much more we still need to do to create an economy that works for everyone. 

As we head into the long weekend, here’s a look back at some of Roosevelt’s research over the past year on empowering workers and creating a more equitable economy. 

• Ending At-Will Employment: A Guide for Just Cause Reform by Kate Andrias and Alexander Hertel-Fernandez
• Policies to Strengthen Workplace Civic Engagement and Worker Political Voice by Alexander Hertel-Fernandez
• Building Wealth for Generation Z: How Policy Can Help New Labor Market Entrants by Suzanne Kahn
• Employer Power and Employee Skills: Understanding Workforce Training Programs in the Context of Labor Market Power by Suresh Naidu and Aaron Sojourner
• Shared Work: The Little-Known Program that Could Prevent Layoffs, Relieve State Budgets, and Boost the Economy by Kitty Richards and Emily DiVito

What We’re Reading

The Coming Wave of Evictions Is More Than a Housing Crisis – The Atlantic

​​Asset Income Is a Growing Source of Wealth—and of Geographic Inequality – Bloomberg CityLab

Corporate America Is Lobbying for Climate Disaster – New York Times

Care Workers Demand Federal Support as First Responders in Climate Crises [feat. Roosevelt’s Adrien Salazar] – Yes! Magazine