What We Agree on and What We Don’t: In Response to Julius Krein’s Industrial Policy Take

Industrial policy has “united the left and right,” Julius Krein wrote in the New York Times Tuesday. In this moment of deep political division, any policy agreement is worth highlighting. But just because the left and right are both using the language of industrial policy, doesn’t mean we have the same vision for how it

A Problem That’s Not Getting Much (If Any) Spotlight During the Debates: Housing Affordability

Many Americans feel the pinch (or crushing burden) of high housing costs. This issue is a top priority for most Americans—91 percent say “stable affordable housing is very or one of the most important things that affect people’s security and well-being.” Housing isn’t a commodity: It’s a necessity. Every person needs a safe and quality

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The Origins of the Racial Wealth Gap, Racial Justice as Economic Stimulus, and Reaching Our Economic Potential

The Roosevelt Rundown is an email series featuring the Roosevelt Institute’s top 5 stories of the week. 1. The Origins of the Racial Wealth Gap As part of its 1619 Project analyzing the legacy of American slavery, the New York Times Magazine examines the 400 years of policy choices that have driven the racial wealth

Why This Matters: Recession or Not, Presidential Candidates and the Public at Large Need to Get Behind More Public Spending

The Democratic presidential candidates have elevated a host of big ideas this primary cycle and, in doing so, have challenged decades of conventional wisdom in US policymaking. As press and pundits warn of an imminent recession, it is time for them to take on flawed assumptions that have guided the mismanagement of our macroeconomy for

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Corruption and Power Dominate Our Democracy. They Should Dominate the Next Debate, Too

The past two Democratic presidential primary debates focused on a number of problems that are important to voters, including gun violence, climate change, health care, and immigration. It was a good opportunity to hear what the candidates want America’s future to look like. At the next debate, however, the moderators should press the candidates on

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A New Farm Economy, a Global Green New Deal, and Bridging the Digital Divide

The Roosevelt Rundown is an email series featuring the Roosevelt Institute’s top 5 stories of the week. 1. The Dirt on Big Agriculture Through “A New Farm Economy,” an agricultural policy plan released this week, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) aims to dismantle the concentrated power of Big Agriculture, replace federal subsidies with a supply management

#GoodPolicyGoodPolitics, Making Industrial Policy & Planning Inclusive, and Why Talking About Student Debt Means Talking About Power

The Roosevelt Rundown is an email series featuring the Roosevelt Institute’s top 5 stories of the week. 1. #GoodPolicyGoodPolitics Progressive policies aren’t just good governance; they’re good politics, as Roosevelt President and CEO Felicia Wong argues in a blog post about this week’s Democratic debates. The proof is in the polls: Most Americans—and many Republicans—support

Good Progressive Policies Make Good Coalition Politics

In advance of tonight’s debate, a few prominent commentators and political figures—most recently former Chicago Mayor Rahm Emmanuel—have taken the current presidential field to task. These critics argue that candidates are taking policy positions that are too far outside the mainstream for any general election standard bearer. But the critics are simply wrong. Many different

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Remembering Héctor Figueroa, Young People Continue to Lead the Way, and Resetting the Debate on Monetary Policy

The Roosevelt Rundown is an email series featuring the Roosevelt Institute’s top 5 stories of the week. 1. Remembering Héctor Figueroa In a guest contribution for On Labor, Roosevelt Fellow Brishen Rogers pays tribute to the late Héctor Figueroa, former president of the Local 32BJ of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) and Roger’s former

Rightsizing the Workplace, Concentrating Profits, and Reimagining the Rules of Race

The Roosevelt Rundown is an email series featuring the Roosevelt Institute’s top 5 stories of the week. 1. Reimagining the Rules of Race A Wall Street Journal profile of Roosevelt Fellows William Darity Jr. and Darrick Hamilton explores their groundbreaking theories on stratification economics and charts the increasing ubiquity of their racial wealth gap solutions