The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program — Events and Interviews

How are good jobs good business? How can business invest in the skills of their workforce and encourage advancement? What role can employee ownership play in improving worker economic inclusion and security? This clip features Mark Popovich (The Aspen Institute), Jennifer Briggs (GRITT Business Coaching), Kevin Johnson (Aon), Erin Patinkin (Ovenly), and Matthew Heimer (Fortune Magazine). Is Americ...

How do we break down the divides of race, place and gender and create more equitable access to economic opportunity? How do we invest in under resourced communities? How can we support entrepreneurs of color? How do we include the voices of working people? This clip features Joyce Klein (The Aspen Institute), Gayatri Agnew (Walmart.org), Betsy Biemann (Coastal Enterprises Inc.), Gary Cunningham (P...

What does the national picture look like, how do we measure opportunity, what are the policy ideas, how do they play out in communities? This clip features Maureen Conway (The Aspen Institute), Dan Porterfield (The Aspen Institute), Aparna Mathur (American Enterprise Institute), Paul Osterman (MIT Sloan School of Management), and Michelle De La Isla (Mayor, City of Topeka). Is America living up to...

The institution of work is in a crisis in the US. Americans continue to believe in the value of hard work, but for far too many, hard work is insufficient to pay the bills. The 2016 election heightened attention to the white working class, the #MeToo movement pulled back the curtain on abuses many women experience at work, the role of immigrant workers has become a divisive flashpoint, and fears o...

As opportunity youth – the 4.6 million young people ages 16-24 who are neither in school nor working – continue to struggle to connect to the economy, entrepreneurship programs may offer a chance to learn the skills and mindset needed to thrive in today’s economy. How do we create entrepreneurship programs tailored to the strengths and the circumstances of opportunity youth? Through the Youth Entr...

At a time of record low unemployment, the problem we now face is not that people don’t have work, but that they don’t have good work. As the economy booms, low wages, limited benefits, and insecure employment are still the reality for many working people. What will it take to make sure everyone in the United States has quality jobs? The Aspen Institute and Urban Institute have been exploring this...

This year’s launch of Opportunity Zones could unleash a flood of investment into low-income communities across the country. But who will this opportunity benefit? While the nation’s economy is booming, that economic growth has been geographically concentrated. Since 2008, more than 2.5 million new jobs were created in the most prosperous ZIP codes, while the least prosperous areas lost nearly 1.5...

Gig work is not new, but the rise of high-profile tech platforms such as Lyft, TaskRabbit, Handy, Care.com, Airbnb, and of course Uber have put a spotlight on independent work and raised new questions about the organization of work. In what ways is independent work working for people? In what ways can it pose problems? How can we build systems in which gig work is good work? Answers are complicate...

For most of us, the holiday season brings to mind favorite food traditions, from stuffed turkeys to applesauce-laden latkes. Shoppers may make sure that their poultry is free range or their apples organic, but when we head to the supermarket to pick out groceries for holiday meals, how often do we consider the frontline retail workers who shape our shopping experience? Food retailers play an impor...

Is our economy strong if the stock market soars and corporate profits hit new highs, while working people’s earnings stay flat and their jobs are unstable? A critical issue in this discussion is that we lack good measures of economic progress that include the share of good companies offering good jobs — jobs with good wages, benefits, stability, and opportunities for advancement. And it’s importan...

This Supreme Court term saw several high-profile cases in which the court adjudicated labor issues. The Janus decision, with its implications for public sector unions, and the Epic Systems decision, regarding the use of private arbitration, drew the media’s attention this year. Somewhat less widely covered were important decisions of lower courts, which have been adjudicating issues such as the va...

The decline of the American middle class and the frayed social contract has become an increasingly urgent topic, as our nation’s economic and social divisions fuel widespread discontent. With incomes stagnating and jobs that pay a living wage in sharp decline, anger and resentment are palpable. For America’s working families, the experience of work and wealth is intertwined in the daily challenges...

In recent decades, workers’ paychecks have remained stagnant, despite increases in productivity. At the same time, returns to wealth have increased. Strategies that transform workers into owners, such as employee share ownership strategies, have the potential to give working people a stake in our growing economy and include them in the nation’s prosperity. With employee share ownership strategies,...

In the coming decades, the success of the US economy will become increasingly tied to the success of Latino Americans. With 58 million Latinos in the US today and projections of population growth in the years to come, Latino workers, consumers, and business owners will shape the present and future of the US economy. How can we secure economic stability and mobility for Latino workers, families, an...

Rarely do we pause to consider the origins of the produce that occupies our refrigerators, pantries, and plates. Out of sight and out of mind for most of us, at least 1 million farmworkers (estimates vary) in the US harvest tomatoes, strawberries, melons, oranges, and more. These workers endure strenuous working conditions, low pay, long hours, and all-too-frequent abuse, mistreatment, and exposur...

Headlines warn that changes in retail will lead to disruptive job loss for frontline workers such as cashiers, salespersons, stock clerks, and order fillers. But there may be more to the story. New technologies, the rise of ecommerce, and shifting business strategies, marketing approaches, and customer expectations are altering the way businesses sell, customers shop, and employees work. How will...

We like to think that the US labor market is a meritocracy — that people who work hard will attain good jobs, climb the career ladder, or start and grow businesses. The experience of Black Americans, however, raises questions about whether the reality lines up with the ideal. The unemployment rate among Black Americans is roughly double that of White Americans, and Black college graduates are roug...

In post-WWII America, workers had a different relationship with their employers than workers do today. Many workers stayed with one company for the long haul, earning solid wages, good benefits, and pensions in exchange for loyalty and hard work. That social contract spurred the creation of the largest, strongest middle class in history. But much has changed in recent decades. In his richly detail...

As a new American, Richard Reeves found the American ideal of equality and meritocracy refreshing, relative to the class-bound English traditions he grew up with—but he’s found the reality lacking. In his new book, Dream Hoarders: How the American Upper Middle Class Is Leaving Everyone Else in the Dust, Why That Is a Problem, and What to Do About It, Reeves highlights the widening gap between the...

Tax policy can dramatically shape the availability of economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income workers. Taxes generate revenue for public goods and services, such as healthcare, infrastructure, and education, which significantly affect low- and moderate-income workers’ ability to connect to and thrive in today’s economy. Certain tax credits – such as the EITC and the Child Tax Credit –...

This event is a discussion on financial wellbeing in the workplace and how it can improve the bottom line for both employers and employees. This event features two panels. The first panel of national experts examines the current levels and drivers of financial stress among working Americans, and the ways that financial insecurity impacts business success. The second panel features business leaders...

Investments to renew our nation’s infrastructure offer many possible benefits to our economy and our society. One of the most often cited benefits is that these investments will create good jobs. Indeed many policymakers see infrastructure investments as among the most promising of policy options to respond to clear concern about jobs expressed by their constituents. Rebuilding America’s crumbling...

The central tenet of the American dream is that if you work hard, you will be able to support yourself and your family, save for retirement, and invest in your children’s future. But in today’s economy, hard work does not guarantee economic stability. Working people are faced with lower and less stable earnings, anemic benefits, and a frayed social safety net, making it difficult for them to save...

The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program is thrilled to announce a new initiative and a new team member! The Good Companies/Good Jobs Initiative at the Aspen Institute looks to sectors that have the potential to house good companies and good jobs, including health care and manufacturing, as well as retail, hospitality, and other service industries. It also explores tools to better align...

High unemployment rates among teens and young adults have caught the attention of the popular press, policymakers, and many others. Labor market participation – working or actively seeking work – has fallen for these groups at alarming rates since 2000, especially for teens. While the declines have affected all young worker demographic groups, unemployment is even more acute for young people of co...