Economic Policy

Workers digging a hole to install a cable

Working-Class Americans Prefer a “Hand Up” to a “Handout” Working-Class Americans Prefer a “Hand Up” to a “Handout”

Working- and middle-class Americans take pride in their work. If Democrats want to win their votes, they need to acknowledge and appeal to that pride, not dismiss or patronize it....

Jul 23, 2024 / Column / Erica Etelson

Do People Think the Economy Is Bad Because the Media Failed, or Because the Economy Is Actually Bad?

Do People Think the Economy Is Bad Because the Media Failed, or Because the Economy Is Actually Bad? Do People Think the Economy Is Bad Because the Media Failed, or Because the Economy Is Actually Bad?

Two experts look at the data come to very different conclusions about the state of the US economy.

Jul 19, 2024 / The Debate / Dean Baker and Wesley Bignell

President Joe Biden and Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) walk across the South Lawn after returning to the White House on board the Marine One presidential helicopter on April 22, 2024, in Washington, DC.

Why Are Bernie Sanders and the Squad Propping Up Joe Biden? Why Are Bernie Sanders and the Squad Propping Up Joe Biden?

A wounded Biden is running on a platform that progressives have long dreamed about.

Jul 18, 2024 / Jeet Heer

Joe Biden speaks at an event launching the Ukraine Compact at the 2024 NATO Summit on July 11, 2024, in Washington, DC.

Why Aren’t We Talking About the Great News on the Economy and Crime? Why Aren’t We Talking About the Great News on the Economy and Crime?

The Democrats have a winning election message—but do they have the right messenger?

Jul 12, 2024 / Jeet Heer

Donald Trump participates in the CNN Presidential Debate at the CNN Studios on June 27, 2024, in Atlanta, Georgia.

Why Aren’t We Talking About Trump’s Fascism? Why Aren’t We Talking About Trump’s Fascism?

Joe Biden has created a distraction from the existential question that should define this election.

Jul 5, 2024 / Jeet Heer

A group of workers stand behind a banner reading

The Win for EV Workers in the South You Didn’t Hear About The Win for EV Workers in the South You Didn’t Hear About

Could the union victory at an electric bus manufacturing plant in Alabama turn the South into a hub for quality jobs in the green economy? 

Jul 1, 2024 / Ella Fanger

Sir Keir Starmer

Britain’s Labour Leader Seems Oblivious to the Political Signals From Europe Britain’s Labour Leader Seems Oblivious to the Political Signals From Europe

Keir Starmer looks certain to be Britain’s next prime minister—but he’s using the same centrist playbook that has opened the door to the far right in France and Germany.

Jun 28, 2024 / Steve Howell

Claudia Sheinbaum, Mexico's president-elect, announces her cabinet picks at the Interactive Museum of Economics in Mexico City on June 20, 2024.

Claudia Sheinbaum’s Election in Mexico Shows How the Left Can Win Claudia Sheinbaum’s Election in Mexico Shows How the Left Can Win

Sheinbaum’s landslide victory is thanks to her commitment to continue policies that put the interests of the working class first.

Jun 21, 2024 / José Luis Granados Ceja

Lawson with microphone

The Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., 1928–2024 The Rev. James M. Lawson Jr., 1928–2024

The “greatest teacher of nonviolence in America” was a mentor to generations of activists, from Martin Luther King Jr. to today’s union organizers and immigrant rights campaigners...

Jun 13, 2024 / Obituary / Peter Dreier

Cars move slowly through traffic in midtown Manhattan on June 6, 2024.

Has NY Governor Kathy Hochul Killed Congestion Pricing For Good? Has NY Governor Kathy Hochul Killed Congestion Pricing For Good?

Or just until after the election? Either way, she’s blown a $15 billion hole in the MTA budget, leaving New Yorkers with overcrowded streets, filthy air, and an underfunded subwa...

Jun 11, 2024 / Ross Barkan

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