Preston Mui, Senior Economist at Employ America, recently authored a report titled "The Dream of the 90s is Alive in 2024: How Policy Can Revive Productivity Growth." The report offers a blueprint for policymakers seeking to emulate the successes of an unparalleled period of productivity in the United States. Mui joins us to examine and reflect on the policy decisions which drove the strong productivity growth of the 1990s, and he also identifies dynamic new strategies for revitalizing American production in the present.  Preston Mui is a Senior Economist at Employ America, a macroeconomic policy research and advocacy organization committed to achieving and sustaining full employment outcomes. Twitter: @PrestonMui Three Motivations for Interest Rate Normalization: A Playbook for Fed Policy in 2024 The Dream of the 90's is Alive in 2024: How Policy Can Revive Productivity Growth Preston Mui's thread on the “Dream of the 90's” series and report by Employ America  Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

Today, Arin Dube, Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, joins us to discuss his latest research, which suggests that the American labor market is undergoing a remarkable transformation. The widespread wage inequality that rapidly expanded between 1980 and 2019 is finally reversing, and American paychecks are growing again—especially at the bottom end of the income scale. In this enlightening conversation, Dube explains how and why the labor market has changed, how that's affecting wages, and how it all contributes to a virtual cycle of middle-out economic growth. Arin Dube is a Professor of Economics at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, well-known for his expertise in labor economics and public policy and his groundbreaking empirical research on minimum wage. His work often involves empirical analysis and utilizes large-scale datasets to provide evidence-based insights into the effects of various policy interventions. Dube's research has been widely recognized and cited, contributing to the ongoing discussions among policymakers and economists around labor market dynamics and policy design. Twitter: @arindube The Unexpected Compression thread https://twitter.com/arindube/status/1724147807563477440  NBER Working Paper https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w31010/w31010.pdf  Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

In his State of the Union Address, President Biden made it clear that taxes and tax policy were his next big target for a middle-out makeover. However, we can't talk about the future of taxes without discussing the potential expiration of Trump’s’ 2017 tax law. Samantha Jacoby, a senior tax analyst at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, joins us today to help us understand the repercussions of Trump's tax policies and the opportunities ahead. Trump’s tax law was marketed as a boon for every working American, promising an average annual benefit of $4,000. But Jacoby unveils the true economic reality behind the Trump tax law: the primary beneficiaries were the wealthiest individuals and corporations; they did not pay for themselves as promised; and despite the trillions of tax giveaways to people at the top, most Americans saw no tangible economic benefit. Samantha Jacoby is a Senior Tax Analyst with the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. Before joining the Center in 2018, she practiced tax law at two international law firms in New York and Washington, D.C. Previously, she worked as a policy and research analyst at the Solar Energy Industries Association, where she focused on the impact of tax incentives on the renewable energy industry.   Twitter: @jacsamoby The 2017 Trump Tax Law Was Skewed to the Rich, Expensive, and Failed to Deliver on Its Promises https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/the-2017-trump-tax-law-was-skewed-to-the-rich-expensive-and-failed-to-deliver  IRS Funding thread by Samantha on Twitter https://x.com/jacsamoby/status/1752088112291807298?s=20 After Decades of Costly, Regressive, and Ineffective Tax Cuts, a New Course Is Needed Bipartisan Senate Action Passes Minimal Test for IRS Funding While Multiple House Republican Bills Fail  https://www.cbpp.org/research/federal-tax/after-decades-of-costly-regressive-and-ineffective-tax-cuts-a-new-course-is  Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

Eleven years ago, Democracy Journal released a special issue on "The Middle Out Moment" that explored the implications of what was then the brand-new theory of middle-out economics. The moment may not have fully arrived back in 2013, but no doubt it's here now. So this week, Democracy Journal is publishing a follow-up edition called "The Middle Out Moment Part Two," marking the fact that what was once a new idea has now gone mainstream. In this episode, we'll hear from several of the economists, researchers, and former administration officials who contributed to the special issue as they explore how middle-out economics has been put into practice — and discuss the work that lies ahead as middle-out economics becomes the new mainstream. Guests include: Felicia Wong, Bharat Ramamurti, Tara McGuinness, Sandeep Vaheesan, Todd Tucker, Ronnie Chatterji, Neale Mahoney, and Heidi Shierholz The Middle-Out Moment is Here: https://democracyjournal.org/category/magazine/72 Twitter:  Michael Tomasky - @mtomasky Felicia Wong - @FeliciaWongRI Bharat Ramamurti - @BharatRamamurti Tara McGuinness - @taradmcguinness Sandeep Vaheesan - @sandeepvaheesan Todd Tucker - @toddntucker Ronnie Chatterji - @RonnieChatterji Neale Mahoney - @nealemahoney Heidi Shierholz - @hshierholz Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

The latest economic indicators show a historically strong economy. Over the past couple of years, the unemployment rate has consistently stayed below 4%, real wages have been growing faster than they have in decades, and economic growth has been strong. And yet, public opinion surveys consistently show dissatisfaction with economic conditions. Aaron Sojourner, a labor economist from the Upjohn Institute, joins us to discuss his research findings into why Americans are so displeased with the economy. Aaron helps us unpack the complicated relationship between news coverage of the economy and its effect on consumer sentiment. Aaron Sojourner is a labor economist and senior researcher at the Upjohn Institute for Employment Research. His research focuses on the effects of labor-market institutions, policies to promote efficient and equitable development of human capital, and behavioral economic approaches to consumer finance decisions. He’s also served as the senior economist for labor on the U.S. Council of Economic Advisers for Presidents Obama and Trump. Twitter: @aaronsojourner BlueSky: @aaronsojourner.bsky.social Threads: aaronsojourner Why are Americans so displeased with the economy? https://www.brookings.edu/articles/why-are-americans-so-displeased-with-the-economy Aaron’s thread on within-worker real wage growth on Threads: https://www.threads.net/@aaronsojourner/post/C3OVo8FrDgV/?igshid=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ==  Tax Subsidies for Journalism Are Only for Rich People: Perry Bacon Edition https://cepr.net/tax-subsidies-for-journalism-are-only-for-rich-people-perry-bacon-edition Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

While the average American worker is subject to a progressive income tax system where tax rates increase as income rises, the wealthy often exploit a range of loopholes and deductions that significantly reduce their tax burden—sometimes to the point where the biggest corporations and one-percenters pay nothing at all. David Cay Johnston, a tax policy expert and former investigative journalist for the New York Times, joins us today to help unravel the complexity of the American tax system, which has functionally created two different tax systems: One for the wealthy and powerful and one for everyone else. David Cay Johnston is an award-winning investigative journalist and author known for his expertise in tax policy and economic inequality. Johnston worked as a tax reporter for The New York Times for over a decade. At the Times, he won the Pulitzer Prize for Beat Reporting in 2001 for his coverage of tax loopholes and corporate tax evasion. Throughout his career, Johnston has authored several critically acclaimed books, including "Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich—and Cheat Everybody Else" and “Divided: The Perils of Our Growing Inequality.” Twitter: @DavidCayJ The Whiteness of Wealth: How the Tax System Impoverishes Black Americans--and How We Can Fix It by Dorothy Brown https://bookshop.org/a/101360/9780525577331  More from David Cay Johnston:  “Alvin Bragg’s roadmap to convict Donald Trump” https://www.nydailynews.com/2023/01/08/alvin-braggs-roadmap-to-convict-donald-trump/ Perfectly Legal: The Covert Campaign to Rig Our Tax System to Benefit the Super Rich--and Cheat Everybody Else https://bookshop.org/a/101360/9781591840695  Free Lunch: How the Wealthiest Americans Enrich Themselves at Government Expense (and Stick You with the Bill) https://bookshop.org/a/101360/9781591842484  Divided: The Perils of Our Growing Inequality https://bookshop.org/a/101360/9781595589231  Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

Ganesh Sitaraman joins us today to discuss his new book, Why Flying Is Miserable And How to Fix It. Air travel has become an increasingly frustrating experience, with countless horror stories of cancellations, delays, lost baggage, cramped seats, and poor service. For most of the 20th century flying was luxurious and fun, so it’s especially baffling that air travel is plagued by these problems in the 21st century. Sitaraman delves into the reasons behind this dismal state of affairs, tracing it back to a deliberate choice made by elected leaders in the 1970s to roll back regulations, supposedly in order to increase competition and improve the experience of flying for everyone. After enduring half a century of turbulence caused by deregulation, people are fed up with the state of air travel, and Sitaraman gives us some insight into how we can begin to fix it. Ganesh Sitaraman is a law professor and the director of the Vanderbilt Policy Accelerator for Political Economy and Regulation. He was previously a senior advisor to Senator Elizabeth Warren on her presidential campaign and is a member of the Administrative Conference of the United States and the FAA’s Commercial Space Transportation Advisory Committee. Sitaraman is the author of several influential books, including "The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution," "The Public Option: How to Expand Freedom, Increase Opportunity, and Promote Equality," and his most recent book, “Why Flying Is Miserable And How to Fix It.” Twitter: @GaneshSitaraman Why Flying Is Miserable And How to Fix It https://bookshop.org/a/101360/9798987053584  Book Website https://globalreports.columbia.edu/books/why-flying-is-miserable/ More from Ganesh Sitaraman:  The Atlantic - Airlines Are Just Banks Now https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2023/09/airlines-banks-mileage-programs/675374/ The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution https://bookshop.org/a/101360/9781101973455 Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

President Biden’s economic policies mark a paradigm shift away from the trickle-down economics that have held sway over Washington DC for the past 40 years. Bidenomics recognizes that a strong and inclusive economy grows from the middle class outwards, centering working Americans and their families rather than relying on a top-down approach that benefits the wealthy first and foremost. In this episode, President Biden’s chief economic advisor, Jared Bernstein, joins us to unpack the key ideas behind this middleout understanding of how the economy really works, and to explain how Bidenomics is reshaping the economy to truly work for all Americans—not just a wealthy few at the top. After helping to engineer a best-in-the-world economic recovery from the pandemic, Bernstein explains what's next for Bidenomics and the American economy. Jared Bernstein is a prominent economist and author who is widely recognized  for his expertise in labor economics and income inequality. As the chair of the United States Council of Economic Advisers, he serves as President Biden’s top economic adviser. From 2009 to 2011. From 2009 to 2011, he served as Chief Economist and Economic Advisor to then-Vice President Biden. Bernstein is a prolific writer and commentator whose work emphasizes the importance of addressing income inequality and promoting policies that benefit working families and the broader economy. Twitter: @econjared46 Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

Over the next two decades, $30 trillion of wealth is expected to be transferred from Baby Boomers to their heirs. Journalists and financial experts have been referring to this event as the “Great Wealth Transfer,” and it's important that we understand the policies that make such a monumental transferral of generational wealth possible—not to mention the tremendous economic and societal implications of this unprecedented economic activity. In this episode, we have the privilege of speaking with David Stasavage, a renowned expert in taxation, inequality, and political economy, to help us unpack the origins and rationale behind the creation of the inheritance tax, and to explore the policies we can use to lessen economic inequality and put some of the Great Wealth Transfer to work for all Americans—not just the children of the wealthy few. David Stasavage is a prominent political scientist known for his expertise in taxation, inequality, and political economy. He is currently the Julius Silver Professor of Politics at New York University and a Fellow at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University. He has conducted extensive research on taxation, particularly on the taxation of the wealthy and the role of inheritance taxes in addressing income inequality. His collaboration with Kenneth Scheve on inheritance taxes has shed light on public opinion and the potential effectiveness of these taxes in promoting economic fairness. He’s also the author of several books, including "States of Credit: Size, Power, and the Development of European Polities,” "Taxing the Rich: A History of Fiscal Fairness in the United States and Europe,” and “The Decline and Rise of Democracy.” Twitter: @stasavage Democracy, War, and Wealth: Lessons from Two Centuries of Inheritance Taxation https://kfscheve.files.wordpress.com/2020/09/schevestasavage_twocenturies_apsr_2012.pdf  States of Credit: Size, Power, and the Development of European Polities https://bookshop.org/book/9780691166735  Taxing the Rich: A History of Fiscal Fairness in the United States and Europe https://bookshop.org/book/9780691165455  The Decline and Rise of Democracy https://bookshop.org/book/9780691228976  Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

Over the past few decades, economists have gathered a lot of empirical evidence supporting the underlying truth of middle-out economics: that a thriving middle class is the cause of economic growth. Our friends at the Roosevelt Institute have produced a new report which outlines the events that led to our new understanding of how the economy really works. Suzanne Kahn, Vice President of the Think Tank at the Roosevelt Institute, joins us to talk about what's in the report and share how the progressive economic policies of the Biden Administration could mark a lasting shift away from neoliberal, trickle-down economics and toward a new era of middle-out economics. Suzanne Kahn serves as the Vice President of the Think Tank at the Roosevelt Institute, where she oversees and manages projects to develop critical research and policy to rebalance power in our society and economy. Previously, Suzanne was Roosevelt’s director of education, jobs, and worker power and the Great Democracy Initiative. Her research and writing focus on building a network of robust public goods—for example public higher education—and labor organizations that together can empower workers to counter corporate power in the labor market and public sphere. Suzanne Kahn @SuzMKahn Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinst Think Tank at the Roosevelt Institute @RooseveltFwd   Sea Change: How a New Economics Went Mainstream https://rooseveltinstitute.org/publications/sea-change  Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has agreed to expand the Child Tax Credit again, but it will be smaller than the pandemic-era credit was. If this version of the Child Tax Credit is passed by Congress and signed into law, it would benefit 16 million children in low-income families and lift at least half a million kids out of poverty. We thought it would be a good time to revisit this episode from 2021 with professor Wendy Bach, in which she explains everything you need to know about what the Child Tax Credit actually is, why it's a good policy, and how it impacts people's lives.  This episode originally aired on August 24, 2021. Wendy Bach is a legal scholar and professor specializing in poverty law, criminal justice, and social welfare policy. She is currently a professor of law at the University of Tennessee College of Law. Bach's work focuses on the intersection of poverty, race, and the criminal justice system, with a particular emphasis on the rights and experiences of low-income individuals. She is the author of the book Prosecuting Poverty, Criminalizing Care. She is a nationally recognized expert on poverty law and criminal justice issues. Twitter: @wendyabach Congress is close to expanding the child tax credit again − with a smaller boost for families this time https://theconversation.com/congress-is-close-to-expanding-the-child-tax-credit-again-with-a-smaller-boost-for-families-this-time-221382# What’s in the New Child Tax Credit Proposal https://newrepublic.com/article/178131/bipartisan-expanded-child-tax-credit Prosecuting Poverty, Criminalizing Care https://bookshop.org/p/books/prosecuting-poverty-criminalizing-care-wendy-a-bach/18739149?ean=9781108465533 Biden’s child tax credit is a step away from a discriminatory system https://qz.com/2034199/how-does-the-us-child-tax-credit-work Two-thirds of people now receive monthly benefit checks https://www.peoplespolicyproject.org/2021/07/19/two-thirds-of-people-now-receive-monthly-benefit-checks The time tax https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2021/07/how-government-learned-waste-your-time-tax/619568 Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

The pharmaceutical industry is one of the most opaque industries in America, and they take advantage of this lack of transparency by setting ever-higher prices for lifesaving prescription drugs like insulin. But provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act are curtailing the exorbitant price-gouging strategies that the pharmaceutical industry uses to pump up their profit margins at the expense of seniors and people with disabilities who use Medicare. This week, we’re talking to Margarida Jorge, the Executive Director of Health Care for America Now, to help us understand more about drug pricing and the impact that drug price negotiations will have on Medicare and its recipients.  We apologize for the background noise you hear during this episode. We strive to provide you with the best possible audio quality, but sometimes external factors (like construction nearby) are beyond our control. Margarida Jorge is the Executive Director of Health Care for America Now. She has been a prominent advocate for affordable and accessible healthcare for three decades, and she was the chief architect of the 47-state field program that helped win the Affordable Care Act under President Obama. Margarida has played a key role in shaping healthcare policy and has been instrumental in shaping policy discussions, advocating for reforms that prioritize the needs of patients over the profits of pharmaceutical companies, lowering drug prices, and ensuring access to life-saving medications for all.  Twitter: @MargaridaJorg17 Health Care for America Now: https://www.healthcareforamericanow.org Lower Drug Prices Now: https://www.lowerdrugpricesnow.org Explaining the Prescription Drug Provisions in the Inflation Reduction Act: https://www.kff.org/medicare/issue-brief/explaining-the-prescription-drug-provisions-in-the-inflation-reduction-act/#bullet01 Big Drug Companies Are in Court to Stop Medicare Negotiation and Protect Their Sky-High Profits: https://www.protectourcare.org/big-drug-companies-are-in-court-to-stop-medicare-negotiation-and-protect-their-sky-high-profits How Prices for the First 10 Drugs Up for U.S. Medicare Price Negotiations Compare Internationally: https://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/2024/jan/how-prices-first-10-drugs-medicare-negotiations-compare-internationally Drug Companies Continue To Hike Prices Above Inflation: https://www.americanprogress.org/article/drug-companies-continue-to-hike-prices-above-inflation  U.S. Prescription Drug Prices Are 2.56 Times Those in Other Countries: https://www.rand.org/pubs/research_reports/RR2956.html  Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

National elections are won and lost on the economy. Of course they are: the state of the economy affects individuals' job security, income levels, access to healthcare, education, and overall quality of life, so it's not surprising that voters evaluate candidates based on their proposed economic policies and their ability to address pressing economic challenges. As we kick off a big year for elections and the economy, we take time in this episode to discuss the three most important economic issues that could shape the 2024 elections, especially at the presidential level. These are big challenges our country currently faces, and big challenges ought to be met with big transformative ideas that will improve people’s lives and grow the economy from the middle out.  Subscribe to Civic Ventures President Zach Silk’s Substack, The Pitch: civicventures.substack.com Dig into the biggest economic stories by visiting the Civic Ventures YouTube channel Who Gets What and Why: youtube.com/@WGWAW Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

When Pitchfork Economics was started, our ideas about economic cause and effect were way outside the economic mainstream, and so much has changed in the last ten years. The economic world is shifting its thinking away from neoclassical ideas, and the primary middle-out economics messenger driving this paradigm shift is in the Oval Office. In this episode, Nick and Goldy explain how the podcast will sharpen our focus on how best to build the economy from the middle out. They’ll also distinguish the difference between Middle-Out Economics and Bidenomics and how Bidenomics is a departure from the trickle-down economics of Reaganism.  Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

2023 was a big year for middle-out policy and research, so we are recapping some of the biggest middle-out moments that are improving people's lives and helping us close the book on America’s neoliberal era. Today, Civic Ventures writer Paul Constant joins Goldy to help recap the biggest middle-out successes of 2023 that have benefited workers, and are changing the way people think about economic cause and effect. This episode shines a light on policies, movements, labor actions/strikes, groundbreaking reports, and research that have made a real difference in people's lives and is changing the way economists and policymakers think about and manage economic policy. Voicemail: 731-388-9334 Email: pitch@pitchforkeconomics.com Bidenomics is Real Economics https://time.com/6343967/bidenomics-is-real-economics The Transformation at the Heart of Biden’s Middle-Out Economic Agenda https://prospect.org/economy/2023-02-09-biden-middle-out-agenda Minimum Wage Effects and Monopsony Explanations https://justinwiltshire.com/minimum-wage-effects-and-monopsony-explanations Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

Business reporting on labor unions tends to focus on speculation about how much striking workers might hurt the economy. But the reality is that successful strikes have a long-term positive impact on economic growth because they raise wages for all workers. Economist and researcher Kate Bahn, Director of Research from WorkRise argues that strikes, especially historic strikes such as the recent UAW strike, benefit both unionized and non-union workers, and have much broader ripple effects across the whole economy because they increase worker power and competition for workers across various sectors and industries.  Kate Bahn is an economist and researcher, currently serving as the Director of Research for WorkRise, a research-to-action network hosted by the Urban Institute. Bahn's expertise lies in labor markets, gender economics, and income inequality. She has conducted extensive research on topics such as the gender wage gap, paid family leave, and the impact of automation on employment. Bahn's work combines rigorous analysis with a commitment to addressing the needs and challenges faced by marginalized communities. Twitter: @LipstickEcon How the UAW strike might benefit all workers: https://www.cnn.com/2023/09/15/opinions/union-member-negotiations-uaw-pay-bahn/index.html  Labor unions are good for workers, and here’s why they also make good business sense: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/labor-unions-are-good-for-workers-and-heres-why-they-also-make-good-business-sense-a39f3697  Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

We already know that many mainstream economists advocate against the economic interests of the majority of working Americans and for the benefit of a tiny handful of super-rich people and corporations. But Clara Mattei argues that economists are actually guilty of something even more insidious: By promoting austerity measures that destabilize working people and consolidate wealth and power at the very top of the income scale, economists have created the perfect conditions for fascism to take root around the world. Is it too late to rebuild our democratic institutions through a new economic understanding? Clara Mattei is a distinguished academic in the field of economics and an Associate Professor of Economics at The New School for Social Research in New York City. Her research examines the history of capitalism, exploring the critical relationship between economic ideas and technocratic policymaking. She’s the author of the book, The Capital Order: How Economists Invented Austerity and Paved the Way to Fascism. Twitter: @claraemattei The Capital Order: How Economists Invented Austerity and Paved the Way to Fascism https://press.uchicago.edu/ucp/books/book/chicago/C/bo181707138.html Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

We’ve lived in the shadow of trickle-down economics for over 40 years. During that time, our leaders unquestioningly embraced economic policies that prioritize the wealthiest and most powerful, with the idea that their wealth will eventually “trickle down” to everyone else.Of course, that wealth never has trickled down. Thankfully, our economic understanding has finally started to shift. This has been a landmark year in passing middle-out economic policies that prioritize the vast majority of working Americans over the wealthy few. In a future episode we’ll be discussing the middle-out research and policies that are making a real difference in people's lives, thereby changing the way we think about economic cause and effect. But before we look ahead to the glorious middle-out future, it’s important to revisit the history of middle-out economics via a conversation with journalist Michael Tomasky, author of a recent book detailing the rise of progressive economics in the United States. This episode originally aired on October 18, 2022 Michael Tomasky is a journalist and author. He’s top editor of The New Republic. He’s editor of Democracy: A Journal of Ideas, as well as a contributing opinion writer for The New York Times. Twitter: @mtomasky The Middle Out https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/671443/the-middle-out-by-michael-tomasky  Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

In its quest to combat inflation the Federal Reserve has seemingly done everything in its power to engineer a recession, which would throw millions of people out of work. Rather than question the Fed’s actions, mainstream economists cheered them on, claiming that we need multiple months of high unemployment to bring inflation down. But do we really need to immiserate America’s working class in order to save the economy? Today’s guest, Arnab Datta, and his colleagues at Employ America are producing research that suggests we should instead be using macroeconomic policies to steer the economy to high employment and robust wage growth—which would reduce inequity, spur economic development, and expand the availability of good-paying jobs for all Americans. Arnab Datta serves as the Senior Counsel for Employ America, which is an organization focused on economic policy research and advocacy that prioritizes full employment, wage growth, and economic stability. Employ America seeks to influence economic policy discussions and shape the narrative around employment and economic well-being. Twitter: @ArnabDatta321, @employamerica Website: www.employamerica.org The Fed Is Trying To Engineer A Recession https://www.employamerica.org/blog/the-fed-is-trying In The Right Context, Full Employment Can Support A Pickup In Productivity https://www.employamerica.org/blog/in-the-right-context-full-employment-can-support-a-pickup-in-productivity Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer

Mainstream economists have been predicting a recession on the horizon for over a year, with some doomsayers even making up something called “a non-recession recession” to characterize the state of the economy. There’s no better person to cut through all this bluster and nonsense than the creator of one of the most reliable economic indicators created in the last few decades: the Sahm Rule, which aims to predict and track recessions in real time. Former Federal Reserve economist Claudia Sahm joins the podcast to walk us through the Sahm Rule’s methodology and explains how it utilizes timely data to provide early warnings of economic downturns, offering policymakers, businesses, and individuals a valuable tool for proactive decision-making. Claudia Sahm is an esteemed economist and policy expert who has served as director of macroeconomic policy at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, Senior Economist at the Federal Reserve, and economist for the White House Council of Economic Advisers under President Obama. She’s known for her contributions to macroeconomics and the development of the Sahm Rule, her research on monetary policy, labor markets, and macroeconomic stabilization has made her a trusted advisor and consultant to policymakers and organizations seeking evidence-based insights. Twitter: @Claudia_Sahm Claudia Sahm Substack: https://stayathomemacro.substack.com/  ‘We do not need a recession, but we may get one’: https://www.ft.com/content/3213f700-26a7-4d84-aca0-d7cc5bf11484  Nick's new book, Corporate Bullsh*t, is out now! https://www.corporatebsbook.com Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com Twitter: @PitchforkEcon Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer