Work, Skills, and Community: How to Rejuvenate the American Working Class

Event Description

On Thursday at AEI, a panel of experts discussed the new report “Work, skills, community: Restoring opportunity for the working class.” The report was created by a group of experts, convened by Opportunity America and cosponsored by AEI and the Brookings Institution. Two of the report’s authors and two critics joined Robert Doar, a coauthor and AEI’s Morgridge Fellow in Poverty Studies, in a discussion of the economic outlook of the American working class and the policy and cultural changes needed to address low labor-force participation, high suicide rates, and decaying families.

After Tamar Jacoby of Opportunity America and William Galston of the Brookings Institution presented the report, the panelists offered critiques and context to the report’s proposals. Ben Harris of Results for America praised the report’s nonpartisanship and underscored its comprehensive view on the nature of work and the power of tax code. Scott Winship of the Joint Economic Committee argued that wage stagnation has affected only working-class men, which should change the study’s focus. Mr. Galston emphasized the importance of employing former prisoners and what federal policies could do to help ex-convicts reenter the workforce. Ms. Jacoby voiced her concerns over the lack of civic engagement and the defraying of social institutions.

— Jiaqi Zheng

Event Summary

The 2016 election revealed a problem discussed but often dismissed in the past: The American working class is slipping. With troubling patterns emerging, such as low employment levels, high suicide rates, drug abuse, and decaying families, the working class needs the best ideas from the left and right to help it emerge from its current malaise.

A study group convened by Opportunity America, cosponsored by AEI and  Brookings Institution, has brought together a team of scholars and practitioners to produce a consensus plan to do just that: Present recommendations for policymakers, business owners, and citizens to help rejuvenate the social and economic lives of working-class Americans.

Join AEI for a presentation of the report, “Work, Skills, Community: Restoring Opportunity for the Working Class.” After the report’s authors present, a panel featuring critics from the left and the right will discuss the report’s findings.

Join the conversation on social media with @AEI on Twitter and Facebook.