Wednesday, August 22 at 2:00 pm
Globalization Has Undermined America's Working Class
Globalization ushered in an era of free trade, fluid borders, and unparalleled corporate profits. For its proponents, the global integration of states and their economies was a political and economic win that created a wealth of opportunities for workers and consumers around the world. But in the United States, jobs are disappearing. From construction zones to clerical offices to coal mines, the American working class is losing ground. Is globalization to blame? Did the push toward global integration leave our most vulnerable populations behind, making them the losers of this grand experiment? Or is globalization being used as a scapegoat for a wider range of failed public policies and unprecedented advances in technology?
Debaters:
Thea Lee
President, Economic Policy Institute
Thea Lee is president of the Economic Policy Institute, a leading economic policy think tank. Before joining EPI, she was deputy chief of staff at the AFL-CIO, a voluntary federation of 56 national and international labor unions that represents 12.5 million working men and women. She has spent her career advocating on behalf of working families in national policy debates on issues such as wage inequality, workers’ rights, and fair trade. Lee is co-author of “The Field Guide to the Global Economy,” which analyzes the rapidly changing international economy.
Jared Bernstein
Senior Fellow, Center on Budget and Policy Priorities & Former Chief Economist to Vice President Joe Biden
Jared Bernstein is a senior fellow at the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. During the Obama administration, he served as Vice President Joe Biden’s chief economist and economic adviser, executive director of the White House Task Force on the Middle Class, and a member of President Obama's economic team. He is the author and co-author of numerous books including his latest book, "The Reconnection Agenda: Reuniting Growth and Prosperity."
Jason Furman
Fmr. Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers & Senior Fellow, Peterson Institute
Jason Furman joined the Peterson Institute for International Economics as a nonresident senior fellow in 2017 following his tenure as the 28th chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. During that time, he acted as both President Obama’s chief economist and a member of the cabinet. Furman has conducted research in a wide range of areas, including fiscal policy, tax policy, and domestic and international macroeconomics. He is currently a professor of the practice of economic policy at the Harvard Kennedy School.
James Manyika
Chairman and Director, McKinsey Global Institute
James Manyika is a senior partner at McKinsey & Company and the chairman and director of the McKinsey Global Institute, the firm’s business and economics research arm. He is co-author of “No Ordinary Disruption,” which analyzes the transformation of the global economy, and has led McKinsey’s research initiatives on the digital economy, future of work, and globalization. Manyika served on the U.S. Commerce Department’s Digital Economy Board of Advisers and was vice chair of the Global Development Council at the White House.
To listen to the audio of “Globalization Has Undermined America's Working Class” on Intelligence Squared online, please click HERE.