In a Wall Street Journal op-ed, Secretary of Labor Acosta and South Dakota Governor Daugaard outline their plan for interstate compacts that allow holders of an occupational license in one state to receive a temporary license for that occupation when moving to another state within the compact. Archbridge Director of Policy Research Ben Wilterdink explains why this does nothing to resolve the barriers to mobility caused by occupational licensing.
Is the American Dream dead for young Americans? Dr. Edward Timmons of Saint Francis University and coauthor of Barriers to Mobility, says there are good arguments that it may not be as bleak as it seems. Economists agree, however, that many poor children remain poor in adulthood. Timmons examines the growth of occupational licensing as a possible cause.
Entrepreneurship and economic mobility go hand in hand. Policy solutions aimed to alleviate poverty should take into account the power of entrepreneurship in allowing people the opportunity to climb the income ladder. President and CEO Gonzalo Schwarz makes this case utilizing the latest research.
Ben Wilterdink, Director of Outreach and Policy Research, reviews Dream Hoarders by Richard V. Reeves, senior fellow at the Brookings Institution. By focusing on relative economic mobility, Reeves determines that the advantages upper middle class parents give their children are disadvantaging other children. Wilterdink asserts that Reeves’s focus is misplaced: Public policy should aim to increase absolute economic mobility.
President and CEO Gonzalo Schwarz pens an op-ed for The Hill, arguing that the current focus across the world on inequality is misguided. To improve lives, we must instead try to improve economic mobility. Recent survey results demonstrate that people find it more important to have a fair shot at improving their economic standing than reducing inequality.
Archbridge President and CEO Gonzalo Schwarz writes for Donors Trust’s regular series on how to be more strategic in charitable giving. Politicians—and therefore public policy—are increasingly focused on inequality, when they should be working to increase opportunity for all. But natural barriers to economic mobility cannot be resolved with one-size-fits-all government policies. The institutions of civil society must step in to address the personal and cultural barriers to flourishing.
