The latest reports show that more than 44 million Americans owe a total of $1.7 trillion in student loan debt. It’s the biggest source of debt in the American household after mortgages. And this is not just a problem for wealthy, white degree-holders and families. Student loan debt shapes the labor market and contributes to […]
The Sinking Middle Class
The concept of the middle class has a unique hold on the American imagination—for years, it’s been the central talking point of both dominant political parties. But what is this middle class and what does it really mean to “save” it? Save it from what? From whom? Today on the show, Allen explores these questions […]
Does the Government Need to Worry About Balancing Its Checkbook?
In 1943, Russian British Economist Abba Lerner wrote a paper entitled functional finance and the federal debt, in which he argued that governments should spend whatever is necessary for Full Employment. Lerner’s work received little notice in the years after its publication, and especially beginning in the 1980s when big government spending fell out of […]
The American Economy Before and After Coronavirus
The United States was woefully unprepared for the novel coronavirus pandemic due to economic inequality, poor planning, limited state capacity, and an unequal healthcare system that has left millions of Americans vulnerable. That’s the argument of economic analyst Doug Henwood. He joins us on the program today to discuss the intersection of the pandemic and […]
Report: Foxconn a Raw Deal for WI Taxpayers
In 2017, as the state of Wisconsin considered the wisdom of spending an unprecedented three billion dollars to entice Taiwanese screen manufacturer Foxconn to the state, then-governor Scott Walker told critics of the deal to “go suck lemons.” A “lemon” may end up describing the Foxconn project itself, as Foxconn continues to scale back its […]
How All Politics Became Reproductive Politics with Laura Briggs
“All politics is reproductive.” That’s the major claim of Laura Briggs, our guest today. She joins Carousel in the studio for a far-reaching discussion of reproductive justice and contemporary American politics. They talk Reaganomics and the destruction of the social safety net, the stereotype of the “welfare queen,” identity politics, the disappearing 40-hour workweek, reproductive […]
