Invite: Mon, Feb 11th - The Big Challenge: US Jobs and Wages in A New Age of Globalization

In a Tuesday story called, “The Most Important Chart in American Politics,” TIME Magazine’s Michael Scherer reported:   

“There is a single chart — three colored lines on a grid — that shapes the political reality of this country. During the 2012 campaign, one of President Obama’s senior strategists called it “the North Star” and started his internal PowerPoint presentations with it…..The chart tracks three economic trends in the U.S. over the last two decades, between 1992 and 2009. The first two lines — productivity and per capita gross domestic product — are rising. This is the unmistakable American success story, the one reflected in record corporate profits, growing wealth accumulation and the unmatched efficiency of this country’s economy. The third line tracks median household income, as measured by the U.S. Census. It shows the story of frustration and stagnation that so many Americans long ago accepted as a reality…. The chart was originally created by NDN and the New Policy Institute, and it helped Democrats change the way they talked about the frustration of the American people.”

The chart referenced in this article is one NDN/NPI originally produced in 2009, and speaks to the greatest domestic challenge faced by the US today – more than a decade of weak job creation and the first time incomes have declined for most Americans through economic expansions characterized by rising productivity.  On the eve of the 2013 State of the Union, NDN is excited to host a special conversation about this central challenge with Dr. Rob Shapiro, Chair of NDN’s Globalization Initiative, and author of the analysis which informed this chart; and Jim Tankersley, Economics Correspondent, the Washington Post.  Simon will be moderating the discussion, and plan on offering some brief opening remarks.  

We are also pleased that Dr. Shapiro will be discussing the results of a new round of research he has completed about the economics of this new age of globalization. This research suggests that much more will have to be done by policy makers in the years ahead if the US is restore job creation and wage growth to levels Americans have been long accustomed.  

Lunch will be served at noon on Monday, and the program will begin at 12:15pm.  All of this will take place at the NDN/NPI offices, 729 15th Street, NW, Washington, DC.  Please RSVP here, and we look forward to seeing you on Monday!