From the Journal of Economic Perspectives, a symposium on US manufacturing. Stephen Mennell (UCD): America: A Social and Economic Model to Be Rejected? A new populism: Michael Tomasky reviews Social Democratic America by Lane Kenworthy. From The Washington Monthly, want fast-food workers to get a raise? Let local restaurant owners form a union to fight their corporate masters; and Ryan Cooper on free money for everyone: A wacky-sounding idea with surprisingly conservative roots may be our best hope for escaping endless, grinding economic stagnation. Paul Krugman on the stimulus tragedy. Mike Konczal on how the Silicon Valley labor scandals prove minimum wage hikes don't cost jobs. Closing the gap: America’s labour market has suffered permanent harm. Zachary Karabell on the zombie numbers that rule the U.S. economy: Figures like gross domestic product were appropriate for their own time — but today, they paint a consistently misleading portrait of America. We need a new conversation about inequality: Democrats are scared of class — but issues like inequality are why liberals exist, and talk can't be left to elites. The wolves of the web: Booming technology firms are now at the centre of worries about inequality. Want to end recessions, reduce inequality, prevent fraud and help immigrants? It's time to install postal banking. No, really, you didn’t build that: David Sirota on how the rich became dependent on government subsidies. When we talk about combating America's crisis of inequality, we talk about raising the minimum wage, curbing CEO pay, supporting organized labor, and other progressive ideas; let's not allow the simplest fix of all to get lost, though: raising taxes.
