Shaping the Future of Work

Preface

This book is part of a larger project aimed at changing the course the American economy and employment relations system have been on for the past 30 years. From 1980s onward, the economy has been reasonably productive and worked reasonably well for investors and high-level executives, but not for ordinary working Americans and their families. At the same time, many of our institutions that support work atrophied and lost their ability to build an inclusive economy in which the fruits of prosperity are shared widely and equitably.

I’ve spent most of my career studying ways to encourage innovation and adaptation in the public policies, institutions, and practices that structure and govern work. However, never have I been as deeply concerned ...