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puzzle graphicEconomics and economic policy are in flux

Prevailing policy mindsets have not only failed to produce robust economic growth, but have also resulted in increased inequality and economic insecurity. Societies are hostage to financial crises, the advance of climate change, and a lack of good jobs. When unexpected shocks hit, the vulnerabilities of the disadvantaged are further compounded.

We aim to piece together a range of ideas, disciplinary thinking, and perspectives to produce multidisciplinary scholarship that reshapes narratives about how we achieve inclusive prosperity.

Piecing together a complex puzzle

Reimagining the Economy is an economics-centered, but multidisciplinary initiative. We use the theoretical and empirical tools of economics, but are also informed and enriched by the thinking in other disciplines. Our ultimate goal is to go beyond the analysis of how our current economy works (or doesn’t) to piece together new structures, governance mechanisms, and forms of market economy and capitalism. We combine analyses of existing arrangements with an examination of alternative designs for market institutions. We undertake studies of economic transformation at all levels: local, regional, national, and global. And we attempt to bring together analyses of the range of public inputs that generate inclusive prosperity – from finance and firm support to workforce development.

Featured Work

Enhancing productivity in labor-absorbing services must be an essential priority, for reasons of both growth and equity. Dani Rodrik and Rohan Sandhu provide a broad overview of what such a strategy might look like. 

Servicing Development

A considerable literature that has developed in recent years providing rigorous evidence on how industrial policies work. Dani Rodrik, along with  Nathan Lane and Réka Juhász review the standard rationales and critiques of industrial policy and provide an overview of new approaches to measurement

Society’s transition toward more sustainable energy sources is well underway. But substantially reducing the use of fossil fuels will profoundly disrupt the communities that currently dedicate themselves to carbon-intensive industries. Gordon Hanson writes for the Aspen Economic Strategy Group.

The success of Bidenomics will depend on local action. Rohan Sandhu unpacks the regional ecosystems and capacity constraints at the heart of the Biden administration's place-based policies.

Economic policy needs to be guided by an overall animating vision. Dani Rodrik describes an approach he calls "productivism," which prioritizes the dissemination of productive economic opportunities throughout all regions of the economy and segments of the labor force.

 

News & Highlights

How will the presidential election affect America's left-behind regions? with Gordon Hanson
Wiener Conference Call Series, November 4, 2024


Chicago Booth Review, August 2024


The New York Times, May 14, 2024
Featured: Gordon Hanson


Time, May 14, 2024
Featured: Dani Rodrik
 

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