We look back at the year in progressive policy.
The Roosevelt Rundown features our top stories of the week.
View this in your browser and share with your friends. ([link removed])
[link removed]
** 2023 in Review
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
(Photo by Bill Pugliano/Getty Images)
In 2023, the Roosevelt Institute celebrated economic justice wins and championed bold new ideas to make our economy and democracy work for the many, not the few.
In Sea Change: How a New Economics Went Mainstream ([link removed]) , we took a look at the people, institutions, and movements that made today’s shifts in economic thinking possible. The idea that the government should play a role in shaping markets is deeply embedded in some of these major shifts, and in our Industrial Policy Synergies ([link removed]) series, six former Biden administration officials wrote about how collaboration across different policy domains—from climate to labor—can help make better industrial policy.
This year, we also wrote about how combating the climate crisis requires not only speed, but also democratic input from communities ([link removed]) as well as divestment from fossil fuels ([link removed]) —a move that will both enable the transition to renewable energy and stabilize prices in the long term.
Inflation plummeted in 2023, and we wrote about how a supply-side expansion ([link removed]) is what eased a largely supply-side problem ([link removed]) . In a midyear conversation on labor market trends ([link removed]) , we discussed how real wages are up and unemployment is down.
Labor unions enjoyed resounding success this year, with thousands of workers going on strike ([link removed]) and winning contracts ([link removed]) with huge gains. We wrote about the potential of sectoral bargaining ([link removed]) to further promote economic democracy at this moment, and the need to support struggling sectors like care work ([link removed]) through industrial policy.
The year wasn’t all wins—the end of the expanded child tax credit and affirmative action ([link removed]) are just some examples that illustrate the work remaining to build an equitable, multiracial democracy and economy. Examining the intersection of politics and policy, we wrote about how deliverism ([link removed]) —delivering economic improvements in people’s lives through policy—alone isn’t enough to alleviate the public’s everyday concerns. We explained how policymakers can create positive policy feedback loops ([link removed]) to ensure that bold policies light and sustain the fire of future political change.
Our Taxing Monopolies series ([link removed]) outlined ways to reform the corporate tax code to deconcentrate markets, and we testified before the Senate ([link removed]) on the importance of deposit insurance reform to both protect depositors and stabilize the banking system.
We’ll be back next year with more ideas for creating a new economics that works for all of us.
** Building a More Competitive Economy
------------------------------------------------------------
This week, the Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission announced new merger guidelines ([link removed]) that will help protect consumers from corporations’ anticompetitive behavior. Under the new rules, mergers in highly concentrated markets—including Big Tech—will be subject to tougher scrutiny from government regulators.
Expanding on the Biden administration’s revitalized antitrust work ([link removed]) , the new rules could help fight inflation ([link removed]) along with warding off market consolidation.
Roosevelt’s director of corporate power, Niko Lusiani, called ([link removed]) the announcement of the new guidelines a “historic day in the quest to rebalance our upside-down economy based on the rule of law by and for the people.”
** What We're Talking About
------------------------------------------------------------
[link removed]
Share this tweet ([link removed])
** What We're Reading
------------------------------------------------------------
The US Avoided a Recession in 2023. What’s the Outlook for 2024? ([link removed]) — feat. Roosevelt’s Mike Konczal — Pennsylvania Capital-Star
How One Community Is Ensuring It Benefits from a New EV Factory ([link removed]) — Grist
$750 a Month, No Questions Asked, Improved the Lives of Homeless People ([link removed]) — Los Angeles Times [paywall]
Biden Announces Large-Scale Federal Construction Projects Will Now Require Labor Agreements ([link removed]) — The Messenger
The Roosevelt Rundown will be on hiatus until January 5.
============================================================
Join the Conversation
** Twitter ([link removed])
** Facebook ([link removed])
** LinkedIn ([link removed])
** YouTube ([link removed])
If you are interested in supporting the Roosevelt Institute, ** click here ([link removed])
.
If you would like to unsubscribe from this list, ** click here ([link removed])
.
Copyright © 2023 Roosevelt Institute, all rights reserved.
570 Lexington Ave, 5th Floor
New York, NY 10022
rooseveltinstitute.org
