Progressives and conservatives can agree that one of the central challenges facing the United States is the need to increase economic mobility. The Center for American Progress will host Harvard University economist Richard B. Freeman and former U.S. Treasury Secretary, currently Charles W. Eliot University Professor at Harvard, Lawrence H. Summers for a discussion on the role of unions in the economy and society.
At the event, CAP will release new research examining the relationship between mobility and union membership—a factor that previous studies on intergenerational mobility have not considered. The report’s findings suggest that policies that make it easier for workers to form unions and bargain collectively should be at the heart of any agenda to boost mobility and ensure an inclusive economy.
Please join the Center for American Progress for a conversation with former Treasury Secretary Lawrence H. Summers and two coauthors of the report, Professor Freeman and David Madland, on how unions can help more Americans climb the ladder of economic opportunity.
Presentation:
Richard B. Freeman, Herbert Ascherman Chair in Economics, Harvard University
Panelists:
Lawrence H. Summers, former U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, Charles W. Eliot University Professor, Harvard University
David Madland, Managing Director, Economic Policy, Center for American Progress
Moderated by:
Neera Tanden, President, Center for American Progress