Next Social Contract: Recent and Upcoming Events

On November 6, 2008, at the National Press Club in Washington, DC., the New America Foundation’s Next Social Contract Initiative hosted a panel of experts to discuss the roots of the crisis on Wall Street and the lessons to be learned going forward. Video of the event is available at right. Andy Kessler—former President of Velocity Capital Management and author of several memoirs on life in the financial fast lane—provided an entertaining and informative opening presentation, after… more

With the 2008 presidential election barely a week away--and visions of swing states dancing in the candidates’ heads--the Next Social Contract Initiative hosted “Rethinking Red and Blue” at the New America Foundation on October 27, 2008. Keynote speaker Dr. Andrew Gelman, professor of statistics and political science at Columbia University, discussed his book, Red State Blue State, Rich State, Poor State: Why Americans Vote the Way They Do, an analysis of the relationship between income and voting patterns across the 50 states. Frank Micciche, deputy director… more

On October 14, 2008, the New America Foundation’s Next Social Contract Initiative and Workforce and Family Program hosted “Anxious with Reason: The Future of the American Worker.” The participating panelists offered compelling anecdotal and statistical evidence that American workers feel fundamentally insecure about a broad range of job-related issues. The event featured David Kusnet, a Visiting Fellow at the Economic Policy Institute; Dr. Cliff Zukin, Senior Faculty Fellow of the Heldrich Center for Workforce Development at Rutgers University; and Dr. Carl Van Horn, Director of the… more

As the myth of the free market is overcome by current events, James K. Galbraith's new book explains both its rise and fall. His description of the dynamic and troublesome interaction between the public and private sectors is timely, instructive, and ultimately devastating. The rise of a free market ideology blurred both the distinction between these sectors and the growth of government. It did so in ways that not only contributed to greater wealth and income inequality, but also directly… more

On September 24, 2008, the New America Foundation’s Next Social Contract Initiative and Economic Growth Program hosted a panel discussion about the latest proposal in New America’s “Big Ideas” series: NAF Irvine Fellow Lisa Margonelli’s “Energy Security for American Families Initiative” (ESAF). New America’s Frank Micciche moderated the panel, which also included Dr. Mark Cooper, Research Director of the Consumer Federation of America; Therese Langer, Transportation Program Director at the American Council for an Energy-Efficient Economy; and… more

The New America Foundation's Smart Globalization Initiative and Next Social Contract Initiative cordially invite you and your colleagues to an important national policy forum.

The following are highlights of the event, while video of the full discussion can be viewed at right.

Steve Clemons “Given the economic meltdown today…we ought to consider the interests of various partners in the global economy.” “What are the responsible roles and intermingling interests in the world economy?” Frank Micciche “There are rights and responsibilities that each sector of… more

On Thursday, July 17, the New America Foundation’s Next Social Contract Initiative hosted a panel discussion for Grand New Party: How Republican’s Can Win the Working Class and Save the American Dream by Ross Douthat, Senior Editor of The Atlantic and Reihan Salam, a Fellow at New America and Associate Editor of The Atlantic. On the panel, along with the authors, were Frank Micciche from New America; Ramesh Ponnuru, Senior Editor of the National Review; and Noam Scheiber,… more

On Wednesday, July 9, 2008, The New America Foundation’s Next Social Contract Initiative hosted a panel discussion on Australia’s mandatory pension plan (aka “superannuation”).  Mavis Robertson, Former Chair of the Cbus superannuation fund, and Garry Weaven, Chair of Industry Funds Management and a member of the Superannuation Advisory Committee spoke on the pros and cons of superannuation. Jane White, President of Retirement Solutions, and Pamela Perun, Policy Director of the Initiative on Financial Security at the Aspen Institute, addressed whether… more

On Tuesday, June 24, 2008 the New America Foundation’s Next Social Contract Initiative hosted a panel discussion with Yale Law School professor Michael Graetz; Maya MacGuineas, President of the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget and Director of the Fiscal Policy Program at New America; and Michael Lind, Whitehead Senior Fellow at New America. Professor Graetz spoke on his new book, 100 Million Unnecessary Returns: A Simple, Fair, and Competitive Tax Plan for the United States. The panelists offered… more

On June 18th the New America Foundation’s Next Social Contract Initiative held a book launch for Professor Gil Troy’s latest book, Leading from the Center: Why Moderates Make the Best Presidents. Professor Troy is a history professor at McGill University and a Visiting Scholar at the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington. Frank Micciche, Deputy Director of the Next Social Contract, moderated the event. An MP3 audio recording can be downloaded below, while video is available at right. Professor Troy… more

Most discussion of the impending wave of Baby Boomers entering retirement age focuses on the capacity of entitlement programs to support them. Under-examined is the question of Boomers’ abilities to support themselves and what policy changes might be necessary to help them do so. The ongoing instability in financial markets and its effect on the assets that many Boomers have planned to tap for retirement add to the uncertainty. Macroeconomic developments, workplace norms and existing policy barriers all make the… more

**This event has been postponed until further notice. We apologize for any inconvenience.**

The yeoman tradition—in which the small property owner and the entrepreneur represent an American ideal—inspired many of the nation’s founders, Thomas Jefferson most notably. Yet today, deregulation and a lax interpretation of anti-trust law make it increasingly difficult for small businesses to even access local markets. Mega chains may be ruthlessly efficient in driving down prices, but their near-monopoly positions create tremendous barriers to entry and… more

Former John Edwards campaign senior economic advisor and telecom executive Leo Hindery understands better than most the difference between the needs of Wall Street and the needs of average Americans on Main Street. Looking at the subprime crisis as a symptom of a long history of economic mismanagement, Leo Hindery will argue that recent calls to change the regulatory bureaucracy in Washington are at best a band-aid. Rather, the American economy needs a long-term strategy to build a new edge… more

Phillip Longman began by framing the core question of the event: are we in a transformative political moment, and what would that mean? Even after a decade of debilitating partisanship, Rovian strategists and Netroots bloggers continue to exacerbate political polarization. Yet, with the likely nominations of John McCain and Barack Obama, observers of all political stripes have sensed the prospect of a political sea-change. Whether it is a government unified around a bold progressive majority, a resurgent and transmuted conservatism,… more

The Fed just dropped the fed funds rate by 75 basis points -- the largest such move since 1984. No matter what the issues were yesterday, it is clear that the economy -- domestic and global -- is what will be the biggest political issue today and tomorrow... at least for a while. So for this New America event, our Economic Growth Program and Next Social Contract Initiative brought together economic policy advisors to the various political campaigns.

Steven Clemons,… more

Despite the sustained economic growth of recent years, Americans are increasingly concerned with economic security. Even before economists began reporting signs of recession, skyrocketing health care costs, faltering pensions, and burgeoning inequality frayed the fabric of the American social contract. America's social contract is an evolving, complex web of legal and informal relationships between households, employers, government, and civil society that extends beyond particular federal programs. Now is the time to strike a new bargain between these sectors, rethinking the… more

There is an increase in national attention being paid to inequality in America. While U.S. government programs help the poor and politicians on both sides raise funds from the fortunate, the “Missing Class,” those making between $20,000 to $40,000 dollars a year for a family of four, is largely ignored.

Through their experiences with nine families, Princeton professor Katherine Newman and Inthefray magazine editor Victor Tan Chen trace the unique challenges faced by this growing demographic in their new… more

Americans know from their own lives the stress of balancing work and family obligations. Extensive rhetoric from the media and academic worlds is difficult to disentangle, sometimes pointing to seemingly different conclusions regarding the state of work and family balance, the time parents are spending with their children, and the impacts such conflicts have on individual and family health.

The New America Foundation’s Next Social Contract Initiative and Workforce and Family Program seek to cut through the rhetoric with… more

America's social contract -- the complex, largely unwritten deal between workers, employers, and government that gives individuals the security they need to navigate a dynamic economy -- is eroding. The arrangements of our existing social contract no longer make sense in an economy characterized by global labor markets, shortened job tenure, heightened capital mobility, rapid technological change, and increased pressure for short-term profits. Ensuring that every American can access the goods and services necessary to enjoy a productive… more

American social policy, and the debate about poverty and inequality, are constrained by assumptions about politics: That only universal programs will win political acceptance and programs targeted toward the poor will always be poor programs. That the modest American welfare state was built in two great waves, The New Deal and The Great Society, the likes of which we'll never see again. That tax credits and incentives are a subtler and more effective way of delivering benefits than direct… more