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Jared Bernstein

Jared Bernstein, a former deputy chief economist for the U.S. Labor Department, is a senior economist at the Economic Policy Institute. He is the co-author of seven editions of The State of Working America and the author of All Together Now: Common Sense for a Fair Economy.

Recent Articles

What Is McCain's Economic Agenda?

The man who famously admitted that economics is not his strong suit wants to fundamentally alter the government's role in the economy by deeply cutting non-defense spending, from discretionary programs to entitlements.

Jared BernsteinMar 17, 2008

Next time you catch a John McCain interview, watch for what, at least to my ears and eyes, is a fascinating, albeit subtle, shift. When he's talking about almost anything other than the economy -- foreign policy, the war, Congress, immigration -- he exudes the typical confidence of a veteran Washington player. He deftly shifts the question to his turf, he ardently hits his message points ... just about what you'd expect, actually.

The Economic State of the Union

In last night's State of the Union, Bush danced around the very real economic concerns faced by Americans. Of course, this is nothing new.

Jared BernsteinJan 29, 2008

It’s no picnic for a president to present the State of the Union address when the economy is teetering on recession. In normal economic times, standard procedure is to tout the great economy and his role in its success. Though Bush can spin the economy with the best of them, even he, to his credit, didn’t do much of that last night (there was, of course, some spin, exposed below).

Which Kind of Economics?

Economist Bryan Caplan confuses reality with ideology, to unfortunate effect; economist Richard Freeman calls for open-source unions, which might just point the way to a revival of the labor movement.

Jared BernsteinAug 10, 2007

The Myth of the Rational Voter: Why Democracies Choose Bad Policies by Bryan Caplan (Princeton University Press, 276 pages, $29.95)

America Works: Critical Thoughts on the Exceptional U.S. Labor Market by Richard B. Freeman (Russell Sage Foundation, 191 pages, $19.95)

Is Education the Cure for Poverty?

Jared BernsteinApr 22, 2007

Economists may disagree a lot on policy, but we all agree on the "education premium" -- the earnings boost associated with more education. But what role can education play in a realistic antipoverty policy agenda? And what are the limits of that role?

First, it depends on whether you're talking about children or adults, and schooling versus job training. And second, the extent to which education is rewarded depends on what else is going on in the economy.

Short Circuited

Jared BernsteinApr 04, 2007

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Date: April 10, 2057

Memo: From the communitarian of labor

Topic: Historical musings regarding the dark ages

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The seed of the destruction of the market economy that predominated until the early 21st century was planted in a 50-year-old press release from the electronics retailer Circuit City.

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