Over at TAP Online we've got two pieces related to tomorrow's Thinking Big, Thinking Forward conference, co-sponsored by the Prospect, along with Demos, the Economic Policy Institute, and the Institute for America's Future.
Robert Kuttner admonishes that now is the time to think big:
Looking forward, we need a very different sort of economy, one that restores a balanced form of capitalism. At the core of this change is a long-term increase in public outlay, investing in areas vital to economic growth and social decency. Once the recession is over, this increase in public investment needs to be paid for with a more progressive tax system. The short-term stimulus – if it is large enough – will help compensate for collapsing private demand. But the stimulus package should be understood as a down payment on increased federal spending for social and economic needs that have been deferred for four decades.
And the organizers of Thinking Big have a manifesto:
Sustained and strategic public investment is only part of a new strategy for rebuilding the economy. The financial system must be regulated so that banks return to being the servant, not the master of the real economy. A more balanced trading system will require a 21st century industrial policy – beginning with new energy – to help compete in the markets of the future. We must empower workers and hold corporations accountable to insure that the blessings of productivity and profits are widely shared, and the health and safety of workers, consumers and the environment are protected.
The conference is accepting walk-in registrations; see here for details. And if you can't make it to D.C., check in here at TAPPED, where our own Tim Fernholz will be live blogging from the conference, including behind-the-scenes interviews with presenters.
--The Editors
