Hardly Working with Brent Orrell

Americans’ views on the economy have soured in recent years, often seemingly disconnected with the realities of work and growth in incomes. One particularly pernicious meme, found on both the left and the right, is that economic growth has not translated into higher wages for American workers. This week on Hardly Working, Brent sits down with Scott Winship, who dispels this myth in his recent report, “Understanding Trends in Worker Pay over the Past 50 Years.” Brent and Scott discuss the changing dynamics of the economy, the shifting demand for skills, and how we can expand opportunity within the world’s largest and most dynamic economy.

Mentioned in this Episode

Nixon Shock

Wagner Act

Of Boys and Men

Kevin Corinth

In a world where the traditional boundaries of work are being redrawn, the interplay between work and personal satisfaction, a sense of purpose, and meaning is rapidly evolving. This week on Hardly Working, Brent sits down with John Tamny, editor of RealClearMarkets and president of the Parkview Institute. They discuss Tamny’s 2018 book The End of Work: Why Your Passion Can Become Your Job, which envisions a world where material abundance frees all of us up to pursue our passions at work.

Contemporary differences between rural and urban areas in America have their roots in long-term demographic, economic, technological, and social factors. Brent and the Brookings Institution’s Tony Pipa are hosting conversations “On the Front Porch” with authors of recent research on issues facing rural America. These discussions explore the unique challenges and opportunities facing rural America and consider policy options to promote development and opportunity. 

Today, we bring you a recent conversation with economist Carol Graham. Graham’s recent book The Power of Hope: How the Science of Well-Being Can Save Us from Despair discusses the role that hope plays in supporting the development of individuals and communities in America.

As technology marches on, what kind of world are we moving towards? According to AEI senior fellow Jim Pethokoukis, it’s an abundant and prosperous one, at least potentially. So long as we play our cards right–and embrace what he calls an “UpWing” technology and growth policies we will reap the benefits of what many find to be destabilizing, disorienting change. 

This week on Hardly Working, Brent speaks with Pethokoukis about his book The Conservative Futurist: How to Create the Sci-Fi World We Were Promised and how we can best manage the steps toward the UpWing future.

Mentioned in this episode

The Third Century: America's Resurgence in the Asian Era

Nouriel Roubini

For All Mankind

Faster, Please!

Extrapolations

Derek Thompson

Ezra Klein

Lost in Space

The Martian

Interstellar

Prophet of Innovation

In a world of specialists, generalists sometimes seem like people without a country. That may be changing. In an age of specialized–and increasingly powerful– AI tools, going broad rather than narrow may increasingly be valuable. Today on Hardly Working, Vikram Mansharamani returns to the podcast to discuss his personal and professional journey as a self-described generalist. His recent memoir The Making of a Generalist narrates his journey from a kid curious about everything to one of the nation’s most sought-after thinkers and advisors on questions of calling and career.  We hope you enjoy this conversation.

Divides between rural and urban America have their roots in longstanding demographic, economic, technological, and social factors. In a new event series, AEI’s Brent Orrell and the Brookings Institution’s Tony Pipa are hosting a series of conversations “On the Front Porch” with authors of recent research on issues facing rural America.

These discussions explore the unique challenges and opportunities facing rural America and consider policy options to promote development and opportunity. Today on Hardly Working, we bring you the first of these events, a conversation with Nicholas F. Jacobs, the author of the recent book The Rural Voter: The Politics of Place and the Disuniting of America, which examines the state of politics in rural America.

Orrell, Pipa, and Jacobs consider the book’s central claim that rural Americans have in recent years combined a deep sense of connection to place with increasingly nationalized policy and political concerns to form a distinct voting bloc. They also discuss the history of rural America; the social, cultural, and economic forces that have affected it in recent years; and the popular notion of a stark rural-urban divide. Overall, they emphasize the importance of dispelling myths about rural America to overcome distrust and disunity.

Mentioned in this Episode

Reimagining Rural Policy Initiative

General Social Survey

Omaha Platform of 1892

North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA)

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance

Federalism

American Exchange Project

In recent years, confidence in higher education has plummeted. This decline has prompted a vigorous debate on the role of all types of post-secondary education. 

In their recent book America’s Hidden Economic Engines: How Community Colleges Can Drive Shared Prosperity, Robert B. Schwartz and Rachel Lipson make the case for the value of community colleges. Surveying five case studies across the US–in Ohio, Virginia, Arizona, Texas, and Mississippi–they argue that community colleges serve as “engines” of social mobility for individuals and communities. Their research shows that community colleges have proven remarkably effective at mitigating economic inequality and promoting social engagement and economic development.

Today, Brent sits down with Lipson and Schwartz to discuss what their research means for students and policymakers.

Mentioned in this episode

Year Up

Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act

Pathways to Prosperity Network

Lorain County Community College

Pima Community College

Lightcast

The Coleman Report

Raj Chetty

Opportunity Insights

As artificial intelligence (AI) bounds ahead, many are rightfully concerned about the risks and ethical issues it raises. Perhaps some of the most practical of these is the potential that AI will be biased against minority populations because of deficiencies in the data used to build it. If true, this would have serious implications for human resources and hiring. 

Today, Brent sits down with Keith Sonderling, a commissioner on the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, or EEOC. Sonderling delves into the challenges and opportunities presented by the integration of AI into the workplace, particularly in hiring and employment decisions. And he emphasizes the complexity of AI and the difficulty – yet necessity – of regulating it so that it can benefit everyone.

We hope you enjoy this conversation.

Mentioned in this Episode

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC)

Fair Labor Standards Act

Family Medical Leave Act

Goldman Sachs on AI’s Impact on the Labor Market

World Economic Forum on AI’s Impact on the Labor Market

New York Local Law 144

European Union AI Act

Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs

Many urban Americans have come to believe that there’s a growing chasm separating urban and rural America. While urban America bounds ahead, rural America, many assume, is being left behind, struggling with material and spiritual impoverishment, and cultural confusion. 

This week on Hardly Working, Brent talks with University of Southern California professor Elizabeth Currid-Halkett, who dispels some of the myths about the so-called urban-rural divide. Currid-Halkett and Brent discuss her fantastic book The Overlooked Americans: The Resilience of Our Rural Towns and What it Means For Our Country, which Brent reviewed for the Dispatch in September. As you’ll hear, rural America is doing a lot better than you might think.

Mentioned in this episode

Jane Jacobs

University of Chicago General Social Survey

Raj Chetty

Posse Foundation

American Exchange Project

Times/Siena Poll on Trump's advantage in battleground states

Regrettably, the debate about post-secondary education has devolved into just another culture war issue with one camp saying “everyone go to college” and another saying “skip college learn a trade.” 

Today, Brent sits down with Ben Wildavsky, a visiting scholar at the University of Virginia’s School of Education and Human Development, who challenges this false dichotomy. In his recent book “The Career Arts,” Wildavsky argues that education, job, and career success require integrating broad-based skills (such as those acquired through a liberal arts and social science education) with more narrow, technical skills (such as those acquired through credential programs). Such integration, Wildavsky contends, supports well-rounded and resilient workers who can more easily adapt to an unpredictable and rapidly changing economy. 

Mentioned in this Episode

Strada Education Foundation

College wage premium

Larry Katz

Tony Carnevale

Georgetown Center on Education and the Workforce

Project Basta

Climb Higher

Western Governors University

Point Loma Nazarene University

Seth Bodnar, president, University of Montana

Society for Human Research Management

Skills-based hiring