TRADE FOR THE 99%: On Tuesday, PPI released The Digital Opportunity: Democratizing Trade for the 99 Percent. Authored by Ed Gerwin, PPI Senior Fellow for Trade and Global Opportunity, the new policy brief highlights some of the many ways in which “democratized” trade in the global digital economy benefits America’s 99 percent—from entrepreneurs and small businesses to consumers and communities. The brief details why it is critical for America to lead in writing modern trade rules that promote the free flow of data and open digital commerce. Gerwin summarized the findings of his policy brief in an op-ed for Republic 3.0, The Digital Economy, Trade Agreements and the 99 Percent.
UK ELECTIONS: Earlier this week, PPI President Will Marshall wrote an op-ed for CNN on how the fracturing of Britain’s once stable political order will make it difficult for the incoming Prime Minister to form a strong and coherent government, and the implications that will have on Britain’s role in the EU and their relationship with the US.
Today, the day after the election, Marshall provided a follow-up piece to CNN distilling a few key lessons from the oddest British election in memory.
EU DIGITAL AGENDA: On Thursday, the European Commission unveiled a digital single market for Europe. PPI Chief Economist Dr. Michael Mandel wrote this week that the digital single market is essential for the success of the EU economy, but it should be built on principles of openness and encouragement of innovation, not higher levels of regulation that will discourage both.
LABOR PRODUCTIVITY: Mandel penned a response on Wednesday to the release of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) first quarter labor productivity and costs report. Mandel calculates that ten-year productivity growth plunged to a startling 1.4% in the first quarter of 2015, the lowest level since the 1980s. Moreover, Mandel estimates that the slowdown in productivity growth since 2000 is responsible for two-thirds of the decline in real compensation growth, a key measure of living standards. His conclusion: The sharp fall in productivity growth is the major reason why Americans feel so squeezed. Growth policies are key.
HEALTHCARE JOB BUBBLE?: A recent policy report on tech employment, authored by Mandel and PPI Economist Diana Carew, calculated that women have been getting three times as many healthcare-related bachelor’s degrees as men. But according to Mandel, the healthcare employment boom may actually represent a bubble, warning that college students and administrators may be overestimating the safety and security of healthcare careers. If the bubble bursts, women may bear the brunt. Given the strong possibility of such a change, progressives should support a diversification of college degrees out of healthcare and into other growing areas such as tech.
MOTOR CITY SCHOOLS MAKEOVER: In an op-ed for U.S. News & World Report, PPI senior fellow and director of the Reinventing America’s Schools Project, David Osborne examines a new plan by Michigan Governor Rick Snyder to set up a Detroit Education Commission that would have the power to measure school performance, create a common enrollment system for all public schools, close mediocre schools (charter and traditional) and replace them with new schools (charter and traditional). Osborne writes, “This would be a huge step forward: For the first time, Detroit would have a citywide portfolio manager with the power to steer both the traditional and charter sectors toward higher performance.”
