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How do we know the real effect of inflation on the buying power of individuals in the United States? Unless we change the way we analyze data and evaluate key economic indicators, we will not have an accurate picture of the health of our economy, according to Eugene Ludwig, a leader in finance and former comptroller of the currency. Ludwig is joined by two panelists on opp...
It’s no secret that money in the hands of women is money well taken care of — with copious evidence to prove it. The question is how to get more money into those hands, especially now. An estimated 1.2 million women left the workforce between 2020 and 2022 — thanks largely to the pandemic’s demand for caretakers at home — effecting an enormous economic setback for women an...
There is an overwhelming tendency to see economic goals in terms of metrics like GDP, unemployment, or in terms of very specific policies or policy strategies — like populism versus centrism. Yet, this can reflect a confusion of means and metrics with ultimate end goals in terms of what matters most for raising human well-being. If increased job polarization, potential job...
America’s heartland is quietly upending traditional notions of how cities work to deliver on their promise of shared prosperity. This means local governments, philanthropy, and the private sector have to work together and work differently. Jennifer Bradley of the Center for Urban Innovation and Rip Rapson of the Kresge Foundation discuss how leaders from Detroit, Fresno, M...
In the United States today, nearly half of all children are born into families with low incomes. Bold leadership and unique solutions are required to not simply address this growing challenge, but to tap the inherent strengths of children and their parents in struggling communities. This conversation will focus on strategies that work, from early childhood to employment an...
Imagine a world in which every kid in every city can go outside and explore the natural world. Urban ecology centers model outdoor play and promote connection, while restoring natural beauty to cities. How can urban leaders transform blighted parks into catalysts for social and environmental change? How can we spread this big idea to cities around the world? An expert pres...
Aspen Ideas: Health Engaging Local Issues Series: In Roaring Fork Valley, the realities of climate change are never far from our lives. Pests and invasive plants are altering our ecology, warming trends are likely to ignite ever-larger fires, and an economy built around outdoor activities could be transformed. The term “climate anxiety” has been coined to suggest the inten...
Climate change is a threat multiplier with a disproportionate impact on vulnerable populations. Girls and women, who are denied equitable access to education and economic opportunity in many parts of the world, are most likely to experience the far-reaching effects of a warming planet. Advocates are trying to level the playing field with projects designed to empower the fe...
While incomes are rising, there are questions about gains in short-term financial stability and long-term wealth creation for the majority of America’s working households. Related, there have been debates about the connection between the demise of the middle class and how this could threaten our overall economy and democracy. How can we create a new golden age of middle-cl...
Many Americans hold dear our identity as a “nation of immigrants” and the “land of opportunity.” But our immigration processes are convoluted, backlogged, and choked with would-be Americans desperate for a better life — while roughly 70 percent of US voters are opposed to increasing legal immigration levels. How should we decide who can come? Could our system be more respo...
E.O. Wilson said, “We have Paleolithic emotions, medieval institutions, and godlike technology.” How should technology be designed and controlled so it improves our lives, economy, and culture without losing individuality, privacy, and trust in society and each other? Presented by Allstate
Finance is the engine of capitalism, according to Harvard economist Mihir Desai. Finance is what makes our whole economy tick, and its 600 year history is filled with success stories. Has finance reached a point, though, where its pervasiveness has become a weakness? John Dickerson, correspondent for CBS News’ “60 Minutes,” sits down with Desai to dig into what those worki...
The word city is not exactly synonymous with nature. Yet increasingly, urban landscapes offer innovative canvases for designers and artists who use ecology and horticulture as their medium. As the bustling field of landscape architecture makes its way into everything from infrastructure projects like the High Line to commercial stores lining Fifth Avenue, how are these des...
Silicon Valley is notoriously a boys’ club, perhaps to society’s detriment. What effects do discrimination and inequality in this sector have on our culture, society, and economy? What happens to technology when the executives, engineers, and designers who produce it are mostly male? Who are our most powerful advocates for diversity in the tech industry, and how are they f...
“Follow the science” has become a Democratic mantra, but many Americans are wary of experts and believe elites look down on them. Have Democrats become too identified with technocratic ways of speaking — about the economy, the pandemic, climate change? Has this deepened the political divide between those with and those without college degrees? Can Democrats reconnect with...
It’s hard to be dispassionate about money. Whether we have a lot, not enough, or a comfortable amount of it, our emotional relationship with money is often fraught. Fascinating research on this subject reveals that luxury cars often provide no more pleasure than economy models, that commercials can actually enhance the enjoyment of watching television, and that residents o...
Corporate leaders are being challenged to declare a purpose beyond profit, but that’s not enough given all the challenges that society faces. So how do you actually deliver on a purpose you've professed? Hear from leaders whose companies have connected their mission to the greater channel of benefits for society by practicing shared value. How are these companies simultane...
How do we develop scalable policy solutions that will empower families throughout the United States to rise out of poverty and achieve better life outcomes? How we can improve children’s opportunities in communities that currently offer limited prospects for upward income mobility? Award-winning Harvard scholar Raj Chetty, whose research focuses on equality of opportunity...
The 2022 primary season continues to unfold as a test of former President Trump’s hold over the Republican party. What have electoral results thus far told us about how internal party struggles will resolve, and what difference might it make if the former president decides not to run in 2024? Where is the party’s base and where are its general election voters on key issues...
How can we unlock the power of entrepreneurship to widen access to health care, close gender disparity, and increase prosperity in the global South? Hear from expert voices and innovators on tools to address social, economic, and environmental challenges in developing economies.