Reforming capitalism through employer mandates
In our state policy agenda we advocate for augmenting wages and benefits through some combination of employer mandates and/or a strengthened safety net. And note that the employer mandate recommendations is the area where we have the most disagreement amongst the Michigan Future board and staff. What is clear to us is that Michigan cannot […]
Technology destroying good-paying jobs and careers
Two highly recommended recent New York Times articles on how technology is destroying good-paying jobs and careers. The first, written by Kevin Roose, is entitled The hidden agenda of the Davos elites. The second, written by Eduardo Porter, is entitled Tech is splitting the U.S. workforce in two. The Rose column will scare the hell […]
A call to reform capitalism from a capitalist
Ray Dalio’s call to reform capitalism is high recommended. Dalio is the founder, co-Chief Investment Officer and co-Chairman of Bridgewater Associates, the world’s largest hedge fund. In his essay entitled Why and how capitalism needs to be reformed, Dalio writes: Over these many years I have also seen capitalism evolve in a way that it […]
The community college completion challenge
The recently released MDRC evaluation of the Detroit Promise underscores the community college completion challenge. Despite adding financial incentives and intensive supports to free tuition, only 29 (five percent) of 390 students who started in the program earned at least 48 credits by the end of their second year. Which was better than the three […]
The difficulty of getting to 60 percent with post-secondary credentials
Governor Whitmer with lots of bi-partisan and business community support has established the goal of 60 percent of Michigan adults having a post- secondary credential by 2030. The Lumina Foundation––which has been at the center of the national effort to get to 60 percent––calculates that in 2017 45 percent of 25-64 year old Michiganders had […]
Michigan Democrats willing to pay for public investments
We have been critical of Michigan policymakers, including Michigan Democrats, for supporting public investments but not being willing to propose raising taxes to pay for them. (See my post entitled Kansas Rs raise taxes, Michigan Ds MIA.) No more! Governor Whitmer’s budget includes a big increase in the gas tax and a partial rollback of […]
Extracurriculars as schooling
Imagine extracurriculars being school. That is the theme of a fascinating and important New York Times column by Jal Mehta and Sarah Fine entitled High School Doesn’t Have to Be Boring. (Mehta is an associate professor at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. Fine runs a teacher preparation program at the High Tech High Graduate […]
The huge BA earnings premium for 25-34 year olds
The story we are told over and over again is for today’s students getting a four-year degree is no longer a good value for many. It may have been for their parents’ generation, but no more. Everything from student loans college graduates can’t afford because of low salaries; to employers getting smart and now hiring […]
More Michigan households unable to pay for necessities
The Michigan Association of United Ways reports that in 2017 43 percent of Michigan households were unable to pay for necessities. Up six percent from 2010 when the Michigan economy was just starting to grow after the Great Recession. How can that be? In an economy that President Trump calls the best American economy ever […]
A bold new Michigan playbook
Wow! Governor Whitmer’s first budget is a bold new playbook for improving the quality of life and standard of living of Michiganders. At its core it rejects the notion that the lever that matters most to improving the well being of Michiganders is low taxes. That low taxes––combined with minimal regulation––will attract employers who will […]