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Progressive Futures

Making progressive politics work

22 April 2014

A handbook of progress ideas

Authors
Policy Network
Administrator

As the slow return to growth begins to gather pace in western democracies, the danger is that insufficient attention has been given to structural economic weaknesses and long-term stresses on representational politics and governance. This ranges from technological change and disruptive economic forces to growing insecurity and inequality, fragile tax systems, skills and education mismatches, polarised labour markets, uncertainty over middle income jobs, and vulnerable social security settlements.

Meeting these challenges will require tough prioritisation and radical reform. The aim of this ‘handbook of ideas’ is to advance political debate by bringing together short policy recommendations and proposals by leading international thinkers on how progressives should approach the major economic and political challenges of our times.

Progressive Governance Conference:
The publication will be presented at a major gathering jointly organised by Policy Network, Center for American Progress (CAP) and Wiardi Beckman Stichting. The conference, hosted by Dutch Labour party (PvdA) leader Diederik Samsom and Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands Lodewijk Asscher, will bring together leading politicians, thinkers, policymakers, academics, and campaigners from across Europe and North America for a two day programme of policy exchange and debate on 24-25 April.

Contents:

INTRODUCTION

How social democracy can triumph in the 5 – 75 – 20 societyPolicy Network

FUTURE WEALTH CREATION – GOVERNANCE & POLITICS

The smart statePhilippe Aghion 
Techno optimismWill Hutton
The future of inequalityThomas Piketty
The free-market fantasyJacob Hacker
The deflation trapAndrew Gamble
Beyond free markets and compensatory redistributionMonika Sie
Will the return of economic growth mean rising wages for workers?Gavin Kelly
Making capitalism workEric Beinhocker & Nick Hanauer
The role of the state in furthering growthVicky Pryce
Driving-up innovation and productivityRobert D. Atkinson
An inclusive growth agendaTim Besley & John Van Reenen
The case for pro-growth progressivismMichael Mandel
Pre-distribution and monetary policyThomas Aubrey
Towards a learning economyPeter van Lieshout & Robert Went
Global governance for whom?Saskia Sassen 
Cities are the future of effective democracyBenjamin Barber
Ethnic diversity and the future of social solidarityBo Rothstein 
Addressing the underlying causes of populismRene Cuperus 

JOBS, WAGES & SKILLS OF THE FUTURE

The rise of the service economyAnne Wren
Clinging on to a middle class lifeBrian Bell & Steve Machin
Technological change and new workMichael Osbourne & Carl Benedikt Frey
Robots and progressive politicsAlan Manning
The societal impact of technologyMaarten Goos
Embracing low-end service jobsLane Kenworthy
The future of manufacturingJulie Madigan
Six job creation fallaciesFrans Bieckmann
Avoiding a prolonged period of jobless growthPaul de Beer
Fighting new intergenerational and skill inequalitiesBruno Palier 
Women and labour market riskSilja Häusermann
Investing in female labourMoira Nelson 
The motherhood penaltyDalia Ben-Galim
Preparing young people for a changing labour marketAlan Brown
Escaping Europe’s middle age trapEdoardo Campanella
Social investment for long-term recoveryAnton Hemerijck
Radically rethinking the welfare benefits systemIan Mulheirn
Towards a proactionary welfare stateSteve Fuller
Skills and life chancesAndreas Schleicher
Rethinking education in the digital ageTom Kenyon
The STEM brain drainAveril Macdonald  
Europe needs a talent offensiveChristal Morehouse

Photo credit:  Monkey Business Images / Shutterstock.com 

Authors