Next Social Contract: Recent and Upcoming Events

On October 15, 2009, Senator Byron Dorgan of North Dakota discussed the requirements for financial sector reform at a conference co-hosted with the Washington Monthly.  In a 1994 Washington Monthly cover story,

On September 21, 2009, author and economist Pat Choate discussed his new book, Saving Capitalism: Keeping America Strong, at the New America Foundation.  In a conversation with Michael Lind, Policy Director of the Economic Growth Program at New America, Choate offered his perspective on the ongoing economic crisis and outlined his book's comprehensive policy prescription for recovery and sustainable growth. 

Second Bernard L. Schwartz Economic Symposium

The bursting of the housing and credit bubbles has left the United States with a huge debt overhang.  As a result of the buildup of private sector debt and the economic crisis, households and firms are finding it difficult to service debt and lay a foundation for a sustainable recovery. 

New America Foundation's Economic Growth Program hosted leading economists and public intellectuals to discuss the following questions:

On July 24, Christopher Preble discussed his new book The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe, Less Prosperous, and Less Free. Dr. Preble was joined by New America's Michael Cohen, Senior Research Fellow and co-director of the Privatization of Foreign Policy Initiative, and Michael Lind, Senior Fellow and Policy Director of the Economic Growth Program, as well as Gordon Adams, a Distinguished Fellow at the Stimson Center, in discussing whether and how the U.S. should scale back its global military commitments.

A New America Foundation/Washington Monthly event

Can the United States prosper and participate successfully in international trade with an economy based mainly on services and without manufacturing?

Ralph Gomory, one of America's leading economic thinkers, challenges the conventional wisdom about the post-industrial economy. Boldly clarifying classic economic analysis, Gomory explains why manufacturing continues to be essential to our prosperity.

Please join us for a provocative discussion on the future of the American economy.

Late last year, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger called California’s looming budget crisis a fiscal armageddon waiting to strike. Now, as the state faces a $24 billion budget shortfall and major cuts are inevitable, doomsday seems to have come to California, and particularly to its poorest. The one-million-plus Californians on CalWorks, the state’s main welfare program, could lose monthly income beginning in July. Support for those who care for disabled Californians is set to be slashed.

Will China and the Gulf oil states have the U.S. over the proverbial barrel, or will the world's leading capitalist economy get lucky once again? On May 26, 2009, two of the New America Foundation's leading experts on geopolitics and the global economy joined with Foreign Policy magazine to debate which countries will emerge relatively stronger in the aftermath of the Great Recession.

Video: Part 1 of 2 | Part 2 of 2

With debate raging over the Obama administration’s budget and policy plans, last Friday the New America Foundation gathered experts from government, academia, and the business community to discuss the merits of using the tax code to dispense more than $700bn of social spending annually. The morning-long discussion, co-hosted by the Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis, was titled

A discussion with Authors Phillip Longman and Ray Boshara, with Commentary by Mark Schmitt and Reihan Salam.

On February 18, 2009, the New America Foundation's Next Social Contract Initiative hosted a discussion with the authors of two newly-commissioned papers on the civic values and political habits of the Millennial generation (Americans born after 1982).  Neil Howe and Reena Nadler discussed "Yes We Can: The Emergence of Millennials as a Political Generation," and Peter Levine presented findings from "Th

On January 30, 2009, the New America Foundation hosted a panel discussion around the release of a Washington Monthly cover story and new proposal in the "Big Ideas" series. Featured speaker Phillip Longman, Senior Fellow at New America and Research Director of the Next Social Contract Initiative, pitched his plan to dramatically increase investment in freight rail infrastructure as part of the

Today's event has been postponed, due to the inclement weather. We apologize for the inconvenience, and will announce the new date as soon as it is determined. 

In the context of a State budget crisis, declining property values, and the concomitant decline in revenues for local governments in California, Michael Coleman of CaliforniaCityFinance.com and Mark Paul of New America Foundation will discuss the current state of affairs related to the state budget and the potential implications for local governments. 

On December 5, 2008, the New America Foundation’s Next Social Contract Initiative hosted a three panel discussion about the future of social policy after the economic downturn. David Gray, Director of the Workforce and Family Program at New America, opened the event with preliminary remarks. Karen Kornbluh, formerly of the New America Foundation, policy director in the office of Senator Barack Obama and the primary author of the 2008 Democratic Party Platform, delivered the keynote address. She was followed by a series of

On November 13, 2008, the New America Foundation’s Next Social Contract Initiative and Workforce and Family Program hosted a discussion around the release of, “A Family-Based Social Contract,”  written by David Gray and Phillip Longman.  In their paper, Gray, the Director of New America’s Workforce and Family Program, and Longman, Schwartz Senior Fellow and Research Director of the Next Social Contract Initiative, argue that policymakers should focus on supporting parents and children early in life.  Gray and Longman were joined in the discussion by Reihan Salam,… more

On Monday, November 10th, the New America Foundation’s (NAF) Next Social Contract Initiative and the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget hosted “Recipes for Recovery,” a half-day event on the current state of the U.S. economy and potential government responses.

Frank Micciche, Deputy Director of NAF’s Next Social Contract Initiative, kicked off the event, observing that it was a precarious time for both the U.S. and global economies. Given the turmoil, he explained, both Congress and President-Elect Obama have called for the government to pass stimulus legislation designed… more