Aug 1, 2012
300 Million Engines of Growth: The Middle Class and the U.S. Economy

 

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Videos (Right Click to Download):

• Introduction by Michael Ettlinger, Center for American Progress Vice President for Economic Policy

• Panel 1: Policy Matters – Do’s and Don’ts for Building a Strong Middle Class

• Panel 2: A Strong Middle Class or Bust

• Keynote: Gene Sperling, Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy

• Debate: Who Holds the Keys to Prosperity?

Please join the Center for American Progress for a conference that will highlight and explore emerging economic evidence that a strong middle class is critical for robust economic growth. The conference will feature a live debate pitting “supply-oriented economics” against the emergent economic theory that posits the middle class as the key driver of growth. The conference will also include panel discussions delving into the latest evidence, and what lessons policy makers should learn from the new research.

Welcoming remarks:
Neera Tanden, President, Center for American Progress

Presentation: Income Inequality and the State of the Middle Class:
Michael Ettlinger, Vice President for Economic Policy, Center for American Progress

Panel 1: Policy Matters – Do’s and Don’ts for building a Strong Middle Class:
Senator Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Congressman Bobby Scott (D-VA)
Anna Burger, Advanced Leadership Fellow, Harvard University; former Secretary-Treasurer, Service Employees International Union (SEIU)
Matt Miller, Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress; co-host, Left, Right, & Center
John Podesta, Chair, Center for American Progress, moderator

Panel 2: A Strong Middle Class or Bust:
Heather Boushey, Senior Economist, Center for American Progress
Larry Mishel, President, Economic Policy Institute
Betsey Stevenson, Associate Professor, University of Michigan; former Chief Economist, U.S. Department of Labor
Judith Warner, contributing writer, New York Times Magazine; Senior Fellow, Center for American Progress, moderator

Keynote Speaker:
Gene Sperling, Director of the National Economic Council and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy

Debate: Who Holds the Keys to Prosperity?
Edward Conard, former Managing Director, Bain Capital, LLC
Stephen Moore, Wall Street Journal
Austan Goolsbee, Professor of Economics, University of Chicago’s Booth School of Business; former Chairman, Council of Economic Advisers
Nick Hanauer, Partner, Second Avenue Partners
Chrystia Freeland, Global Editor-at-Large, Reuters, moderator

Concluding Remarks:
Tom Perriello, President and Chief Executive Officer, Center for American Progress Action Fund; Counselor for Policy, Center for American Progress