Resources

The U.S. labor market is shackled by decades of wage stagnation for the majority of workers, persistent wage disparities by race, ethnicity, and gender, and sluggish economic growth. These labor market ills particularly affect women and workers of color due to decades of gender inequality and structural racism erecting barriers to opportunities. There is increasing evidence that broad structural inequality leads to a misallocation of talent and the undervaluation of different types of work, which contributes to anemic economic growth and slower productivity gains.

Competitive Edge is a monthly series featuring leading experts in antitrust enforcement on a broad range of topics related to competition policy and is aimed at promoting the development of sharp and effective tools to increase competition in the U.S. economy.

The coronavirus pandemic and subsequent recession exposed deep fragilities in the economy, one rife with historically high levels of economic inequality, structural racial inequities, and a porous social safety net. These fragilities continue to exacerbate the economic insecurities caused by decades of declining public investment in infrastructure and people.

Some of the most fundamental federal economic reforms must be left to the U.S. Congress, but the executive branch can take important steps on its own to combat inequality, spur growth, and achieve broad-based prosperity. With the stroke of a pen, for example, the president can substantially alter how, and for whom, the U.S. economy works.

In the United States and other rich democracies, economic policy has in recent decades produced rising economic inequality, rising costs of essential goods and services such as housing, health care, and child care, greater financial insecurity, higher inequality across regions within countries, and declining job quality and stability.

To shape the 2020 policy debate and lead the charge for structural economic change, the Washington Center for Equitable Growth has launched a series of convenings and publications called Vision 2020.