The Middle-Out Moment

For three decades, progressives have reviled supply-side economics without ever offering a powerful alternate theory of how an economy grows. Middle-out economics does just that: Prosperity does not trickle down from the top, but flows in a virtuous cycle that starts with a thriving middle class. Herein, what it is; what it isn’t; and how it works.

• Eric Liu & Nick Hanauer: The True Origins of Prosperity
• Neera Tanden: Burying Supply-Side Once and for All
• Eric Beinhocker: A Truer Form of Capitalism
• Heather Boushey: Family Policy: The Foundation of a Middle-Out Agenda
• Bruce Bartlett: National Income: Paying Work, Not Capital
• John Schmitt: Minimum Wage: Catching up to Productivity
• Mona Sutphen: Job Training: Cultivating the Middle-Skill Workforce
• David Rolf: Labor: Building a New Future
• Ethan Pollack: Environment and Energy: Revitalizing the Green Jobs Agenda
• Ed Gerwin: Trade: Boosting Exports to China

Fortress Unionism

Rich Yeselson: Decades after its passage, the Taft-Hartley Act still casts a shadow on labor. Unions have a future—but only if they accept some difficult realities.

There Will Be Oil

Jason Bordoff: Suddenly, the United States is energy rich. The problem is that we’re still guided by policies that assume the opposite.

An Elite Deserving of the Name

Chrystia Freeland: Corporate executives once saw themselves as stewards of the good society. Today’s CEOs can learn much from their predecessors.

Winter in Cairo

Marc Lynch: The Muslim Brotherhood does contain within it less reactionary voices. Unfortunately, they always lose.

Hillary’s Turn

James Mann: Every secretary of state, we’re told, is going to be different from those who came before, but traditional demands inevitably take precedence.

Meet the New South…

Kareem U. Crayton: Much has changed in the South, but enough hasn’t that more change is needed. And…it’s coming.

Dead Center

Jordan Michael Smith: Obama’s electoral wins and our shifting demographics portend a bright Democratic future. So why do centrists insist on fighting battles long won?

Editor’s Note

The Editors: Michael Tomasky introduces Issue #29

Fairness Doctrine

Timothy Noah: Economic policy isn’t just another front in the culture war: We must champion both fairness and efficiency regardless of popular whim.

Letters to the Editor

Democracy Readers: Letters from our readers

At Our Service

Elbert Ventura: The conservative assault on government workers is in full swing. Progressives are doing too little to fight back.