mobility

June 12, 2017

When Lightning McQueen brought jobs to rural America

“Main street isn’t main street anymore. No one seems to need us like they did before.” Americans continue to face the violent winds of economic change, whether stemming from technology, trade, or globalization. Continue Reading...

April 12, 2017

What Christians can learn from Utah’s economic success

How do we move closer to ending poverty and expanding opportunity in America? Does a single solution or road map even exist? In a widely cited study, the Brookings Institute’s Isabel Sawhill and Ron Haskins famously argued that at least one predictable path is evident. Continue Reading...

February 13, 2017

Prosperity matters more than social mobility or income inequality

Social mobility is the ability of an individual or family to improve (or lower) their economic status. The two main types of social mobility are intergenerational (i.e., a person is better off than their parents or grandparents) or intragenerational (i.e., Continue Reading...

August 28, 2014

Explaining Social Mobility Using Legos

“Can you explain that important economic concept using Legos?” Apparently, someone must have said that to Richard Reeves, an economist at the Brookings Institution economist, because he’s made a brief video using Legos to visualize social mobility. Continue Reading...

April 10, 2014

Lessons in creative destruction from ‘Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel’

Creative destruction can be a painful thing, particularly when you’re the one being destroyed. I’ve been-there done-that, and when things hit, I can’t say that I cared too much about Joseph Schumpeter and his fancy ideas. Continue Reading...

August 05, 2013

Appreciating McDonald’s: Beyond Minimum Mindedness

McDonald’s has been under fire over its Practical Money Skills Budget Journal, a planning tool designed to help employees organize their personal finances. The tool’s sample budget fails to account for a variety of first-world expenses, leading to a predictable cacophony of folks calling for newer, fresher, more enlightened price-fixing tricks. Continue Reading...

March 20, 2013

Before and Beyond Vocation

Discussions about faith-work integration are on the rise, with an ever-increasing number of related books, sermons, and blog posts (ahem) appearing with every passing day. Over at Faith, Work & Culture, Jeff Haanen poses a challenging question to the movement, asking, “Is the faith and work movement just for white guys?” Continue Reading...