We frequently hear that America recovered well from the Great Recession of 2009. Yet, encouraging growth and job statistics tell too simple a story.
The fact is, ten years later millions of Americans still wake up each day wondering how to make ends meet. Wage stagnation, job insecurity, and income inequality remain fundamental problems. Meanwhile, the government fails to provide those basic services that make communities livable and give hope to future generations.
This is not the American Dream.
We need a data-driven conversation.
Our politics were also transformed over the last ten years. Since 2009, we have careened from Obama’s hope for a post-partisan America to a toxic, hyper-partisan media environment.
The Level Field responds to this new reality by putting hard numbers to tough questions:
- How can government at all levels better use tax dollars to promote social mobility and equality of opportunity?
- Who are the winners and who are the losers in a globalized economy?
- What can we do to ensure that all boats rise as the economy grows?
Behind each question is an interest in uncovering how the interplay of politics and economics affects the livelihoods of working Americans.
Answering these questions requires global perspective.
The forces shaping our government, economy, and society today operate at a scale that is difficult to comprehend. The Level Field makes these forces knowable through short briefs, featured series, and a data dashboard.
The goal is to better inform public debates over how to make the American Dream a reality for individuals and communities everywhere.
Don Leonard, PhD is an Assistant Professor of Practice in City and Regional Planning at The Ohio State University. His research focuses on the politics of inequality and its consequences for economic development. He has worked in more than a dozen countries across Africa and Latin America and consulted for the UK Department for International Development and the Inter-American Development Bank.