Moving Working Families Forward

Even as our political system remains deeply divided between right and left, there is a clear yearning for a more moderate third way that navigates an intermediate position to address the most pressing issues facing the United States today. Moving Working Families Forward points to a Third Way between liberals and conservatives, combining a commitment to government expenditures that enhance the incomes of working families while recognizing that concerns for program effectiveness, individual responsibility, and underutilization of market incentives are justified. Robert Cherry and Robert Lerman provide the context to understand the distinctive qualities of Third Way policies, focusing on seven areas that substantially affect working families: immigration, race and gender earnings disparities, education, housing, strengthening partnerships, and federal taxes. Balancing empirical studies with voices of working class people, they offer an important perspective on how public policies should be changed. A timely approach, Moving Working Families Forward makes policy recommendations that are both practical and transformative. Robert Cherry is Professor of Economics at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York and author of many books, including Who Gets the Good Jobs: Combating Race and Gender Disparities and Welfare Transformed: Universalizing Family Policies that Work. Robert Lerman is Professor of Economics at American University. His publications include Improving Career Outcomes for Youth: Lessons from the U.S. and OECD Experience and Young Unwed Fathers: Changing Roles and Emerging Policies.