LATEST
Read Former White House CEA Chairman Kevin Hassett’s Interview of Ed Conard in National Review
In National Review, Kevin Hassett, the former Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, asks Ed Conard to defend conservative free market capitalism and how it promotes entrepreneurial risk-taking that has grown middle-class incomes faster than Europe. Five Questions for Ed Conard National Review Online August 21, 2020 1) Many liberals claim capitalism no longer works for the middle and working class. Is it true? No. According to the Congressional Budget Office, prior to the pandemic, middle-class incomes had grown 60 percent more than inflation since 1980. The income of the poorest… Read More
My Oxford University Press Chapter, “The Economics of Inequality in High-Wage Economies,” Is Available Free Online
Oxford University Press has provided free online access to my chapter, “The Economics of Inequality in High-Wage Economies,” for a limited time in their new book “United States Income, Wealth, Consumption, and Inequality.” In the chapter, I argue, “Inequality is mostly the result of an increasing premium on returns from risk and high-skilled labor ushered in by technological disruption and the feedback loop of elite talent working to increase their own productivity—a logical outcome when properly trained talent constrains growth. The answer … lies in increasing the ratio of high-… Read More
Ed Conard Debates Poverty and Inequality at Susquehanna University
Ed Conard debunks myths about poverty and debates the ways U.S. policymakers can maximize middle and working- class incomes with Washington University in St. Louis's Professor of Social Welfare Mark Rank. The discussion was moderated by Matt Rousu, Dean of Susquehanna University’s Sigmund Weis School of Business and students. Read More
Ed Conard Discusses His Oxford University Chapter at Harvard’s Program on Constitutional Government
Ed Conard recently joined Harvard’s Harvey Mansfield to discuss his Oxford University Press chapter, “The Economics of Inequality in High-Wage Economies,” at Harvard University’s Program on Constitutional Government. The video, audio, and text of his speech and the Q&A session are available below. Opening Speech AUDIO Q&A PART 1 AUDIO Q&A PART 2 AUDIO 14 Questions for Ed Conard Tom Palmer (Snr. Fellow, Cato Institute): Do we have the ability to recruit high-skilled labor from around the world? Can we identify and restrict immigration only to them? What happens to… Read More
Praise for my Oxford University Press chapter, “The Economics of Inequality”
San Antonio Express columnist Michael Taylor praised my chapter, “The Economics of Inequality,” in Oxford University Press’ new “United States Income, Wealth, Consumption, and Inequality.” "In Chapter 10, Edward Conard makes the case for what I think of as the Mitt Romney — or previously orthodox Republican — view of economic policy. If we are unequal, Conard asks, what explains it? Is it unfair crony capitalism? Or is it from innovation and gains to productivity? Conard firmly believes it’s the latter. Conard argues it would be reckless to attack or… Read More
My chapter, “The Economics of Inequality,” joins Saez, Burkhauser, and other distinguished economists in Oxford University Press’ new “United States Income, Wealth, Consumption, and Inequality”
In my chapter, “Economics of Inequality in High-Wage Economies," I argue, “Inequality is mostly the result of an increasing premium on returns from risk and high-skilled labor ushered in by technological disruption and the feedback loop of elite talent working to increase their own productivity—a logical outcome when properly trained talent constrains growth. The answer … lies in increasing the ratio of high- to low-skilled workers chiefly by training and recruiting more high-scoring domestic and immigrant workers. Rather than greater income redistribution slowing growth by dampening high-skilled productivity and incentives… Read More
Official Stats Overstate Poverty by Measuring Before $1T in Government Spending on “Just the News”
Ed explains that official statistics overstate poverty by measuring it before $1 trillion of government spending. So employment gains appear to have an exaggerated effect on reducing poverty and inequality. Read More
Waking Up to a Misleading Inequality Report on the Sunday Morning News
If these reporters had winning arguments, they wouldn’t resort to misleading their audiences. Last week, I was briefly featured in one of the major networks’ Sunday morning news programs. The main thrust of the segment was the argument that Americans aren’t doing their fair share to help families who lost their jobs during the pandemic despite a recently published report by the Brookings Institute showing, “government policy effectively countered [the pandemic’s] effects on incomes, leading poverty to fall and low percentiles of income to rise across a range of demographic… Read More
CBS Sunday Morning Features “The Upside of Inequality”
“CBS Sunday Morning” feature on inequality, which includes Hitler, Marie Antoinette, beatings, starving paupers in coffins, Thomas Piketty, and poverty statistics that don’t account for the trillion dollars America spends helping the poor, gives me 20 seconds to defend capitalism. Here are all the things I said that they chose not to use. Read More
Lies, Damned Lies, and Steve Rattner’s Statistics
Lies, Damned Lies, And Steve Rattner’s Statistics If liberal economists could win the economic debate with honest arguments, they would make them. As President Reagan once joked, “Well, the trouble with our liberal friends is not that they're ignorant; it's just that they know so much that isn't so.” In his New York Times op-ed, Steve Rattner adds his name to the list of people willing to compromise their reputation to mislead the American people. No serious economist would measure a president’s performance blindly from the day they stepped into… Read More
Innovation Hubs Like New York Don’t “Deserve” Federal Bailouts
With the migration of America's talent to hubs of innovation, like New York, it's disingenuous to claim the hubs subsidize America and therefore deserve bailouts by other states because they pay a disproportionate share of federal taxes. Federalism is based on the notion that some taxation and spending should follow Americans wherever they live. Many of New York's highly taxed millionaires were raised and educated elsewhere and moved to New York at the expense of their hometowns’ diminished future, while Florida's retirees moved there after paying a lifetime of taxes… Read More
Ed Conard Featured in CQ Researcher Report “Inequality in America: Can the Growing Wealth Gap Be Closed?”
CQ Researcher released its latest report “Inequality in America: Can the Growing Wealth Gap Be Closed?” featuring an interview with Ed Conard. Excerpts from the report: On incentivizing risk-taking to grow the economy: Edward Conard, a visiting scholar at the conservative-leaning American Enterprise Institute (AEI), calls the wealth gap an inevitable byproduct of an economy that prospers by rewarding innovators and risk-takers. Before the coronavirus struck, the United States had enjoyed a strong economy with low unemployment rates and rising wages. After an 11-year bull market, the Dow Jones Industrial… Read More
Ben Shapiro Again Recommends Ed Conard’s NYT Bestselling Books
Ben Shapiro again recommended Ed Conard’s New York Times bestselling books, The Upside of Inequality: How Good Intentions Undermine the Middle Class (2016) and Unintended Consequences: Why Everything You’ve Been Told About the Economy is Wrong (2012). Read More
Predicting How Coronovirus May Impact the Economy on Fox Business
Ed Conard joins Stu Varney to discuss the coronavirus’s potential impact on the U.S. and global economy on Fox Business’s “Varney & Co.” Will the coronavirus send us into a recession? Read More
Debating the Strength of the Trump Economy on Bill Martinez Live
Ed Conard discusses the on going strength of the Trump economy on Bill Martinez Live. Read More
HIGHLIGHTS
A Trade Policy That Wouldn’t Leave Low-Wage Workers Behind
Edward Conard National Review December 5, 2016 President-elect Donald Trump has shown Republicans how to forge a new electoral college majority by energizing blue-collar voters. His victory, with its demands to restrict trade and immigration, also marks the end of free-market advocates’ control over the Republican party. But there is a way that these advocates might find common ground with blue-collar Republicans to accelerate wage growth, better fund looming pension benefits without tax increases, and defeat the next iteration of liberalism. Republicans have always been a coalition of voting minorities,… Read More
Greg Mankiw & Ed Conard Discuss the Upside of Inequality on C-SPAN’s Book TV
Harvard economist Greg Mankiw interviews Ed Conard about his new book, The Upside of Inequality: How Good Intentions Undermine the Middle Class for C-SPAN Book TV’s “After Words.” Read More
Analyzing President-elect Trump’s Policy Priorities on CNBC’s “Squawk Box” with Andrew Ross Sorkin
Ed Conard discusses President-elect Donald Trump's transition team and banking policy challenges with Andrew Ross Sorkin on CNBC's "Squawk Box." Read More
Dallas Morning News Q&A: How We Can Address Growing Wage Disparity with Ultra-High-Skilled Immigration
Ed Conard speaks with Jim Mitchell of the Dallas Morning News about his new book, The Upside of Inequality: How Good Intentions Undermine the Middle Class. Jim Mitchell Dallas Morning News October 13, 2016 Former Bain Capital managing director Edward Conard says middle-class prosperity is taking it on the chin, but the concentration of wealth in the top 1 percent is not the reason. The problem is the entrepreneurs have moved to Silicon Valley, with few left behind to re-employ workers in areas where factories are closing down. In his new book, The Upside of… Read More
Debating the Politics of Income Inequality on CNBC’s “Squawk Alley”
Ed Conard debates the politics of income inequality with Carl Quintanilla and Jon Fortt on CNBC’s “Squawk Alley." Read More
“The Upside of Inequality” Reaches #1 on New York Times Business Book List
My new book The Upside of Inequality: How Good Intentions Undermine the Middle Class reached #1 on the New York Times bestselling business book list this month. The National Review says Upside is “the Conservative answer to Thomas Piketty that you’ve all been waiting for.” Buy the book, write a review, or follow me on social media at www.EdwardConard.com/Action. Read More
Buzzfeed’s Ben Smith on My Views About Trumponomics & The Future of the GOP
Buzzfeed’s Ben Smith summarizes my talk at Mitt Romney’s offsite conference on how advocates of free enterprise can find common ground with Trump supporters, and win the presidential election without slowing the economy or dividing the country. It’s a little over-the-top, with menacing music and such, but you can read Ben's post below and watch my presentation here. Buzzfeed by Ben Smith September 28, 2016 At a private gathering of wealthy Republicans this June, a banker named Edward Conard made a radical proposal: To save capitalism from Donald Trump, American business leaders would need to abandon old… Read More
Explaining Trump’s Tax and Trade Policies with Tom Keene on Bloomberg TV’s “Surveillance”
Ed Conard explains Trump’s tax and trade policies with Tom Keene on Bloomberg TV’s “Surveillance." Read More
How to Save the Middle Class on Bloomberg Radio’s “Surveillance with Tom Keene”
Ed Conard discusses how to save the middle class on Bloomberg Radio’s “Surveillance with Tom Keene." Read More
“The Upside of Inequality” Reaches #8 on The New York Times Bestseller List!
My new book The Upside of Inequality: How Good Intentions Undermine the Middle Class reached #8 on the New York Times bestseller list this week. I summarize the book for Morning Joe, Maria Bartiromo, The New York Times and TIME Magazine. The National Review says Upside is “the Conservative answer to Thomas Piketty that you’ve all been waiting for.” Buy the book, write a review, or follow me on social media at www.EdwardConard.com/Action. Read More- National Review: “The Upside of Inequality” Is The Conservative Answer to Piketty That You’ve All Been Waiting For
National Review by Patrick Brennan September 19, 2016 It’s been a rough few years for conservative economics. In some arenas, such as federal policymaking, this is understandable, given who holds the White House. But the fact that we’re losing ground in the world of ideas, too, is less forgivable. In some arenas, such as federal policymaking, this is understandable, given who holds the White House. But the fact that we’re losing ground in the world of ideas, too, is less forgivable. Consider the economics books and ideas that have broken… Read More 
Explaining “The Upside of Inequality” on FBN’s “Mornings with Maria”
I explain my new book "The Upside of Inequality" and debate middle-class wage growth with Maria Bartiromo on Fox Business Network's "Mornings with Maria." Watch the latest video at video.foxbusiness.com Read More
Debating “The Upside of Inequality” on MSNBC’s “Morning Joe”
I debate my new book The Upside of Inequality with Joe Scarborough, Mika Brezezinski, Mike Barnicle and Mike Lupica on MSNBC's "Morning Joe". Read More
What Liberals Don’t Understand About Income Inequality
Edward Conard Time.com September 13, 2016 Blaming the success of America’s 1% for the slow growth of middle- and working-class incomes leads to policies that slow an already slow-growing economy. A shortage of properly trained talent and risk-taking limit the growth of America’s innovation-driven economy. In those circumstances, growth can manifest itself as an increase in employment or an increase in wages. When America spreads talent and entrepreneurial risk-taking over a greater number of workers, it slows middle- and working-class productivity and wage growth. U.S. employment has grown twice as… Read More
Edward Conard Debate Highlights
Edward Conard published The Upside of Inequality: How Good Intentions Undermine the Middle Class in September 2016. The book debuted at #8 on the New York Times top ten non-fiction list and reached #1 on the New York Times business book list. Upside was met with positive reviews, including former president of Harvard University and economist Larry Summers, a very tough critic on the other side of the aisle, blurbed: I disagree but respect the argument, calling it “a very valuable contribution” that will “sharpen your thinking on critical economic issues.” National Review said of Conard and Upside:… Read More