Garrett Neiman

Income Inequality: The Moral Issue of Our Time?

Alan Schwartz, Jared Bernstein, Douglas Holtz-Eakin, Garrett Neiman, Sarah Rosen Wartell, Darren Walker

A panel convened by the Ford Foundation, led by Darren Walker, shifts the national discourse from debating income inequality to implementing structural solutions, citing data that reveals the U.S. trails other developed nations in quality-of-life outcomes despite its wealth. Experts including Jared Bernstein and Doug Holtz-Eakin analyze how systemic drivers like racial disparities in the criminal justice system, historical policy exclusions in the GI Bill, and stagnant wage growth have hardwired inequality into the economy. The discussion concludes with specific policy recommendations such as universal Pre-K, infrastructure investments to reverse segregation, and direct job creation for justice-involved individuals to foster economic mobility.