By Peter Beard Houston and the Texas Gulf Coast region are a microcosm of the forces transforming U.S. regional economies. These forces have profound implications for a region’s ability to grow its economy and compete globally. The dynamic transformation from industrial economies to technology-enabled, knowledge, and innovation-based economies is accelerating the shift in the skills … Continued
In the United States today, 75 percent of new jobs require a bachelor’s degree, but only 40 percent of workers have one. Opportunity@Work, a nonprofit organization that aims to enable one million working U.S. adults to translate their alternative credentials into work opportunities, calls this phenomenon “The Paper Ceiling.” This fall, the organization will launch a … Continued
Léon Harmel, a successful 19th century French industrialist, recognized the dignity of workers — all workers. As an employer, he provided just wages, safe working conditions, housing, and retirement and health benefits when neither regulations nor competition for labor required them. His example inspired a papal encyclical that explored the connection between humanity and work. … Continued
By Roy Spence In the United States, every generation is called to do whatever it takes to leave the next generation with a country that is safer, stronger, and more united. These days, it can certainly feel like we are on the path to not living up to that calling. At a moment when Americans … Continued
By Jade Estrada I can recall the time in my eighth grade science class when I had to dissect a sheep’s eye. My teacher, Mrs. Griffin, instructed us to carefully make an incision through the sclera. As I held my breath to minimize the fishy, rotten odor of the eyeball and moved the scalpel back … Continued
How can trade schools help students uncover their unique gifts? How can we ensure society honors the value of all work? Charles Koch Foundation Executive Director Ryan Stowers explored those questions on EdUp Experience, the leading podcast about postsecondary education in America. “Young people who have the aptitudes to create enormous amounts of value in the skilled … Continued
By Kathleen deLaski For many decades, community colleges have served as beacons of inclusivity for their regions and the most important public institution designed to offer economic mobility to the 60 percent of the adult population that has no college degree. But the drop off in learner demand tells a changing story. The enrollment declines started slowly … Continued
We sat down with Jennifer Murtazashvili, the founding director of University of Pittsburgh’s Center for Governance and Markets (CGM) to understand how institutions and governance arrangements affect social order and human well-being. CGM recently was honored with membership in the Open Society University Network for their work with threatened scholars, in particular those from Afghanistan. What is the … Continued
By Maurice Jones After two years of economic uncertainty, the U.S. job market has nearly bounced back to pre-pandemic levels. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 390,000 new jobs in May, representing an optimistic forecast for American jobseekers who either lost their jobs during the recent recession or want to transition into better career opportunities. Unfortunately, a … Continued
Fritz Bartel is an assistant professor in Texas A&M University’s Department of International Affairs. In December 2021, Cambridge University Press published Before and After the Fall: World Politics and the End of the Cold War, a volume Bartel coedited with political scientist Nuno P. Monteiro. (Monteiro tragically passed away before the book was published.) We sat down … Continued
