HKS Affiliated Authors

Ford Foundation Professor of International Political Economy

Excerpt

Winter 2023, Paper: "The reinvention of the economy of the 21st century will need to take place during an era of new challenges: climate change, geopolitical rivalry and supply-chain fragility. As policymakers in advanced economies reorientate toward these intersecting issues, the promise of ‘good jobs’ for workers will need to be a core pillar of their new economic model. We call this new model ‘productivism’ – though the substance matters more than the label itself. Productivism seeks to create productive economic opportunities throughout all regions of an economy and all parts of the workforce.1 It differs from neoliberalism in that it gives governments a more expansive role to play in the economy. It also differs from welfare-state Keynesianism in that it places less emphasis on transfers and macroeconomic policies. At its core lies a new relationship between the public and private sectors. Governments and firms collectively problem-solve to remove obstacles holding back productive opportunities and internalise the positive benefits brought about by the good jobs created as a result."