Reflections on Personal Motivations and Optimism for Change

This week, Nick and Goldy are joined by Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist David Leonhardt to discuss his latest book, Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream. They discuss the relationship between academic economics and the forces that sought to dismantle the mid-century consensus that promoted shared economic growth in the post-World War II era. Leonhardt shares anecdotes from his extensive research, highlighting what lessons from the past could guide us toward a more equitable future.

David Leonhardt is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and columnist for The New York Times, where he writes its flagship newsletter, “The Morning.” He has also been the newspaper’s Washington bureau chief, an op-ed columnist, a staff writer for The New York Times Magazine, and the founding editor of “The Upshot.”

Twitter: @DLeonhardt

Further reading: 

Ours Was the Shining Future: The Story of the American Dream

New York Times: Why Are Republican Presidents So Bad for the Economy?

The Great Exception: The New Deal and the Limits of American Politics

Website: http://pitchforkeconomics.com

Twitter: @PitchforkEcon

Instagram: @pitchforkeconomics

Nick’s twitter: @NickHanauer