Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis
The Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA), made possible through a generous gift from Irene and Bernard L. Schwartz, is the economic policy research arm of the Department of Economics at The New School for Social Research. The activities of SCEPA are organized around three broad areas: Economic Growth and Development, Equity and Living Standards, and Employment. The center focuses on the U.S. economy, but always with an eye on global implications. The underlying purpose of SCEPA's research activities is to determine the conditions under which a more stable, equitable, and prosperous economy is possible, both in the United States and globally, and to develop domestic and international policies necessary to bring about these conditions. Teresa Ghilarducci is the Irene and Bernard L. Schwartz Professor in Economic Policy Analysis and the director of the program. William Milberg, associate professor of economics, coordinates program planning. Jeff Madrick is the director of policy research and editor of Challenge magazine.
The primary work of the center is organized around faculty-student research teams. Each year the center hires a number of graduate research assistants who are assigned to a faculty research leader. One research team is studying economic insecurity, especially with regard to retirement income, health care, and mandated savings. We are starting a study of the equity and effectiveness of tax expenditures and Social Security reform. Research on workplace standards and financial performance identifies the labor relations practices of the large capitalized publicly traded companies in the United States. Other important projects include: net borrowing trends in the U.S., the sustainability of U.S. trade and budget deficits, the effects of productivity growth on employment, and the evolution of the wages of American workers. A past project focused on the development of new indicators of employment and inequality: The Labor Market Indicators Project integrated job quality into measures of U.S. labor market strength. Another project developed a unique indicator allowing an international comparison of income inequality called the Vast Majority Income Index.
The center publishes its research in its scholarly working papers and in a series of widely distributed policy notes. The center also supports a series of high-profile public lectures, research workshops, scholarly books, and conferences. The annual Schwartz Lecture features a major public figure in economic policy. Past speakers include Laura Tyson, Amartya Sen, James K. Galbraith, and Paul Krugman. The Robert Heilbroner Memorial Lecture on the Future of Capitalism Series features a distinguished, scholarly talk on long-term economic trends. Sanford Jacoby will present the Robert Heilbroner Memorial Lecture in September. These events are used to gain a greater understanding of questions of economic justice and how the profit-seeking activities of private firms might also serve broader social goals, such as the creation of good jobs, the improvement of public health and education, the diffusion of new, socially useful technologies, and the reduction of economic inequality.
The center is also the sponsor of the David Gordon Award for outstanding graduate student research paper and the annual student conference.
For more information, contact:
Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis
79 Fifth Ave., 11th floor
New York, NY 10003
Telephone: 212.229.5901 x4911
Fax: 212.229.5903
E-mail: cepa@newschool.edu
Web site: www.newschool.edu/cepa