Aspen Economic Strategy Group

AESG author @MichaelRStrain recently published an op-ed in @FT arguing that the goals of increasing manufacturing employment and reducing the trade deficit are wrong-headed.

He cites his 2024 AESG paper, which points out that policies aimed at increasing manufacturing jobs and reducing the trade deficit have failed to raise employment and reduce the country’s reliance on China. More broadly, he suggests that seeking to boost manufacturing employment is a fundamentally misguided goal, since the decline in US manufacturing jobs is largely a result of productivity increases that have raised living standards for typical American households. Rather than attempting to turn back the clock, economic policy should be focused on connecting workers to the jobs of the future.

Read the op-ed here: ft.com/content/800da7…

NEXT WEEK: “The New American Frontier” book launch

AESG Resident Scholar @Rachel_Lipson studies seven regions at the forefront of frontier technologies—from electric vehicle plants in Austin to small modular reactors in Idaho—to explore how educators, employers, and policymakers can improve America’s job training system to fill critical roles in emerging industries.

Join us on November 17 for a conversation on the book’s key findings and policy solutions to strengthen the pathways into these careers.

Agenda highlights:

- Book discussion: Lipson sits down with @byHeatherLong, @NavyFederal Chief Economist and former Washington Post economics columnist
- Expert panel: Insights from education and workforce development leaders @EsauPearl (TechSmart Learning Fund, Arizona), Garrett Groves (Austin Community College), and Hope Morrow (@INL)
- Networking reception: Open to in-person attendees in Washington, DC

Register today to attend in person or via livestream: economicstrategygroup.org/event/book-lau…

“My colleague Kim Clausing and I just put out a paper with the Aspen Economic Strategy Group that offers a way to raise $15 trillion to meet an extraordinary fiscal moment in kind of ordinary ways.”

On @BloombergTV, @NatashaRSarin (@YaleLawSch; @The_Budget_Lab) discussed her latest AESG paper that addresses one of the country’s most pressing economic challenges—the high and rising federal debt.

Co-authored with @KClausing, the work lays out an agenda to meaningfully raise government revenue by implementing ordinary, time-tested tax mechanisms.

Watch her discussion with @DavidWestin here: youtu.be/AUJA7d08ZeM?si…

America’s competitiveness in advanced industries depends on building critical talent pipelines to fill new jobs emerging across the country—from semiconductor fabs to quantum labs to battery plants.

On November 17, join the AESG for a live discussion about Resident Scholar Rachel Lipson’s (@Rachel_Lipson) new book, “The New American Frontier: Job Training for the Next Technological Age.”

We’ll explore this next generation of technical jobs and how leaders can better prepare and connect workers to new careers.

🗓️Tuesday, November 17, 2026 at 3:30 p.m. ET
📍Aspen Institute (Washington, DC) or via livestream

Agenda Highlights:
- Book discussion with Lipson and Chief Economist at Navy Federal Credit Union Heather Long (@byHeatherLong)
- Expert panel with education and workforce development leaders Pearl Chang Esau (@EsauPearl), Garrett Groves, and Hope Morrow
- Post-panel reception (in-person attendees only)

Sign up here to secure your spot: economicstrategygroup.org/event/book-lau…

In a @nytimes essay, AESG authors Owen Zidar (@omzidar) and Eric Zwick argue that taxing a handful of billionaires “misses the forest of wealth in the Golden State for a few redwoods in Silicon Valley.” To raise meaningful revenue, they argue, the state needs to close existing loopholes that favor incumbent homeowners and “everywhere millionaires,” who figure little in the tax policy debate today.

Zidar and Zwick estimate California is home to about 450,000 households that own a private business and have at least $5 million in wealth. This group is collectively worth about $9 trillion, nearly five times as much as the billionaires.

The AESG recently sat down with Zidar and Zwick to discuss their research on everywhere millionaires. Watch the clip below for one of their key findings, and read their full op-ed here: nytimes.com/2026/10/29/opi…