Economist at the Institute for New Economic Thinking, specializing in inequality, political economy, and the history of capitalism.
Global inequality has reached levels not seen since the Gilded Age. Understanding the forces driving this divergence — technological change, globalization, financialization, and the erosion of labor power — is essential for designing effective responses.
Predictions of mass unemployment from automation have been made — and proven wrong — repeatedly since the Industrial Revolution. But the current wave of AI-driven automation is different in important ways, affecting cognitive as well as physical work and moving faster than previous technological transitions. The challenge is ensuring that the gains are broadly shared.
The gig economy has created millions of jobs and given workers unprecedented flexibility. It has also created a new class of workers — the precariat — who lack the benefits, protections, and security of traditional employment. The legal battles over worker classification are reshaping labor law and the future of work.
Housing costs in major cities have risen far faster than incomes for decades, pricing out the middle class and creating a crisis of affordability that is reshaping urban demographics, commute patterns, and social mobility. The causes are well understood; the political will to address them is not.