The Past, Present, and Future of Work

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The theme for the fall 2019 program was The Past, Present, and Future of Work. The history of paid work and labor markets in the United States is the story of increasing standards of living. It is also the story of women, immigrants, teenagers, and racial minorities encountering social and legal discrimination, and overcoming it (sometimes). Increasing skills, labor productivity, and wages have often gone hand in hand, though not always. Why not? And what does the future hold? Students in this reading group explored these and related questions through a set of readings that examines each topic in depth, primarily by reading works published by academic economists, historians, and others.

The summit meeting featured group discussions and formal remarks from David Neumark, Chancellors Professor of Economics and Director of Economic Self-Sufficiency Policy Research Institute at the University of California at Irvine. The reading schedule included selections from Prof. Neubmark's book (co-authored with William L. Wascher), Minimum Wages.

The schedule of readings and topics of discussion for the fall 2019 McLane Teammates Reading Program can be found at the following link:

McLane Teammates Reading Program — Fall 2019 Reading List

Please contact the Free Market Institute with any questions by email at free.market@ttu.edu or by phone at 806.742.7138. 

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More general information about the program and application process can be found on the McLane Teammates Reading Program page.