Economy Research
From 2007 to 2009, during a time of significant economic turmoil in our country, Public Works undertook a major research effort focused on creating a new conversation about government’s role in the economy. Our goal was to discover how organizations that are working on public sector solutions to economic issues can overcome entrenched obstacles – specifically, the fact that people have little understanding of how the economy works and have even less sense of how government affects it.
This research, conducted by the Topos Partnership, revealed that those advocating for an active role for government in shaping economic policy are operating at a challenging intersection of public perceptions and attitudes about the economy, the roles of government, and the roles and responsibilities of individuals. Americans lack a basic understanding of how the economy works. They think that economic conditions are subject to natural fluctuations like the weather. The only influence they see individuals having is as "Individual Actors." They have extremely limited and problematic notions of the role government should play in shaping the economy. They see government action as a last resort and believe it should be used only to protect the deserving and to police bad actors, and even then it risks creating dependency and stifling business productivity. And, finally, they have little sense of their own power to influence economic policy. People see themselves primarily as workers and consumers. Obscured is the idea of responsible citizens – average people who willingly view themselves as part of the larger community and as capable of contributing to the collective management of society, keeping an eye on economic policy, and weighing in on important decisions. However, the research also demonstrated that those seeking to engage the public more effectively in economic policy can build support for approaches that serve all Americans. The research demonstrated that they must tell a new story about the economy – and that story should explain how things work, uncovering the policies and structures that create a particular kind of economy. It should give the public a sense of intentionality and interdependence – that helps Americans see how we can shape the economy to meet our common goals and use public policy decisions to do so.
For a complete summary of our lessons from this research, read our Government, the Economy, and We the People. All additional Public Works Research reports are listed below in chronological order:
This research, conducted by the Topos Partnership, revealed that those advocating for an active role for government in shaping economic policy are operating at a challenging intersection of public perceptions and attitudes about the economy, the roles of government, and the roles and responsibilities of individuals. Americans lack a basic understanding of how the economy works. They think that economic conditions are subject to natural fluctuations like the weather. The only influence they see individuals having is as "Individual Actors." They have extremely limited and problematic notions of the role government should play in shaping the economy. They see government action as a last resort and believe it should be used only to protect the deserving and to police bad actors, and even then it risks creating dependency and stifling business productivity. And, finally, they have little sense of their own power to influence economic policy. People see themselves primarily as workers and consumers. Obscured is the idea of responsible citizens – average people who willingly view themselves as part of the larger community and as capable of contributing to the collective management of society, keeping an eye on economic policy, and weighing in on important decisions. However, the research also demonstrated that those seeking to engage the public more effectively in economic policy can build support for approaches that serve all Americans. The research demonstrated that they must tell a new story about the economy – and that story should explain how things work, uncovering the policies and structures that create a particular kind of economy. It should give the public a sense of intentionality and interdependence – that helps Americans see how we can shape the economy to meet our common goals and use public policy decisions to do so.
For a complete summary of our lessons from this research, read our Government, the Economy, and We the People. All additional Public Works Research reports are listed below in chronological order:
- Government, the Economy, and We the People is a summary of all the economy research findings.
- Leveraging the Idea of Public Structures as Foundations of the Economy describes how to use the public structures concept in communicating ways government systems and structures support our economy. Topos Partnership, commissioned by Public Works: The Demos Center for the Public Sector, Nov. 2009.
- Paving the Way: Government's Role in Economic Innovation recommends strategies for discussing government's role in economic innovation. Topos Partnership, commissioned by Public Works: The Demos Center for the Public Sector, Nov. 2009.
- Rethinking the Economy? examines how Americans think about the economy and government's role in it both before and after the 2008 economic downturn. Topos Partnership, commissioned by Public Works: The Demos Center for the Public Sector, Nov. 2009.
- Promoting Broader Prosperity A Topos Strategy and Research Brief is a more in-depth synthesis of the research findings. Topos Partnership, commissioned by Public Works: The Demos Center for the Public Sector, Oct. 2009.
