From education to public safety, here are ideas for ways to generate jobs and further strengthen the U.S. economy
We asked nonprofit leaders and members of Congress to offer "one big idea" about how to generate job growth and boost the economy. Here's what they said:
Increase access to child care, preschools to aid working parents
Core to a prosperous economy is adequate and affordable child care for America’s families. More than half the nation lives in child care deserts, communities where there aren’t nearly enough child care slots to meet the need, and families are spending far more than the recommended 7% of their income on this necessity. Increased access to high quality, affordable child care and preschool programs would change the course of our nation’s economic future for the better — with more parents in the workforce, more dollars spent in local neighborhoods, and more kids ready to succeed in kindergarten.
— Janti Soeripto is president and CEO of Save the Children.
Promote apprenticeships to strengthen workforce
Our economy is going through the longest period of expansion in our history. We need to embrace a governing vision that puts jobs, education and economic growth above the partisanship that too often divides us. Apprenticeship programs grow our economy by fostering training programs that will prepare workers for in-demand careers. There has been a consistent increase in the number of jobs, but employers are struggling to find skilled workers. By promoting the collaboration between higher education and apprentice programs, we can help to prepare the next generation for good-paying jobs, while addressing our nation’s shortage of trained workers.
— Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick is a Republican congressman from Pennsylvania.
Make career and technical education a priority
When it comes to the economy, we all want the same thing: steady employment, living wages and the financial security to not just get by, but thrive. Workforce development is a big part of our country’s economic success, and it will be the focus if we want to succeed moving forward. During my first year in Congress, I have introduced and passed bipartisan bills to expand and support workforce development across industries— from tech, to cybersecurity, to caregiver support to child care. Smart workforce development policy needs to prioritize education like apprenticeship programs, internships, and career and technical education to create the foundation of our economy for decades to come. These are commonsense, pro-economy solutions that every person — Democratic, Republican or independent — can support.
— Rep. Susie Lee is a Democratic congresswoman from Nevada.
Protect public safety to help small businesses create jobs
When we get past narrow partisan fights, we discover a broad consensus within local communities that "law and order" applied fairly and with compassion is essential for job growth and economic mobility, especially in middle- and lower-class areas of cities. When small businesses are hampered with the cost of fixing broken windows and cleaning up graffiti, they find it harder to hire people or stay in business at all. When customers don't come to your shop or restaurant because they are concerned their cars will be broken into or because of the smell of human waste or sight of illicit drug use, the whole community suffers, especially those at or below the poverty line. Collaboration between local law enforcement, businesses owners and community leaders can create jobs and opportunities, particularly in areas where people often get left behind.
— John Gable, a tech entrepreneur, is chief executive and co-founder of AllSides, which promotes civil dialogue and balanced news.
Invest in research and development
As Professors Jonathan Gruber and Simon Johnson have pointed out, we should invest much more in basic research, which provides an estimated return to society of more than 50% a year.
Basic research tends to be under-funded by the private sector because it takes too long, is often difficult to patent (making it harder for the private sector to profit from), and is far too risky (basic research often doesn’t pan out). Government funding is patient money. The classic example is the internet, which started as a federally funded military research project (called ARPAnet) in the 1960s, but wasn’t commercialized until the 1990s. No private company would have financed the 30 years of research and development that finally became the internet revolution.
In America, government funding of research has declined from a peak of almost 2% of gross domestic product in 1963 to only about 0.7% of GDP today. Meanwhile, China’s investment in R&D has risen at a rapid pace, and many commentators expect China to overtake the U.S. in R&D in the near future. It’s time to dramatically reverse that trend by committing to spend an additional 0.5% of GDP a year on federal R&D, targeted at state research universities.
Continuing to lead the world in science and technology is vital to American economic growth and security. Implementing these three proposals should be bipartisan priorities for 2020 and beyond.
Steven Strauss, the John L. Weinberg/Goldman Sachs & Co. Visiting Professor at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, is a member of USA TODAY’s Board of Contributors.
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