Selected Speaking

Talks

“America’s Healthcare Coverage Crisis,” Mostly Economics Podcast, Center for Economic and Policy Research August 7, 2025.

“The Future of Work,” panelist, Opening of the Commission on the Future of Work and Unions, AFL-CIO, Washington, DC, May 3, 2018.

“What Policies for the Middle Class,” panelist, OECD / World Bank conference on “The Squeezed Middle Class in OECD and Emerging Countries–Myth and Reality,” OECD, Paris, December 1-2, 2016.

“Current controversies in the minimum wage,” joint URPE/AEA session, Allied Social Sciences Association meetings, Boston, January 4, 2015.

“The labor market and the challenge of precarious employment,” panelist, conference on “O Trabalho no Brasil: uma perspectiva comparativa,” Unicamp, Campinas, Brazil, November 13-14, 2014.

“Recession, Recovery, and Labor-Market Flexibility in the United States, 2007-2013,” panelist, conference on European and American Labor Markets in the Crisis, organized by DARES and CEPREMAP, Paris, November 6-7, 2014.

“Don’t blame the robots: assessing the job polarization explanation of growing wage inequality,” paper presentation, Federal Reserve Board, Washington, DC, November 3, 2014.

“Economic inequality in the United States,” guest lecture, Masters in Public Health program, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, February 21, 2014.

“How to lift up low-income Americans: Increase the minimum wage?” Roundtable Discussion, Council on Foreign Relations, Washington, DC, January 8, 2014.

“The U.S. minimum wage,” panelist, G-20 Seminar on “Consistency Between Macroeconomic and Labor Policies,” Buenos Aires, Argentina, November 18, 2013.

“Creating Good Jobs,” panelist, conference commemorating “75 Years of the Fair Labor Standards Act,” U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC, November 15, 2013.

“Should we raise the minimum wage,” guest, Radio Times with Marty Moss-Coane, November 14, 2013.

“Good jobs for black workers,” panelist, Congressional Black Caucus Annual Legislative Conference, Washington, DC, September 19, 2013.

“Is Education the Answer?” panelist, Roosevelt Institute conference on “A Bold Approach to the Jobs Emergency,” Washington, DC, June 4, 2013.

“Fair labor markets and sustainable industrial policy,” panelist, Friedrich Ebert Foundation conference on “A Trans-Atlantic Agenda for Shared Prosperity,” Berlin, March 11, 2013.

“Economic inequality in the United States,” guest lecture, Masters in Public Health program, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, February 22, 2013.

“The Impact of Paid Sick Days on Jobs: What’s the Real Story?” speaker, Community Service Society roundtable, New York City, April 20, 2012.

“Inequality in the United States since the end of the 1970s,” guest lecture, Masters in Public Health program, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, March 2, 2012.

“Can the Affordable Care Act Reverse Three Decades of Declining Health Insurance Coverage for Low-Wage Workers?” Kalmanovitz Initiative conference on “What Works for Workers,” Georgetown University, Washington, DC, February 22-23, 2012.

“Low-wage Lessons from the Wealthy World,” Korea Labor Institute conference on the “Welfare States’ Response to Labor Market Dualism and Working Poor,” Seoul, Korea, December 16, 2011.

“Deconstructing Structural Unemployment,” Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland Policy Summit, June 9, 2011.

“Inequality as Policy,” Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences and Friedrich Ebert Foundation conference on “Redistribution for Growth? Income Inequality and Demand-Led Economic Growth in Emerging Economies,” Shanghai, May 9-12, 2011.

“International lessons from the Great Recession,” paper presented at “Reconnecting to Work” conference at the Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, April 1, 2011.

“The economy, the recession, and the labor movement,” talk, Georgetown Alternative Spring Break, March 11, 2011.

“Debts and deficits,” talk, Washington Intern Institute, Washington, DC, March 7, 2011.

“Labor markets and economic inequality in the United States since the end of the 1970s,” guest lecture, Masters in Public Health program, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, February 25, 2011.

“Public Sector Unions: Who Do They Really Serve?” guest, Michel Martin, Tell Me More, February 25, 2011.

“Debts and deficits, winners and losers” panelist, Kay Spiritual Life Center, American University, January 27, 2011.

“Federal worker pay,” briefing to executive board of the American Federation of Government Employees, Washington, DC, November 18, 2010.

“Overcoming the Jobs Crisis,” panelist, International Monetary Fund, Washington, DC, November 16, 2010.

“Making the Case Against Raising the Retirement Age: The Effects of Reducing Social Security Benefits,” briefing for Senate staff, C-SPAN, September 9, 2010.

“The argument for paid vacations: the policy and quality of life implications,” guest, Marty Moss-Coane, Radio Times, August 25, 2010.

“Unions and Upward Mobility for Asian Pacific Americans,” Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance Executive Board Meeting, Washington, DC, April 17, 2010.

“The Changing Face of Labor,” Service Employees International Union, Washington, DC, January 29, 2010.

“The Changing Face of Labor,” American Federation of Government Employees, Local 12, Department of Labor, Washington, DC, January 26, 2010.

Panelist, “Economic and Political Realities and Opportunities,” Family Values @ Work Consortium Annual Meeting, The Ford Foundation, New York, December 7, 2009.

Panelist, “Roger Weissberg’s ‘Waging a Living,’” University of Coimbra, Portugal, September 28, 2009.

“Inequality as Policy: The United States Since 1979,” Economics Faculty, University of Coimbra, Portugal, September 28, 2009.

“Unions and Upward Mobility for Women Workers,” Fourth Annual Washington Area Women’s Foundation’s Stepping Stones Research Briefing, Washington, DC, May 20, 2009.

“The Great Recession: Policy Responses in the United States,” El arte de la crisis: seminarios sobre la crisis sistémica del capitalismo, Museo Reina Sofia, Madrid, Spain, April 22, 2009.

“The Employee Free Choice Act,” panelist, Alaska State Chamber of Commerce, Anchorage, Alaska, April 8, 2009.

“Public Policies and Working Families: Providing Support and Equalizing Access,” panelist, Work-Family Mini-Conference, Eastern Sociological Society Meetings, March 21, 2009, Baltimore.

“Illegal Firings in Union Organizing Campaigns,” AFL-CIO Executive Council Meeting, Miami Beach, Florida, March 4, 2009.

“Big Three Automakers Take Their Case to Capitol Hill,” guest, Michel Martin, Tell Me More, November 18, 2008.

“The Economic Crisis,” Current Social, Political, and Economic Issues for Young European Leaders, U.S. Department of State’s International Visitor Leadership Program, Washington, DC, October 21, 2008.

“Lessons for the United States from Low-Wage Work in Europe,” Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, University of California, Berkeley, California, October 13, 2008.

“Lessons for the United States from Low-Wage Work in Europe,” Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA), New School, New York, New York, September 17, 2008.

“Flat-Tax Fever,” speaker, Cursos de Verano, El Escorial, Spain, July 15-17, 2008.

“Illegal Firings in Union Organizing Campaigns,” AFL-CIO, Washington, DC, June 17, 2008.

“Lessons for the United States from Low-Wage Employment in Europe,” speaker, Press Conference for release of five-volume study of low-wage work in Europe, Amsterdam, April 18, 2008.

“War and Peace in the Middle Class,” panelist, National Chamber Foundation (US Chamber of Commerce) Business Horizon Retreat, Orlando, Florida, March 3, 2008.

“The Disappearing Middle Class?” debate with Stephen Rose, Center for Economic and Policy Research, Washington, DC, December 1, 2007.

“Rising Wealth Inequality: Why Should We Care?” panelist, Conference on “Wealth Inequality and the Eroding Middle Class,” UNC Center on Poverty, Work, and Opportunity, University of North Carolina, November 4-5, 2007.

“Leisure, Nature, Art, and Culture,” panelist, Conference on “What is the Economy For, Anyway?” Washington, DC, October 5-7, 2007.

“Low-wage Employment: A U.S. Perspective,” Society for the Advancement of Socio-Economics, Copenhagen, June 28-30, 2007.

“Dropping the Ax: Illegal Firings During Union Election Campaigns,” AFGE Local 12, Department of Labor, Washington, DC, May 15, 2007.

“The Rising Employment Gap between Foreign- and Domestic-Born Women in the United States and Great Britain,” Low-Wage European Research Network Workshop on Migration, London School of Economics, April 20-21, 2007.

“Is the United States a Good Model for Reducing Social Exclusion in Europe?” Conference on “What Union? What future? What Europe?” Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland, September 11, 2006.

“Is the United States a Good Model for Reducing Social Exclusion in Europe?” Fifth Encounter of Salamanca “El Rumbo de Europa,” Salamanca, Spain, June 23, 2006.

“The importance of saving the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP),” Food and Research Action Center, 2006 National Anti-Hunger Policy Conference, Washington, DC, February 26, 2006.

“Labor markets and economic inequality in the United States since the end of the 1970s,” Guest lecture, Masters in Public Health program, Johns Hopkins University, February 17, 2006.

“Changing patterns of economic mobility of immigrants to the United States, 1980-2000,” LoWER Annual Conference, Mannheim, Germany, April 15-16, 2005.

“Job displacement over the business cycle, 1991-2001,” The Future of Work in the United States and Globally: Creating a Narrative about Economic Change, Rockefeller Conference Center, Bellagio, Italy, July 26-29, 2004.

“The Rise of Income Inequality in the United States,” Economic Roundtable of the Ohio Valley. Marietta, Ohio, April 14, 2004.

“Labor Market Institutions and Unemployment: A Critical Assessment of the Cross-Country Evidence,” (with Dean Baker). European Trade Union Institute, Brussels, March 16, 2004.

“Is the OECD Jobs Strategy Behind US and British Employment and Unemployment Success in the 1990s?” Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, Paris, March 15, 2004.

“Labor Market Protections and Unemployment: Does the IMF Have a Case?” Discussant for “Unemployment and Labor Market Institutions: Why Reforms Pay Off,” by the International Monetary Fund. Technical Meeting on Global Labor Markets and Institutions, World Bank, November 7, 2003.

“Estimating household consumption expenditure in the United States using the Interview and Diary portions of the 1980, 1990, and 1997 Consumer Expenditure Surveys,” Low-Wage European Research (LoWER) network conference, Amsterdam, April 25-26, 2003.

“Is It Time to Export the US Tax Model to Latin America?” Center for Economic Policy Analysis, New School University, New York, April 15, 2003.

“Give PCs a Chance: Changes in Personal Computer Ownership Rates in the United States and Great Britain,” Milano Graduate School, New School University, New York, April 15, 2003.

“Estimating household consumption expenditure in the United States using the Interview and Diary portions of the 1980, 1990, and 1997 Consumer Expenditure Surveys,” Demand Patterns and Employment Growth (DEMPATEM) project meeting, Paris, March 7-8, 2003.

“Is the OECD Jobs Strategy Behind US and British Employment and Unemployment Success in the 1990s?” Amsterdam Institute for Labor Studies (AIAS), University of Amsterdam. March 6, 2003.

“Labor-market transitions and the measurement of labor-market capacity,” New Cross-National Architecture for Labor-Market Statistics meeting, Bellagio, Italy, September 23-27, 2002.

“Estimating household consumption expenditure in the United States using the Interview and Diary portions of the 1997 Consumer Expenditure Survey.” Demand Patterns and Employment Growth (DEMPATEM) project meeting, Madrid, July 5-6, 2002.

“Do labor market rigidities explain the employment problems of developed countries in recent decades?” Round table discussion with Andrew Glyn and David Howell, Center for Economic Policy Analysis, New School University, New York, April 19, 2002.

“Workers and the new economy: some early lessons from the United States,” CEPREMAP, Paris, March 4, 2002.

“Workers and the new economy: some early lessons from the United States,” International Seminar on “Alternativas de Desenvolvimento e a Questão Regional,” Rio de Janeiro, August 27 and 28, 2001.

“Is the OECD Jobs Strategy Behind US and British Employment and Unemployment Success in the 1990s?” (with Jonathan Wadsworth), conference on “Liberalization and Employment Performance in the OECD,” Center for Economic Policy Analysis, New School University, New York, May 19, 2001.

“La situación de los trabajadores en los Estados Unidos, 2000-2001,” IV Curso de Economía Laboral, Facultad de Economía, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, March 30, 2001.

“Experiencias internacionales sobre medición de la pobreza,” panelist, International Symposium on “Pobreza: conceptos y metodologías,” Mexico City, Mexico, March 28-29, 2001.

“Nuevas formas de regulación: enfoques, instrumentos y contenidos,” panelist, conference on “Globalization and regional integration: institutions, state and economy” Facultad Latinoamericano de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO), Mexico City, October 25, 2000.

“The State of Working America,” Harvard Trade Union Program, The Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, January 6, 2000.

“Should We Abolish the Minimum Wage?” Public Broadcasting Service’s DebatesDebates, aired week of November 3, 1999.

“Lessons from the Minimum Wage Debate of the 1990s,” (with Jared Bernstein.) U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC, October 27, 1999.

“Understanding Unemployment and Working Time: A Cross-Country Comparative Study,” participant, Bellagio, Italy, October 11-14, 1999.

“How Do U.S. Workers Compare to Workers Elsewhere?” Washington Financial Institutions and Economic Forecasts Seminar, National Press Foundation, Washington, DC, October 6, 1999.

“The Distribution of Computer Ownership in the United States,” (with Lawrence Mishel and Maggie Spade-Aguilar) New Information Technology and Inequality Conference. Center for International Development and Conflict Management, University of Maryland, February 16, 1999.

“Globalization and Labor Markets: A View from the United States,” American Institute of Contemporary German Studies Globalization Project, February 8, 1999.

“The State of Working America, 1998-99,” (with Lawrence Mishel and Jared Bernstein) Presentation to the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Chicago, IL, February 2, 1999.

“Workers in the New Economy,” panelist, Conference on The Third Way, Social Democrats USA, Washington, DC, January 22, 1999.

“The State of Working America, 1998-99,” Economic and Social Faculty, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, November 17, 1998.

“Unemployment in the United States and Europe,” lecture to undergraduates, University College, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, November 16, 1998.

“The State of Working America, 1998-99,” (with Lawrence Mishel), Washington Financial Institutions and Economic Trends. National Press Foundation, Washington, DC, October 7, 1998.

“How New is the New Economy?” (with Jared Bernstein and Lawrence Mishel), National Economists Club. Washington, DC, September 22, 1998.

“The Third Way: Is it for Real?” panelist, World Institute for Development and Peace and the Center for Economic and Social Justice, National Press Club, Washington, DC, September 10, 1998.

“The State of Working America, 1998-99,” (with Jared Bernstein and Lawrence Mishel) Urban Institute, Washington, DC, September 9, 1998.

“The State of Working America, 1998-99,” (with Jared Bernstein and Lawrence Mishel), Briefing for U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman. September 1, 1998.

“An Evaluation of the Costs and Benefits of the ‘US Model’,” Employment Policy Institute-Economic Policy Institute-Institut Fur Wirtschaftsforschung Conference “In Search of Work,” London, June 9, 1998.

“Recent Trends in Wages, Incomes, and Wealth in the United States,” Canadian Economic Association Meetings, Ottawa, May 31, 1998.

“The Role of Research in Living Wage Campaigns,” Workshop, First Annual Scholars, Writers, and Artists for Social Justice Meeting, Washington, DC, April 25, 1998.

“The Minimum Wage,” National Public Radio, Talk of the Nation, March 3, 1998.

“An Evaluation of the G7 Economies in the 1990s,” London School of Economics Center for Economic Performance-Economic Policy Institute Press Briefing, London, February 20, 1998.

“Three Tests of the Employment Impact of the October 1996 Increase in the U.S. Minimum Wage,” European Low-Wage Employment Research Network Conference, London School of Economics, December 12-13, 1997.

“Three Tests of the Employment Impact of the October 1996 Increase in the U.S. Minimum Wage,” Economic Policy Institute Brown-Bag Seminar. December 5, 1997.

“Is There a Shortage of Information Technology Workers?” (with Lawrence Mishel), Division of Science Resources Studies. National Science Foundation. Arlington, VA, November 19, 1997.

“Why is Unemployment in Europe So High?” Charlotte Economics Club, Charlotte, NC. November 5, 1997.

“Why is Unemployment in Europe So High?” Dean Rusk Program in International Affairs, Davidson College, Davidson, NC, November 4, 1997.

“The Low-Wage Labor Market: Problems and Solutions,” American Youth Policy Forum. Washington, DC, September 5, 1997.

“The Sky Hasn’t Fallen: An Evaluation of the Economic Impact of the October 1996 Increase in the Minimum Wage,” (with Jared Bernstein), Briefing for U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexis Herman. July 7, 1997.

“Inequality and Globalization: Some Evidence from the United States,” 19th Conference of the International Working Party on Labor Market Segmentation, Porto, Portugal, July 15, 1997.

“La desigualdad económica en los Estados Unidos: el papel de la globalización,” Centro de Estudios sobre los Estados Unidos (CESEU), University of Havana, June 13, 1997.

“Welfare Reform and the Low-wage Labor Market,” (with Jared Bernstein) Coalition on Human Needs Briefing, Washington, DC, May 13, 1997.

“Did Technology Have Any Effect on the Growth of Wage Inequality in the 1980s and 1990s?” (with Lawrence Mishel and Jared Bernstein), Industrial Relations Section, Princeton University, April 30, 1997.

“Did International Trade Lower Less-skilled Wages During the 1980s? Standard Theory and Evidence,” U.S. Department of Labor, Washington, DC, April 17, 1997.

“Jobs in America: Is the Opportunity Ladder Broken?” United States Catholic Conference, Department of Social Development and World Peace Annual Meeting, Washington, DC, February 24, 1997.

“Did International Trade Lower Less-skilled Wages during the 1980s? Standard Theory and Evidence,” Society of Government Economists Session, ASSA Meetings, New Orleans, Louisiana, January 5, 1997.

“Job Creation in the United States and Europe,” Economic Policy Institute Brown Bag Series, Washington, DC, December 20, 1996.

“Sizing Up Job Reallocation,” panelist, Conference on Job Creation and Job Destruction in a Global Economy, Dallas Federal Reserve Board, El Paso Branch, El Paso, Texas, December 6, 1996.

“Inequality and Globalization: Some Evidence from the United States,” Conference on Globalization and the New Inequality, University of Utrecht, The Netherlands, November 21, 1996.

“Downsizing: Impact on the Workforce,” panelist, American Association of Retired Persons 1996 Textbook Authors Conference, Washington, DC, October 18, 1996.

“Labor Market Flexibility and Job Creation in the United States,” Conference on the Goal of Full Employment and the Three-Sector Hypothesis, Sozialakademie, Dortmund, Germany, October 15, 1996.

“Cutting Wages by Cutting Welfare: The Impact of Welfare Reform on the Low-Wage Labor Market,” AFL-CIO Briefing, Washington, DC, July 19, 1996.

“Did International Trade Lower Less-skilled Wages During the 1980s? Standard Theory and Evidence,” United States International Trade Commission. Washington, DC. May 22, 1996.

“The US Experience with the Minimum Wage,” Invited Special Session, Royal Economic Society Conference, University of Wales, Swansea, April 3, 1996.

“Increasing the Federal Minimum Wage,” panelist, National Association of Governmental Labor Officials, Wilmington, North Carolina, July 24, 1995.

“Las exportaciones y el desarrollo en El Salvador,” Instituto de Investigaciones Económicas y Sociales, Universidad Centroamericana “José Simeón Cañas,” San Salvador, El Salvador, May 20, 1993.

“Job Search Activity and Changing Unemployment Benefit Entitlement: Pseudo-Panel Estimates for Britain,” European Economics Association, Dublin, Ireland, August 29, 1992.

“The Changing Structure of Male Earnings in Britain, 1974-88,” National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts, July 23, 1992.

“The Changing Structure of Male Earnings in Britain, 1974-88,” Department of Economics, University College London, May 14, 1992.

“The Changing Structure of Male Earnings in Britain, 1974-88,” Center for Economic Performance, London School of Economics, May 5, 1992.

Testimony

“The minimum wage in the District of Columbia,” testimony before the Washington, DC, City Council, October 28, 2013. Video

“The economic impact of the minimum wage,” witness, Select Committee on Living Wage Jobs, Minnesota House of Representatives, St. Paul, Minnesota, February 25, 2013.

“Where the Jobs Are: Employment Trends and Analysis,” witness, Hearing Before the Subcommittee on Commerce, Manufacturing, and Trade of the Committee on Energy and Commerce, House of Representatives, February 15, 2012.