Episode 66 - An Abundance Agenda for Workers?

Episode 66 - An Abundance Agenda for Workers?

Author: CUNY SLU March 25, 2026 Duration: 36:25
Can we have an "abundance agenda" that works for workers? The renowned Harvard University economist Dani Rodrik argues that we can - so long as we accept that manufacturing is no longer the path to good jobs, embrace new technologies to boost productivity in the service sector, and adopt a more pragmatic and experimental approach to policy making. Rodrik joins Chris Maisano on the latest episode of the SLU podcast Reinventing Solidarity to talk about his new book, Shared Prosperity in a Fractured World (Princeton University Press, 2025), and his ideas for dealing with the challenges of climate change, global poverty, and creating good jobs for working people.

What does it mean to stand together in a world that often feels fragmented? Reinventing Solidarity, from CUNY SLU, digs into that question without easy answers. This isn't a lecture series, but a collection of grounded conversations exploring how connection and mutual support are being reimagined right now. You'll hear from organizers, artists, scholars, and community members who are actively building bridges across differences, examining both the triumphs and the stumbling blocks in contemporary collective action. Each episode focuses on real-world examples, from workplace organizing and neighborhood initiatives to cultural projects that challenge old narratives. The discussions are nuanced, avoiding simple slogans in favor of honest talk about the hard work of building lasting bonds in our communities and institutions. Tune in for a thoughtful exploration of the practical and philosophical sides of coming together. This podcast offers a necessary space to consider how solidarity isn't just a historical concept, but a living, evolving practice we all have a stake in shaping.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 66

Reinventing Solidarity
Podcast Episodes
Episode 65 - Making Sense of the Radical Right [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:03
Radical right-wing politics is commonly understood as a cry of the “left behind” - working-class voters who lost out in the transition to a post-industrial, services-based, and globalized economy. Philip Rathgeb, a polit…
Episode 64 - "The Law of Capitalism and How to Transform It" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 44:51
Capitalism is commonly understood as an economic system, but Columbia University legal scholar Katharina Pistor argues that its more properly understood as a kind of legal regime. Pistor joins Chris Maisano on the latest…
Episode 63 - Lessons from 100 Years of Black Labor Activism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 53:44
At a live event at CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, CUNY SLU Assistant Professor of Labor Studies Cameron Black moderated a lively panel discussion of Cedric de Leon’s new book, Freedom Train: Black Politics and t…
Episode 62 - Introducing New Labor Forum Editor Chris Maisano [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 41:46
At a live event at the CUNY School of Labor and Urban Studies, New Labor Forum Editor-at-Large Micah Uetricht interviews the journal's new Editor Chris Maisano, who introduces himself, offers some thoughts about the curr…
Episode 61 - Labor Against Authoritarianism [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 37:39
In this episode of Reinventing Solidarity, we feature a keynote address from National Education Association president Becky Pringle from a conference titled "Labor and the Crisis of Democracy," hosted by the CUNY School…
Episode 59 - Jaz Brisack on Union Organizing Today [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 42:06
New Labor Forum’s Micah Uetricht speaks with labor organizer and former Starbucks barista Jaz Brisack about the Starbucks campaign, the practice of salting, and their new book Get on the Job and Organize: Standing Up for…
Episode 58 - Interrogating the Entrepreneurial Work Ethic [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:13
Historian Erik Baker talks to New Labor Forum's Micah Uetricht about the sanctified place of the entrepreneur in American history, and why the entrepreneurial work ethic is at the core of how the Right hopes to remake wo…
Episode 56 - Class Dealignment and the Two-Party System [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 49:57
New Labor Forum editor-at-large Micah Uetricht speaks to the Center for Working-Class Politics's Jared Abbott about Democrats losing working-class voters, why it matters, and the prospects for reversing it.