America’s Exceptional Work Ethic

Published: July 10, 2018

American workers have always been industrious, leading to long-term growth and prosperity. The American spirit is one of self-reliance and individual drive to improve our financial situation, and it hasn’t wavered much even after centuries of increasing our standard of living. Long-term investments in education and a willingness to move for economic opportunities helped America succeed.

Click below to watch the other videos in Examining America's Exceptional Economy.

• America's Exceptional Economy
• America's Exceptional Labor Force
• Sustaining America's Exceptional Economy  

This four-part video series explores what has made America's economy successful, what sets it apart from other nations, and what needs to be done to sustain its prominence in the global economy. Lazear shows that America and its people have prospered by prioritizing economic freedom, industriousness, low taxes, light regulation, free trade, and openness to immigration. 

Edward Lazear studies labor markets, tax reform, human capital, and their effects on economic growth. He is the Morris Arnold and Nona Jean Cox Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution and the Davies Family Professor of Economics at Stanford University's Graduate School of Business. He also served at the White House from 2006 to 2009 as a chairman of the President's Council of Economic Advisers.

Additional Resources

• Read American Exceptionalism in a New Era edited by Thomas Gilligan.
• Read “America’s Exceptional Economy” by Edward Lazear here.
• Read “Law and the Regulatory State” by John Cochrane here.
• Read “Whither American Exceptionalism?” by Niall Ferguson.
• Read “What Makes America Great? Entrepreneurship” by Lee Ohanian here.