Videos
Industrial Policy: The Case Of Shipbuilding
The United States produces very few ships. China produces many. Why?
November 11, 2026
Published January 21, 2021
Whether rising income inequality is good or bad depends on why it's rising. We should worry more about whether people have a chance to get ahead and worry less that some get ahead faster than others. In particular, we should help Americans at the bottom get the opportunity to flourish.
- Watch Episode 1 in this series, How Is The Middle Class Doing?
- Watch Episode 2 in this series, The Paradox of Household Income.
- Watch Episode 3 in this series, Do The Rich Get All The Gains?
- Watch Episode 4 in this series, Let's Party Like It's 1973!
Discussion Questions:
- What are the realities versus the myths of poverty?
- How can we understand the root causes of poverty?
Additional Resources
- Read “Do the Rich Get All the Gains from Economic Growth?” by Russ Roberts. Available here.
- Russ Roberts hosts EconTalk with guest Richard Burkhauser of Cornell University and talks about the state of the middle class, available here.
- Read “What Do Economists Actually Know?” by Russ Roberts, available here.
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