Many policymakers were caught off guard by both the onset and the scale of the Great Recession, which helps explain the inadequate policy response to the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. EPI hosted a symposium, with support from the Groundwork Collaborative, where participants explored factors that may trigger the next recession, how we can best respond when the recession does hit, and how we can sustain that response all the way back to genuine full employment.

Resources

• Recession or not, there will be pain: Coping with corporate bonds
  By Eileen Appelbaum
• The time to prepare for the next recession is now
  By William E. Spriggs
• The next recession will create an opportunity to redefine the government’s role in the economy: Lessons from healthcare organizing
  By Margarida Jorge
• A strong work-centered climate agenda must be central to addressing the next recession
  By Zoe Lipman
• Ohio’s economy no longer fully recovers after recessions
  By Amy Hanauer
• A progressive strategy for addressing the next recession must include a deliberate, strategic focus on states and localities
  By Naomi Walker
• What should we know about the next recession?
  Report • By Josh Bivens • April 18, 2019
• Break glass in case of emergency: Strategy memo for winning a robust and just recovery from the next recession
  By Connie Razza • April 18, 2019
• The Great Recession, education, race, and homeownership
  By Christopher Famighetti and Darrick Hamilton
• Fighting inequality is key to preparing for the next recession
  By Heather Boushey and Somin Park
• The Next Recession: Keynote address (transcript)
  By Christina Romer

9:00–9:15 a.m. Welcome and opening remarks

• Thea Lee, Economic Policy Institute

9:15–10:30 a.m. Causes and Consequences of the Next Recession

• Moderator: Josh Bivens, Economic Policy Institute
• Heather Boushey, Washington Center for Equitable Growth
• Darrick Hamilton, Kirwan Institute
• Amy Hanauer, Policy Matters Ohio
• Angela Hanks, Groundwork Collaborative

10:30–10:45 a.m. Coffee break

10:45–11:30 a.m. Keynote address

• Christina Romer, University of California, Berkeley

11:30–11:45 a.m. Break to collect box lunch

11:45 a.m.–1:00 p.m. Responding to the Next Recession

• Moderator: Connie Razza, Center for Popular Democracy
• Margarida Jorge, Health Care for America Now
• Zoe Lipman, BlueGreen Alliance
• William Spriggs, AFL-CIO
• Naomi Walker, Economic Policy Institute

1:00–1:05 p.m. Closing remarks

• Josh Bivens, Economic Policy Institute