Week Seven :: August 7–14

The State of the Economy: Where Do We Go From Here?

• What drives the rebuilding of the economy in the wake of COVID-19? In the summer of 2021 — a year and a half after the pandemic plunged the U.S. into recession — we examine the state of “recovery” from Main Street to Wall Street; what has been lost and what has thrived; and what the crisis has laid bare in terms of necessary investments and structural reforms. How do we make our economy more resilient?
• During this week we consider what building a new economy can and should look like, beyond high employment and growing businesses. Do we want an economy that looks like the one we had on January 1, 2020, or one that is more just in the distribution of wealth? What will we have learned during the months following the re-opening of the economy, and what are we learning from the approaches of other nations? What — and who — have we deemed essential in this new and evolving economy?

Interfaith Lecture Theme :: Creating an Economy that Works for All

A society failing to uphold justice for all is not a just society. A just society supports health care, work opportunity and wage justice, and bridges the divides that create life-diminishing inequalities in education and access to essential services. It bridges wealth gaps and promotes the opportunity to thrive for all. How do religion and ethical humanism make demands upon economic policy, and what difference does this make?