On Tuesday, September 12, 9:30 AM, authors Clair Brown, John Haltiwanger, and Julia Lane will hold a press conference to release the findings in their book, Economic Turbulence: Is a Volatile Economy Good for America?, at the National Press Club in Washington D.C.. You can listen to the conference live via a web cast hosted by the National Opinion Research Center. The press conference will be followed by a symposium to discuss their research at the National Academy of Sciences.
In Economic Turbulence Brown, Haltiwanger, and Lane explore the real impact of volatility on American workers and businesses alike. According to the authors, while any number of events—shifts in consumer demand, changes in technology, mergers and acquisitions, or increased competition—can contribute to economic turbulence, our economy as a whole is, by and large, stronger for it, because these processes of creation and destruction make it more flexible and adaptable. Basing their argument on an up-close look into the dealings and practices of five key industries—financial services, retail food services, trucking, semiconductors, and software—the authors demonstrate the positive effects of turbulence on career paths, employee earnings, and firm performance.
The first substantial attempt to disentangle and make clear the complexities of this phenomenon in the United States, Economic Turbulence will be viewed as a major achievement and the centerpiece of any discussion on the subject for years to come.
The webcast of the press conference will be archived by NORC. You may also read an excerpt from the book.
Update: NPR’s Morning Edition also ran an informative piece on the book, archived audio from the September 13th broadcast can be found here.