Moving Working Families Forward

“Cherry and Lerman have written a compelling book that challenges the orthodoxies of both the political ‘left’ and ‘right’, and that promotes a set of policies to improve the economic status of lower-to-middle income working families. All who care about the well-being of working families will learn a great deal from their analysis.”
—Harry Holzer, Professor of Public Policy, Georgetown University
“Offers highly sophisticated proposals for helping working families advance in the wake of welfare reform. Cherry and Lerman are very expert, and they write very well.”
—Lawrence M. Mead, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, New York University
Even as our political system remains deeply divided between right and left, there is a clear yearning for a more moderate third way that navigates an intermediate position to address the most pressing issues facing the United States today. Moving Working Families Forward points to a Third Way between liberals and conservatives, combining a commitment to government expenditures that enhance the incomes of working families while recognizing that concerns for program effectiveness, individual responsibility, and underutilization of market incentives are justified.
Robert Cherry and Robert Lerman provide the context to understand the distinctive qualities of Third Way policies, focusing on seven areas that substantially affect working families: immigration, race and gender earnings disparities, education, housing, strengthening partnerships, and federal taxes. Balancing empirical studies with voices of working class people, they offer an important perspective on how public policies should be changed. A timely approach, Moving Working Families Forward makes policy recommendations that are both practical and transformative.

“"Offers highly sophisticated proposals for helping working families advance in the wake of welfare reform. Cherry and Lerman are very expert, and they write very well." ”

"A refreshing alternative to both uncompassionate conservatism and liberal guilt-mongering." - Will Marshall, Director, Progressive Policy Institute "A refreshing alternative to both uncompassionate conservatism and liberal guilt-mongering." Will Marshall, Director, Progressive Policy Institute "Cherry and Lerman have written a compelling book that challenges the orthodoxies of both the political 'left' and 'right,' and that promotes a set of policies to improve the economic status of lower-to-middle income working families." Harry Holzer, co-author of Where Are All the Good Jobs Going? Lawrence M. Mead, co-editor of Welfare Reform and Political Theory

Robert Cherry is Brueklundian Professor in the Department of Economics at Brooklyn College of the City University of New York and author of many books, including Who Gets the Good Jobs: Combating Race and Gender Disparities and Welfare Transformed: Universalizing Family Policies that Work. Robert Lerman is Professor of Economics at American University, Senior Fellow at the Urban Institute, and author or editor of many books, including Improving Career Outcomes for Youth: Lessons from the U.S. and OECD Experience and Young Unwed Fathers: Changing Roles and Emerging Policies.

"Cherry and Lerman have written a compelling book that challenges the orthodoxies of both the political 'left' and 'right', and that promotes a set of policies to improve the economic status of lower-to-middle income working families. All who care about the well-being of working families will learn a great deal from their analysis." -Harry Holzer, Professor of Public Policy, Georgetown University "Offers highly sophisticated proposals for helping working families advance in the wake of welfare reform. Cherry and Lerman are very expert, and they write very well." -Lawrence M. Mead, Professor of Politics and Public Policy, New York University Even as our political system remains deeply divided between right and left, there is a clear yearning for a more moderate third way that navigates an intermediate position to address the most pressing issues facing the United States today. Moving Working Families Forward points to a Third Way between liberals and conservatives, combining a commitment to government expenditures that enhance the incomes of working families while recognizing that concerns for program effectiveness, individual responsibility, and underutilization of market incentives are justified. Robert Cherry and Robert Lerman provide the context to understand the distinctive qualities of Third Way policies, focusing on seven areas that substantially affect working families: immigration, race and gender earnings disparities, education, housing, strengthening partnerships, and federal taxes. Balancing empirical studies with voices of working class people, they offer an important perspective on how public policies should be changed. A timely approach, Moving Working Families Forward makes policy recommendations that are both practical and transformative.

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