The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America.

• Date: 01 January 2020
• Author: Griswold, Daniel

The Once and Future Worker: A Vision for the Renewal of Work in America

Oren Cass

New York: Encounter Books, 2018, 258 pp.

In The Once and Future Worker, Oren Cass of the Manhattan Institute has written an ambitious, erudite, and timely book on an issue central to our economy and politics: the well-being of American workers, their families, and communities. He deserves high marks for the concept and effort, even though the final execution is ultimately less than convincing.

The central argument for the book, what Cass calls the "Working Hypothesis," is that U.S. policy has wrongly focused on increased consumption and aggregate economic growth. He proposes to reorient that policy to focus on "creating an economy in which workers of all kinds can ... build fulfilling lives around productive work, strong families, and healthy communities."

Cass flatly rejects Adam Smith's fundamental observation that "consumption is the sole end and purpose of all production; and the interest of the producer ought to be attended to, only so far as it may be necessary for promoting that of the consumer." He argues instead that production conies first: "Production without consumption creates options; consumption without production creates dependence and debt."

The author also rejects the notion that "expanding the pie" through economic growth is key to providing meaningful work, an approach he brands "Economic Piety." He argues that growth is necessary but not sufficient for a healthy society. He attributes the rise of Donald Trump in large part to his "emphasis on the way markets have failed large segments of society." In response, Cass advocates a range of government actions to ensure that work pays for the mass of Americans.

As insightful and nuanced as some of Cass's arguments can be, the book suffers from hyperbole, lapses in basic economic understanding, and heavy-handed policy prescriptions that are mismatched to the needs of American workers.

Cass paints an...