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Special Project

Opportunity after Neoliberalism

The notion of equal opportunity has long played a central role in U.S. politics and policymaking. Across the ideological spectrum, it is often held up as an economic ideal—a way of arranging access to education, work, and wealth—as well as an egalitarian one, giving meaning to the notion that all citizens are equal. At the same time, in a neoliberal age that emphasizes personal responsibility and individual merit, the meaning and value of opportunity have become increasingly contested, and a new wave of egalitarian thinking has emphasized the importance of outcomes and public goods. This project explores these debates about what an opportunity society should look like, bringing together economists, philosophers, historians, and policymakers to imagine a just society—and the way to get there. 

Generously supported by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation

The crisis here spells disaster for the future of public education.

Rose Casey, Jessica Wilkerson, Johanna Winant

Not as it’s traditionally done, but there are more equitable models.

Shobita Parthasarathy

Forum

Being serious about equality means aiming to ensure we all live equally flourishing lives—not merely that we have the chance to do so.

Christine Sypnowich

Redistributing land was once central to global development efforts—and it should be today.

Jo Guldi

Tax breaks for investors don’t help poor communities.

Timothy Weaver

For years the left has rallied around taxing the 1 percent, but this group is too narrow.

Alex Raskolnikov

The tone of exhausted pragmatism—even among friends of the program—is counterproductive. It is beyond time to fight fire with fire.

James Chappel

Revisiting When Affirmative Action Was White, nearly two decades on.

Ira Katznelson

Two new books critique poverty capital, but they don’t ask what borrowers need. 

Kevin P. Donovan

Institutional reform is no match for pervasive structural inequality.

Christopher Newfield

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