A national public opinion survey in conjunction with the conference will be conducted with results released March 2. The conference will bring together national leaders in the public and private sectors to explore critical economic questions and the implications of fundamental economic changes facing America. Inflation and interest rates are low, unemployment is down, the dollar is strong - nearly all indicators point to a robust, stable economy. Yet millions of children and their families live at or below poverty, companies are downsizing, income gaps are widening, and families need two or more incomes just to get by. In seminars, panel discussions and debates, this year's conference will examine a number of issues including the state of the U.S. economy and its challenges to the workforce, the jobs and industries that will fuel economic growth in New England and the nation, the impact of the global marketplace, the conflict between public perceptions and economic indicators, the widening gap in income and wealth, the responsibilities of corporations to their communities, and the role the state and federal government should play.
All sessions are free and open to the public.
Public Opinion Laboratory, based at Brown. Researchers will conduct the phone surveys between Feb. 18 and 26. The Providence Journal, which commissioned and funded the survey, will publish the results in its Sunday edition, March 2, then release the results nationwide. All conference speakers and moderators will receive the survey results and will be encouraged to incorporate the findings in their discussions and debates. We'll look at the gap between rich and poor, company loyalty and employee loyalty, views about automation and its effects on the workplace, future training people think employees will need, and trends in the workplace and how they're affecting people's lives.