Recapturing the American Dream
Meeting the Challenges of the Bay State's Lost Decade
This joint project with the Center for Labor Market Studies was made possible by the generous support of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts and Partners Health Care. More so than any previous report, this research sheds light on the economic well-being of workers at a moment when public attention is hyper-focused on policymaking to rekindle the promise of the American Dream for those struggling to join the middle class and remain in its ranks.
The data presented in this report show that the last decade was extremely hard for Bay State residents. For the first time since World War II, the Commonwealth ended the decade with fewer jobs and families went without a raise. The report describes how this sour economy created four key hurdles that Massachusetts must now overcome.
MassINC’s mission is to support the vitality of the state’s middle class by providing solid, objective research to inform public policy. This is the third time since our founding that we have paused to look carefully at how residents are faring in their pursuit of the American Dream. While the news is discouraging, we hope that these data encourage productive dialogue around the future of our commonwealth.As always, we welcome your feedback and invite you to become more involved in MassINC.
