Thirty‑Five Years Unraveling America’s Opportunity Puzzle
Thirty‑Five Years Unraveling America’s Opportunity Puzzle

Dr. Stephen J. Rose brings over 35 years of pioneering research on how education, training, and career pathways shape earnings, mobility, and economic opportunity in America. As a Research Professor at the George Washington Institute of Public Policy, he translates large-scale data into practical insights for policymakers, educators, and the public.
A Princeton alumnus with a Ph.D. in economics from The City University of New York, Dr. Rose has held senior roles at Georgetown’s Center on Education and the Workforce, The Urban Institute, the U.S. Department of Labor, and Congress’s Joint Economic Committee. His work bridges academic rigor and policy relevance—illuminating how educational credentials and labor market dynamics intersect to influence life‑time earnings and social stratification.
Rebound challenges the pessimism that the U.S. economy will limp through its crisis, arguing instead that a swift and robust recovery is within reach. Drawing on three decades of labor‑market data, Stephen J. Rose dismantles the fears of a disappearing middle class and low‑skill “burger‑flipping” future by revealing the true drivers of American prosperity—and the costly errors of investors, regulators, and lenders whose “brilliant idiocy” fueled the financial meltdown.
With clear-eyed economic analysis, he shows how targeted financial safeguards and strategic investments in education, health care, and clean energy can unlock rapid growth and restore America’s competitive edge.
Income inequality is at an all-time high, and the completely updated eighth edition, drawn from the 2020 Current Population Survey of the U.S. Census, brings together fresh primary data to provide a clear picture of the U.S. social structure and the considerable demographic and economic changes of the past four decades.
The must-have new edition of the classic book-and-poster set, based on the most recent census data, depicting who owns what, who makes how much, who works where, and who lives with whom
Rebound challenges the pessimism that the U.S. economy will limp through its crisis, arguing instead that a swift and robust recovery is within reach. Drawing on three decades of labor‑market data, Stephen J. Rose dismantles the fears of a disappearing middle class and low‑skill “burger‑flipping” future by revealing the true drivers of American prosperity—and the costly errors of investors, regulators, and lenders whose “brilliant idiocy” fueled the financial meltdown.
With clear-eyed economic analysis, he shows how targeted financial safeguards and strategic investments in education, health care, and clean energy can unlock rapid growth and restore America’s competitive edge.
Stephen Rose’s insights have appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and numerous broadcast outlets. He is a sought‑after speaker on the evolving structure of the U.S. economy, educational returns, and policies to enhance upward mobility.
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