Enduring Values, Changing Concerns: A Retrospective Analysis of NIF Forums on Jobs and the Economy from 1982 to 2020

Since its founding, the National Issues Forums (NIF) has revisited the issue of jobs and the economy on nine separate occasions, ranging from its inaugu- ral year in 1982 to its most recent forums in 2020. In this analysis, we have reviewed reports from those forums to understand how the nature of public discussion has evolved over almost four decades.

Four main themes have emerged from the review:

• Enduring values
• Changing concerns
• Underlying causes
• Policies