The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program

08/25/2026

08/25/2026

What if employers have redesigned work to make more than one-third of the workforce "disposable"? Join Paul Osterman, MIT Sloan School of Management and Maureen Conway of The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program, for a discussion of his new book on what it will take to rebuild opportunity.

📅 Sept. 9 | 2 – 3 p.m. ET
🔗 as.pn/disposableworkers

For decades, economists and policymakers have debated how to help workers get better jobs. But what if the more fundamental problem is that employers have systematically redesigned work itself to make a third of the workforce expendable? In his forthcoming book, “Disposable Workers: The Transforma...

08/07/2026

What will it take to build an economy that works for everyone?

Join the The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program this August and September for three free virtual conversations exploring some of today's most pressing workforce and economic challenges.

📅 August 18 | The Impact of Foundational Skills on Workforce Success
Learn how employers are addressing gaps in literacy, math, digital fluency, and English language proficiency to strengthen their workforce and drive business success.

📅 August 26 | Metrics that Matter: Improving Financial Analysis of CDFI Small Business Lenders
Explore an emerging framework for evaluating CDFI small business lender performance that moves beyond traditional financial metrics to support stronger decision-making and long-term sustainability.

📅 September 9 | Disposable Workers: A Book Talk with MIT Sloan Professor Paul Osterman
Join renowned labor economist Paul Osterman for a conversation about how employers have reshaped work over the past several decades, what those changes have meant for workers and employers, and what it will take to create better jobs.

Whether you're an employer, workforce practitioner, policymaker, researcher, investor, or simply interested in building a stronger economy, these conversations offer timely insights and practical perspectives on the future of work.

➡️ Register for upcoming events: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/blog-posts/upcoming-events-from-the-economic-opportunities-program-august-2026/

We hope you’ll join us at one of our upcoming events, which you can learn about below. Everyone who registers will receive a link to the recording, so please sign up even if you can’t participate live.

08/04/2026

For years, CDFI small business lenders have relied on traditional financial measures — such as delinquency rates, loan losses, and self-sufficiency — to assess performance. While those metrics remain essential, they don't always tell the full story of how organizations deploy capital, manage risk, serve entrepreneurs, and build long-term sustainability.
Join the Aspen Institute's Business Ownership Initiative on August 26, 2026 for “Metrics that Matter: Improving Financial Analysis of CDFI Small Business Lenders,” a webinar exploring a new framework to help leadership teams, boards, funders, and investors make more informed decisions.

Featuring:
• Joyce Klein, Senior Director, Business Ownership Initiative, Aspen Institute
• Brett Simmons, Principal, Blue Aster Advising; Senior Fellow, The Aspen Institute

During this webinar, you'll learn how to:
🔹 Move beyond compliance-focused reporting to gain a more integrated view of organizational performance.
🔹 Understand how pricing, capitalization, risk management, capital deployment, and operating costs influence both mission impact and financial strength.
🔹 Apply practical tools and concepts to strengthen decision-making in today's rapidly changing environment.

📅 August 26
🕚 2:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m. ET
💻 Zoom Webinar

Can't attend live? Register anyway and receive the recording after the event.
Register: https://www.aspeninstitute.org/events/metrics-that-matter-improving-financial-analysis-of-cdfi-small-business-lenders/

Join BOI and Aspen EOP on August 26 for this important conversation!

07/28/2026

The future of work isn't just about artificial intelligence —it's about people. As employers across the country struggle to recruit and retain workers, Steve Dawson and Jerry Rubin argue that lasting solutions begin with putting employees at the center of business strategy.

Join The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program for a conversation about their new book, "Help Wanted: How To Find and Keep Talent in a Forever-Tight Labor Market," moderated by Maureen Conway, The Aspen Institute

Drawing on decades of experience in workforce development, Dawson and Rubin explore practical approaches that help employers build stronger workplaces while creating better jobs.

Join us tomorrow, Wednesday, July 29 | 2:00 – 3:00 p.m. ET | Online via Zoom

Register: https://as.pn/helpwanted

Description We are living through a moment of profound uncertainty about the future of work. Rapid advances in artificial intelligence are raising urgent questions about which jobs will survive, which will be transformed, and which will disappear entirely. Yet amid all the speculation, one thing is....

02/17/2026

📅 For decades, economic development in the US South has been framed around attracting business through low labor costs, limited worker protections, and deregulation. While this model promised prosperity, many workers and communities have been left behind — with poverty rates in some regions far exceeding the national average.

But narratives are not fixed. They can be challenged, reshaped, and replaced. On February 19, from 2:30 - 3:45 p.m. ET, joinThe Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program for Building New Narratives on Work and Opportunity in the US South. This virtual conversation brings together members of the Aspen Institute’s Fellowship who are advancing new visions of economic success — centered on worker dignity, quality jobs, and community wealth-building.
🔗 Learn more and register:

“Building New Narratives on Work and Opportunity in the US South," is the first of four conversations with members of the Aspen Institute’s Job Quality Fellowship, EOP.