Promoting Skills to Address Poverty, Inequality, and Social and Economic Immobility

The Archbridge Institute recently released a new report, titled “Promoting Skills,” which urges the local, state, and federal government to take a skills-based approach to learning that can supplement traditional education. Authored by Nobel Prize-winning Economist Dr. James Heckman, the Henry Schultz Distinguished Service Professor in Economics at the University of Chicago, the new report distinguishes between skills and education, highlighting the role of high-quality, early childhood education programs in bridging skills gaps. Even more importantly, however, Heckman’s report identifies strong parenting and a stable family structure as most effective ways to promote skills.

You can read the report here.

In advocating for a skills-based approach, Heckman’s report traces the origins of how economic inequality and social immobility arise in the first place. Citing empirical evidence, he explains the importance of family structure and environment, in addition to addressing racial disparities in terms of inequality and immobility. Heckman analyzes the role of race and ethnicity, concluding that “current gaps associated with race and ethnicity are largely skills-based.” He also notes that “skills are multiple in nature and can be shaped by families and other influences, not only schools.”

“When it comes to addressing inequality and immobility, Archbridge is on the front lines and the contributions of Dr. Heckman go a long way in solving America’s problems,” said Gonzalo Schwarz, president and CEO of the Archbridge Institute. “We have found that school is not enough for children to develop the skills they need to succeed: Those skills need to be fostered in non-traditional ways, with parents playing a leading role in nurturing future generations. Only then can millions of Americans and the broader economy reach their full potential.”