Back to Shared Prosperity, Chapter 35: Justice at the Gates of the City: A Model of Shared Prosperity

In "Justice at the Gates of the City: A Model of Shared Prosperity," Ernesto Cortés draws on the IAF's organizing strategies to argue that shared prosperity is a question of politics, not just economics. He traces America's growing inequality to the decline of the unions, congregations, schools and civic groups that once gave working families power against market forces. "It is imperative that those who claim to be concerned about fairness, equity, and stability begin to operate in such a way as to facilitate genuine power sharing," he writes. "And equally important, the least powerful members of society must organize themselves and their allies to develop the power necessary to persuade and negotiate with the winners [those who benefit from economic change] for their fair share of prosperity.