IGP Convening on Supporting Working Families for a Strong Economy and Democracy

On April 15, the Institute of Global Politics’ (IGP) American Democracy Initiative and Ann F. Kaplan Women’s Initiative convened a panel of experts, movement leaders, and public officials to explore how policies that support families and workers can also strengthen democratic institutions.

The event brought together a panel that included Julie Su, Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice, New York City Government; Former Acting Secretary of Labor (2023-2025); and 37th United States Deputy Secretary of Labor (2021-2025); Ai-jen Poo, President, National Domestic Workers Alliance; Executive Director, Caring Across Generations; IGP Carnegie Distinguished Fellow; Mary Kay Henry, American Labor Union Activist; Former ​​International President of the Service Employees International Union (2010-2024); IGP Carnegie Distinguished Fellow; and Alexander Hertel-Fernandez, Herbert Lehman Professor of Government and Director of IGP’s American Democracy Initiative. The panel was moderated by Jennifer Klein, Director of the Ann F. Kaplan Women’s Initiative and Professor of Professional Practice.

Secretary Hillary Rodham Clinton opened the event by underscoring the importance of the care agenda – a comprehensive policy framework recognizing caregivers’ needs – and framing economic inequality as deeply intertwined with the strain on democratic institutions and values. “It’s important that we do everything we can to strengthen democracy while focusing on the affordability agenda,” said Clinton, who is also a Professor of International and Public Affairs and Chair of IGP’s Faculty Advisory Board at SIPA. “We’ve made progress, but not nearly enough.”

Reflecting on her tenure as Acting Secretary of Labor in the Biden administration, Su unpacked President Biden’s vision of championing working people through clear and enforceable standards, with policies ranging from expanding overtime protections to offering retirement security. She noted that, at the time, the federal government took a “muscular role to develop industries that characterize the majority of the economy, like the care sector.” Turning to the present, however, she added that “[while] it takes a lot of work to build those things in, we’ve learned it does not take a lot of work to undo them all.”

Poo expanded on Su’s insights by describing the care economy’s state of play: “We are dealing with unprecedented attacks on the minimal patchwork care infrastructure we have,” she said. With working families at the front lines of the affordability crisis, Poo stressed the ongoing importance of care, adding that “there is no community that is not going to be impacted, because care connects us all, and all these attacks go straight to the heart of our ability to care for each other.” In the absence of federal protections, she commended state-level wins for the care sector, like securing universal childcare in New Mexico and New York City.

Drawing from her 40 years of labor organizing, Henry highlighted the labor movement’s role in centering workers’ perspectives and ambitions: “The labor movement makes sure that the workers are the ones telling the story about what it’s like now, what their dream is for how it can be different, and making bold demands that aren’t just about the politics of what’s possible.” She noted the movement’s ability to bring working people together to disrupt and call attention to underrepresented issues, citing movements like Minnesota’s “No Shop, No Work, No School” strikes.

To evidence the  discussion with political theory, Hertel-Fernandez discussed his research findings tying labor markets with democratic backsliding: “When government fails to meet the needs of working people, it creates a well of resentment and grievances that can be mobilized by authoritarian leaders.” He noted that authoritarian leaders exploit destabilizing mechanisms, like trade and financial crises, to spur competition between working people and out-groups.

Given the interlinked nature of affordability and democratic accountability, the speakers offered novel approaches to the policymaking process to support working families.

Hertel-Fernandez recommended designing economic policies with democracy in mind and centering working people’s voices in policymaking, calling attention to partnership models between state governments and labor organizations. Speaking to her current role as New York City’s Deputy Mayor for Economic Justice, Su emphasized the importance of making policies accessible and transparent through an attention-oriented approach: “A lot of what we’re doing right now [in New York City] is communicating things – even if we don’t know if we can deliver them – and being honest if we haven’t.” Poo and Henry both recommended taking longer-term views when assessing the progress of movements. “How do we build more vibrant, durable, and growing labor organizations to help people hold the long view? It may not be better for me in my lifetime, but I’m going to make it better for the next generation,” Henry stated.

Panelists pointed to a longer horizon, one in which investing in care and labor is understood as an investment in democracy itself. Rebuilding that vision will require persistence, transparency, and a willingness to think beyond short-term constraints. But as the speakers underscored, a worker-centered approach offers the strongest foundation for an enduring democratic future.