Series
Bush Institute-SMU Economic Growth Initiative
Economic Mobility
Making our economy thrive by promoting innovation, entrepreneurship, opportunity, and inclusive growth
Private markets, humanized by compassionate government, hold the key to bolstering upward mobility and laying a strong foundation for growth in the 21st century.
Cities and neighborhoods make a powerful difference to people’s opportunities and advance a policy agenda that creates better paths to good 21st century jobs. The Bush Institute promotes and supports economic development policies that help cities and towns reinvent themselves as engines of upward mobility.
Effective policies that advance upward mobility highlight:
- Job creation
- Entrepreneurship
- Economic opportunity
Smarter fiscal, regulatory, workforce, innovation, and place-based policies will promote growth and make democratic capitalism better for all Americans.
Publications
Series
America the Exceptional
Publication
America's Housing Crisis: A Federal Policy Agenda for Expanding Supply and Affordability
Series
Waters of the West
Podcast
Is the American Dream at Risk?
The 2023 Forum on Leadership panel discussed where job opportunities, readiness to work, and regional strength connect in a post- COVID America.
The latest
Article · Jul 2, 2026
Economic independence: America’s most radical idea
To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, I will publish a series of 12 essays exploring milestone events that shaped the American economy into what it is today – from the adoption of the Declaration of Independence to the Marshall Plan. I’ll pay particular attention to the country’s formative decades and tell the stories of ideas, policies, and innovations that helped build the world’s strongest economy.
Jun 25, 2026
Expanding and democratizing education: The Morrill Land-Grant College Act of 1862
To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, I will publish a series of 12 essays exploring milestone events that shaped the American economy into what it is today – from the adoption of the Declaration of Independence to the Marshall Plan. I’ll pay particular attention to the country’s formative decades and tell the stories of ideas, policies, and innovations that helped build the world’s strongest economy.
May 27, 2026
How 19th century canals and railroads transformed America
To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, I will publish a series of 12 essays exploring milestone events that shaped the American economy into what it is today – from the adoption of the Declaration of Independence to the Marshall Plan. I’ll pay particular attention to the country’s formative decades and tell the stories of ideas, policies, and innovations that helped build the world’s strongest economy.
Apr 21, 2026
The bedrock of America’s business model
To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, I will publish a series of 12 essays exploring milestone events that shaped the American economy into what it is today – from the adoption of the Declaration of Independence to the Marshall Plan. I’ll pay particular attention to the country’s formative decades and tell the stories of ideas, policies, and innovations that helped build the world’s strongest economy.
Feb 9, 2026
Alexander Hamilton’s economic policies built the foundations for American prosperity
To celebrate America’s 250th birthday, I will publish a series of 12 essays exploring milestone events that shaped the American economy into what it is today – from the adoption of the Declaration of Independence to the Marshall Plan. I’ll pay particular attention to the country’s formative decades and tell the stories of ideas, policies, and innovations that helped build the world’s strongest economy.
Report · Jan 9, 2026
Housing challenges in the City of Dallas: Headline facts and possible steps forward