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Former Commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics Erika McEntarfer ’95 Spoke at Bard College in First Public Remarks Since Dismissal

Hosted by the Levy Economics Institute, Bard alumna Erika McEntarfer ’95, former commissioner of the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), spoke to an audience of Bard students, faculty, staff, and community members in Olin Hall on September 16. She recounted the day of her abrupt dismissal following the release of the July jobs report and discussed the ways that nonpartisan statisticians affect our everyday lives as Americans. McEntarfer compared the efforts of the BLS to the work of city planners involved in transportation infrastructure. “Real-time economic data is like live traffic updates—helpful for making quick decisions—like adjusting interest rates quickly to avoid an economic downturn,” she said. The data produced by BLS is used widely, from top officials in the federal government to traders on Wall Street, whose decisions have real consequences for Americans. “The decisions they make—to adjust interest rates to avoid a recession, to build a new plant in your city, to sell stocks or bonds—impact how easy it will be for you to find a good job, how affordable it will be for you to buy a house and raise a family, and how comfortable your retirement will be.”

Introducing McEntarfer, Pavlina Tcherneva, president of the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College, noted that this event was more than just an academic talk. “This is our community gathering to champion a vital idea: that truth and rigorous analysis matter,” Tcherneva said. “That our ability to solve problems and find common ground depends on a shared commitment to facts and honest inquiry.” She emphasized that the work done at the Levy Institute relies on “reliable, trustworthy data,” and that without that, “We would lose our capacity to truly understand the economic forces shaping our communities and our country.”

McEntarfer warned of the potential costs of politicization of economic data. “Economic data must be free from partisan influence. That is essential to the mission of the agency. Markets have to trust that the data are not manipulated,” she said. “Firing your chief statisticians for releasing data you do not like will have serious economic consequences.” After the talk concluded, she took the time to answer questions from the audience, including from current students on topics ranging from data science, job prospects, and their Senior Projects. The talk was widely covered across all major news outlets, from the New York Times to the Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg to CNN.

The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, public policy research organization that encourages diversity of opinion in the examination of economic policy issues while striving to transform ideological arguments into informed debate. The Levy Institute is home to two Master's degree programs—a one-year MA and two-year MS—in Economic Theory and Policy.
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• New York Times: “Fired by Trump, a Former Labor Official Warns Against Politicizing Economic Data”
• Wall Street Journal: “Fired BLS Chief Breaks Silence, Calls Her Dismissal a ‘Dangerous Step’”
• CNN: “Former BLS commissioner says firing her was a ‘dangerous’ step for the US economy”
• Financial Times: “Fired BLS chief calls Donald Trump’s attack on US data agency a ‘dangerous step’”
• Bloomberg: “Former BLS Chief Recounts Shock of Getting Fired Over Jobs Data”
• Politico: “Ex-BLS chief said she was blindsided by Trump firing Erika McEntarfer said she is fearful about the possible loss of the statistical agency’s independence from political actors.”
• The Hill: “BLS chief fired by Trump over jobs report comments publicly for first time”
• The Guardian: “Labor statistics chief fired by Trump sounds alarm over White House’s ‘dangerous’ interference”
• Daily Mail: “Fired federal employee warns Trump he made a 'dangerous' misstep when he publicly terminated her”
• Business Insider: “The fired head of the Bureau of Labor Statistics is warning about data manipulation”
• Reuters: “Ex-BLS chief says her firing by Trump marked 'dangerous step' for economy”
• The Independent: “Former BLS chair breaks silence on being fired by Trump and going from unknown to ‘household name’”
• The Huffington Post: “Official Fired By Trump For Poor Jobs Report Breaks Silence On Shocking Ouster”

Post Date: 09-17-2025

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Pavlina Tcherneva Participates in Press Briefing on Federal Reserve Policy on C-SPAN

Pavlina Tcherneva, president of the Levy Economics Institute at Bard College, contributed to a press briefing aired on C-SPAN ahead of the upcoming 2025 Federal Reserve Annual Jackson Hole Economic Symposium, one of the longest-standing central banking conferences in the world. As the Federal Reserve prepares to convene for the annual Wyoming conference on August 21–23 to discuss the future of monetary policy, Tcherneva examines the need to rethink the policy framework of the Federal Reserve and the necessity of incorporating climate risks to labor markets into their macro modeling. Climate risks are now a “structural force that will impact labor markets,” Tcherneva says. “This is not a one-off event, this is going to be a perennial risk for labor markets, for firms, for business conditions, and the way the macroeconomy functions.” The briefing was organized by Public Citizen, a nonprofit consumer advocacy organization, with the participation of former Federal Reserve governor Sarah Bloom Raskin and US Congressman Sean Casten, Democrat of Illinois. 

The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, public policy research organization that encourages diversity of opinion in the examination of economic policy issues while striving to transform ideological arguments into informed debate.

Post Date: 08-19-2025

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Levy Economics Institute Hosted 32nd Annual Conference and Summer Seminar

The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College convened its 32nd annual conference, “Money, Finance, and Economic Strategies in Fractured Times” on June 16, followed by the week-long Levy Institute Summer Seminar. The Institute’s flagship conference brought together leading scholars and policymakers to examine contemporary developments in finance, persistent economic fissures shaping the US political landscape, and broader questions impacting the global economy, including China’s trajectory and alternative development approaches for the Global South. The keynote address was delivered by US Representative Ro Khanna, who shed light on the issue of economic insecurity and the policy interventions needed to address it, reinforcing the conference’s emphasis on exploring solutions to systemic challenges.

For the Institute’s Summer Seminar, emerging scholars from 22 different countries were invited to engage with the Institute’s foundational work on Minskyan financial dynamics, stock-flow consistent (SFC) modeling, and monetary sovereignty, and to explore how these frameworks can inform their own research questions, with participants given a platform to present their work. Co-sponsored by the OSUN Economic Democracy Initiative, the workshop underscores a commitment to fostering the next generation of heterodox economists and policymakers equipped to tackle pressing economic issues.

Post Date: 07-09-2025

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Leading Economists and Policymakers to Discuss Money, Finance, and Economic Strategies in Fractured Times at the Levy Economics Institute’s 32nd Annual Conference, June 16

Keynote Speaker Is US House Representative Ro Khanna (CA-17)

On Monday, June 16, the Levy Economics Institute of Bard College will host “Money, Finance, and Economic Strategies in Fractured Times,” its 32nd annual conference as an in-person event on the Bard College campus in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The 32nd Annual Levy Economics Institute Conference gathers top policymakers, economists, and analysts to discuss the most pressing issues of today’s economic landscape. The conference’s keynote speaker is US House Representative Ro Khanna, who represents California’s 17th Congressional District, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, and is serving his fifth term. Participants in the conference will engage in panels on Minskyan analyses of current sources of financial fragility; new directions in public finance; visions for the next progressive policy agenda; climate finance, balance-of-payments constraints, and the global economy; and more. Learn more about the conference and registration here.

Prior to serving in Congress, keynote speaker US House Representative Ro Khanna taught economics at Stanford University and served as deputy assistant secretary of commerce in the Obama administration. Khanna graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a B.A. in Economics from the University of Chicago and received a law degree from Yale University. Other featured speakers include Daniel Alpert, Westwood Capital; Leila Davis, University of Massachusetts Boston; Rogerio Studart, Brazilian Center for International Relations; Talmon Joseph Smith, New York Times; Pavlina R. Tcherneva, Levy Institute; James K. Galbraith, University of Texas at Austin; L. Randall Wray, Levy Institute; Ryan Cooper, The American Prospect; Alan Minsky, Progressive Democrats of America; Gennaro Zezza, Levy Institute; Yan Liang, Willamette University; Ndongo Samba Sylla, International Development Economics Associates (IDEAs-Africa); Fadhel Kaboub, Denison University.

The 32nd Annual Levy Economics Institute Conference will take place on June 16, 2025. The program is scheduled to run from 8:45 am to 5:30 pm, with a dinner to follow. Registration for the full conference is $50 for students and $150 for professionals/non-students, and includes lunch and dinner. Register and get more information here. If you wish to attend only the keynote address to be delivered by US Rep. Ro Khanna (CA-17) at 2:00pm in Bard College’s Olin Hall, you may register free of charge here—the keynote is free and open to the public, but registration is required for entry.

Post Date: 05-29-2025

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Pavlina Tcherneva Discusses Budget Deficit and Government Financing

Bard Professor of Economics and President of the Levy Economics Institute Pavlina Tcherneva joined WAMC’s Roundtable to discuss the debt ceiling, how the US government spends, and repercussions from potential disruptions to the payments system. She emphasized how Covid relief payments clearly demonstrated that the government does not depend on borrowing or wealthy taxpayers to fund its expenditures but can self-finance. Elon Musk's discovery of so-called “magic money computers” betrays ignorance about the architecture of our federal financial system. Government payments are typically made via electronic means by issuing electronic payments on as-needed basis. As a practical matter, it is virtually impossible for the government to run out of cash. Slash-and-burn policies to cut federal spending are politically motivated and not about US government solvency. 

On Marketplace, Tcherneva noted that while small businesses make up a small share of total employment their behavior is a “bellwether for overall trends in the economy”—and small business hiring slowed down in February’s Job Openings and Labor Market Survey.
 

Post Date: 04-08-2025

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Pocketbook Issues Such as Raising Minimum Wages, Paid Leave, and Protecting Public Education Could Sway the American Electorate, New Levy Economics Institute Report Says

Long-Term Voting Trends Show Democrats Losing Working Class Support Due to Absence of Clear Vision for Popular Progressive Economic Policies

The Levy Economics Institute of Bard College has published a policy brief outlining economic policies that improve the lives of working-class families and could sway the American electorate. That “Vision Thing”: Formulating a Winning Policy Agenda, Levy Public Policy Brief No. 158, coauthored by Levy Economics Institute President Pavlina R. Tcherneva and Senior Scholar L. Randall Wray, analyzes the shifting allegiances of American voters over the decades as the Democratic Party lost the support of its traditional base—blue-collar and rural counties—and came to be seen as the party of the educated elite, socially liberal, and relatively economically secure.

“Trump was the beneficiary of a long-term retreat of working-class voters from the Democratic Party. But becoming the party of the economically secure in a world of runaway inequality, rising precarity, and widespread frustration with many aspects of the economy does not and will not win elections. Still, as we show in this report, Americans are far more progressive than either party gives them credit for. Whatever path forward Democrats choose, winning back the working class would be a long process without a big and bold vision,” says Tcherneva.

For the first time since 1960, Democrats earned a greater margin of support among the richest third of American voters in 2024 than they did among the poorest or middle third. Meanwhile, Trump gained more vote share in counties rated as distressed—and gained less in prosperous counties—despite those counties benefiting significantly and performing better economically under President Biden’s policies that boosted government assistance. In spite of the Democratic focus on inequality, the party fails to reach the financially disadvantaged (who are the true swing voters) with their message, the report asserts.

“Democrats had neither delivered on nor even highlighted the changes that many voters wanted: policies that would provide economic benefits. They were tired of inflation that reduced purchasing power, wages that remained too low (even in supposedly good labor markets) to support their families, and many other issues related to economic precarity, including the costs of healthcare, prescription drugs, childcare and—for a significant portion—college,” write Tcherneva and Wray.

Assessing ballot measures and polling data, the Levy report identifies worker-friendly policies that would improve the wellbeing of the American working class and win elections. “Americans seem to apply two litmus tests to any proposed policy: (1) how will it impact American jobs and (2) how will it impact American paychecks,” they find. “If tariffs are expected to protect jobs, voters are behind them. If they hurt their paychecks, even conservative-leaning voters are strongly against them.”

Ballot measures indicate voters are more progressive than either party recognizes. Winning policies include: raising minimum wages, lowering taxes on earned income and social security (or eliminating them altogether for tips), making healthcare and education more affordable, protecting funding for public schools, increasing Pell grants, reducing the costs of higher education, and implementing paid sick and family leaves. Importantly, whenever asked, Americans strongly support federal programs of direct employment and on-the-job training—in the form of a federal job guarantee or national service for youths in jobs that support the community and the environment. They also care about rebuilding public infrastructure and investing in arts and culture.

Moreover, voters want policies that protect them from price increases, corporate greed, predatory interest rates, and hidden fees. They support more progressivity in the tax system and fewer tax loopholes for billionaires. They are tired of the dominance of billionaires in lobbying by special interests and campaign finance.

“Employment security, economic mobility, community rehabilitation, and environmental sustainability are winning messages. But they are especially powerful when anchored in concrete policies that directly deliver what they promise—good jobs, good pay, decent benefits, affordable health, education, food, and a peace of mind that Americans can care for loved ones without the threat of unemployment or price shocks or the loss of essential benefits,” the report concludes.

Post Date: 03-10-2025