Populism

David Brooks' op-ed today:

"Second, there is a big debate under way over the sources of middle-class economic anxiety. Some populists emphasize the destructive forces of globalization, outsourcing and predatory capitalism. These people say we need radical labor market reforms to give the working class a chance. But the populists are going to have to grapple with the Goldin, Katz and Heckman research, which powerfully buttresses the arguments of those who emphasize human capital policies. It’s not globalization or immigration or computers per se that widen inequality. It’s the skills gap. Boosting educational attainment at the bottom is more promising than trying to reorganize the global economy."

Populism like any party has it's progressives and its reactionaries, and there are plenty of them who would agree with Brooks. Certainly the little soc reading I've done on the subject arrived at this conclusion long before Brooks and the campaign came around.