The Myth That Made Us: How False Beliefs about Racism and Meritocracy Broke Our Economy

The City Club of Cleveland Podcast

Author Jeff Fuhrer knows the narratives used to shape the economy, and he believes those narratives need to change. Fuhrer is an economist, and has been active in economic research for more than three decades--including the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston where he served as Director of Research, Executive Vice President, and Senior Policy Advisor. Now, Jeff is a Nonresident Fellow for the Brookings Institution and a Foundation Fellow for the Eastern Bank Foundation.\r\n\r\nIn his book, The Myth That Made Us: How False Beliefs about Racism and Meritocracy Broke Our Economy (and How to Fix It), Fuhrer explores the link between widely held but false narratives about poverty and race and poor outcomes for many in the U.S. economy. From a supposedly post-racist nation and the self-made man, Fuhrer argues that systemic racism continues to produce vastly disparate outcomes and that our brand of capitalism favors doing little to reduce disparities.\r\n\r\nIn addition to his book, he is working with a large collaborative to update the findings of the Federal Reserve's 2015 "Color of Wealth in Boston" study. Jeff also recently finished a 2-1/2 year term as a senior fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.