Thread by @sarahoconnor_

Finally got round to reading @AdamPosen's piece on nostalgia which was an excellent read - lots I agreed with and lots I disagreed with foreignaffairs.com/articles/unite…

I agree we shouldn't treat manufacturing jobs with nostalgia & aim to bring them all back - not realistic given automation anyway

It's worth remembering that manufacturing & mining jobs were "bad jobs" before they were "good jobs" - dangerous, dirty, exploitative, badly paid. It's not the actual work we should be nostalgic about, it's the good pay, conditions, & voice at work those workers attained

We need to make today's "bad jobs" (care, online retail, etc) into "good jobs" and there's no reason why it should be impossible IMO. Posen makes this point too although less explicitly, calling for improved labour standards & enforcement across the board.

I disagree with Posen about the economics of place, though. Firstly, this just isn't how most humans are wired, and there's no point wishing it were otherwise because it would be more economically efficient.

Second, in many struggling places, the problem isn't that people don't leave for better opportunities. Many do. But others ARRIVE, drawn by cheap property. See Blackpool, one of the most densely populated places in England outside London. ft.com/blackpool

If you just ignore economic geography & expect struggling places to wither and die with dignity, you will be disappointed.