Shouldn’t the Public Sector Share the Pain?

Democrats in Congress are urging still more aid to state and local governments to forestall cuts in personnel. But according to the latest figures from the Rockefeller Institute of Government in Albany, New York, “overall state-local government employment is now 2 percent below its level at the start of the recession, while private employment is down 5.8 percent over the same period.”  Our president has rightly called for an equitable sharing of the pain caused by the economic downturn.  It is time for the public sector to step up.  If the right cuts are made, the public sector can remain equally effective but operate in a more efficient manner.

-Paul E. Peterson

Last Updated

NEWSLETTER

Notify Me When Education Next

Posts a Big Story

Business + Editorial Office

Program on Education Policy and Governance
Harvard Kennedy School
79 JFK Street, Cambridge, MA 02138
Phone (617) 496-5488
Fax (617) 496-4428
Email Education_Next@hks.harvard.edu

For subscription service to the printed journal
Phone (617) 496-5488
Email subscriptions@educationnext.org

Copyright © 2024 President & Fellows of Harvard College