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Alexander Hertel-Fernandez's blog

Not So Equal: Unpaid and Unprotected Interns

Internships—the vast majority unpaid—have become a staple of the college experience. In 1992, only 9 percent of graduating students had participated in internships; by 2006 that figure increased to 83 percent. Internships are often good for both the student and the employer. Yet the current system is fraught with problems.Read more

Protect Students as We Protect Businesses

A post-secondary degree has become increasingly essential for success in the current economy. However, given that financial aid has not kept pace (pdf) with the skyrocketing costs (pdf) of higher education, getting that college degree has become much more challenging.Read more

Inequality Hurts

As the United States begins to emerge from the Great Recession, many have begun to question the economic consensus this country has pursued so vigorously for the past thirty years. Fundamentally, this consensus assumes an unhindered market will achieve the best outcome for both society and the economy.
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The Internship Con

College students around the country are now anxiously awaiting the results of their applications for summer internships. Once a rare added bonus for students, internships have become a standard component of the college experience. And most college students would attest that the need to find substantive summer work each year is crucial.
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Time to Democratize Financial Literacy

Today’s young workers understand they are on their own when it comes to their retirement savings. In a recent poll, young adults (ages 18 to 25) predicted that 61 percent of their retirement income, on average, would need to come from personal savings.Read more

Social Security and Medicare: Robbing the Young?

In my last post, I reviewed the case for why deficit-financed public investment is an essential tool of the federal government and is not “generational theft.” This week I’ll address the issue of social insurance programs—namely Social Security and Medicare.
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Deficit-Financed Public Investment: Is It Generational Theft?

Debt is something to which we can all relate. At some point during our lives, nearly all of us will have to borrow money to finance activities such as buying a car, paying for a college education or bridging a period of unemployment.
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The Individual Mandate in Health Reform: We’re Already Paying the Uninsured Tax

All of the major health reform proposals under consideration by Congress include a provision that would require non-elderly citizens to carry health insurance, a so-called “individual mandate.” Though hotly-disputed by politicians, health policy experts of all ideological stripes agree that it is a key component of reform.
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