TOW #3 - "We’re Working Harder Than Ever, So Why Is Productivity Plummeting?”

Rana Foroohar, an economics journalist for Time and Global Economic Analyst for CNN (“About.”), comments on the apparent lack of productivity that exists in the United States in her article “We’re Working Harder Than Ever, So Why Is Productivity Plummeting?” (Foroohar). In an age of countless technological advancements, this editorial serves as an in-depth look at the current state of the United States of America’s economy given the amount of work being completed. Foroohar transitions into potential reasons for a loss of productivity using synecdoche: “With birth­rates falling and immigration down, productivity needs to go up—or we’ll soon be worse off economically than our parents” (Foroohar). As commonly used when describing the economy, Foroohar uses the term “parents” to distinguish between two distinct generations and identify her audience as young American workers. This establishment of the audience is essential to the purpose of the editorial, which is to identify and suggest ways to resolve potential reasons for a decline in America’s productivity. Additionally, Foroohar alludes to a time when the United States flourished economically, which “happened from 1945 to 1973, when there were major public and private investments in education, infrastructure, and worker training” (Foroohar). This contributes to the editorial’s purpose of identifying potential solutions to resolve a dip in productivity, as she claims this same practice today “would bolster demand, … creating a virtuous cycle of productivity growth, wage growth and economic growth” (Foroohar). Foroohar’s argument focuses around that final statement; governmental and private advancements in education offer more opportunity for the economy to strengthen, allowing citizens to usefully focus their efforts. While identifying the purpose of this editorial is straightforward, it was slightly lacking in data and statistics to back up claims, including education’s impact on the economy. Foroohar could have included specific governmental investments in education that helped to raise the economy after 1945, but because this significant portion of the editorial was unsubstantiated, her purpose of determining ways to increase productivity was left uncompleted.

Works Cited

“About.” RanaForoohar.com, http://www.ranaforoohar.com/about/.

Foroohar, Rana. “We're Working Harder Than Ever, So Why Is Productivity Plummeting?” Time, Time, 24 Aug. 2016, http://time.com/4464743/productivity-decline/.