Aspen is a place for leaders to lift their sights above the possessions which possess them. To confront their own nature as human beings, to regain control over their own humanity by becoming more self-aware, more self-correcting, and hence more self-fulfilling.
Walter P. Paepcke, Aspen Institute Co-Founder
Aspen Institute
Virtual
Marketcrafters: The 100-Year Struggle To Shape the American Economy — A Book Talk with Chris Hughes
Note: This is a past event, additional resources may be available below.
Markets and our economy don’t just happen — they’re crafted. While we often hear about the “free market” as a natural force governed by the invisible hand, the reality is far more intentional. In the US, markets are shaped by the decisions of policymakers, business leaders, and advocates. These decisions determine who benefits, who bears the risk, and what goals we prioritize. Understanding markets means understanding the people who design them and the values that guide those choices. It’s not just economics — it’s about power, accountability, and the kind of future and economy we want to build.
In his new book, “Marketcrafters: The 100 Year Struggle to Shape the American Economy,” Chris Hughes, economist, writer, and chair of the Economic Security Project, takes us on a journey through the modern history of American capitalism, telling the captivating stories of the most effective marketcrafters and the ones who bungled the job. He reveals how policymakers across the political spectrum have consistently attempted to organize markets for social and political reasons, like avoiding gasoline shortages, reducing inflation, fostering certain industries, fighting climate change, and supporting financial innovation. Hughes argues that by rediscovering the triumphs and failures of past marketcrafters, we can shape future markets to be more innovative, stable, and inclusive.
This virtual book talk — hosted by the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on June 5, 2025 — features Hughes in conversation with moderator Natalie Foster, senior fellow with EOP’s Future of Work Initiative and president and cofounder of the Economic Security Project.
Chris Hughes is an economist and writer who serves as Chair of Economic Security Project Action, a leading nonprofit advocating for economic power for all Americans. He is the author of Marketcrafters: The 100-Year Struggle to Shape the American Economy, published by Simon & Schuster’s Avid Reader Press in 2025.
Hughes holds degrees in history and economics from Harvard and The New School for Social Research and is completing his PhD at The Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania. His writing and essays have been published by The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The Financial Times, Time Magazine, and others. His first book, Fair Shot: Rethinking Inequality and How We Earn, was published by St Martin’s Press in 2018.
In 2004, Hughes co-founded Facebook and later directed Barack Obama’s digital organizing efforts in his insurgent 2008 campaign. Hughes chairs the board of the Brooklyn-based Foundation for Community Psychoanalysis and serves on the boards of the New York Public Library and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. He lives in New York’s Greenwich Village with his husband and their two children.
Natalie Foster (Moderator)
President and Co-Founder, Economic Security Project; Senior Fellow, Future of Work Initiative, The Aspen Institute
Natalie Foster is a leading architect of the movement to build an inclusive and resilient economy that works for all. President and co-founder of Economic Security Project and Aspen Institute Fellow, her work and writing has appeared in The New York Times, USA Today, TIME, Business Insider, CNN, and The Guardian. Natalie speaks regularly on economic security, the future of work, and the new political economy. An unstoppable builder,Natalie previously founded the sharing economy community Peers, co-founded Rebuild the Dream with Van Jones, and served as digital director for President Obama’s Organizing for America, a leading partner in winning transformative health care reform. A daughter of a preacher from Kansas, Natalie draws on the values of community, dignity, and optimism to build a better America. She lives in Oakland, California, with her husband and two kids. “The Guarantee” is her first book.
Opportunity in America
Opportunity in America, an event series hosted by the Economic Opportunities Program, considers the changing landscape of economic opportunity in the US and implications for individuals, families, and communities across the country. The series highlights the ways in which issues of race, gender, and place exacerbate our economic divides, and ideas and innovations with potential to address these challenges and broaden access to quality opportunity.
For the benefit of workers, businesses, and our society, we need to build workplace heat safety into our culture, policies, and practices if we are to adapt to our warming planet. Join the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program on Wednesday, July 30, at 1:30 p.m. Eastern time, on Zoom to learn about how the warming climate is affecting workers, and what policymakers, businesses, and labor are doing to keep workers safe. This event is part of EOP’s Opportunity in America conversation series.
“The Future of Equal Opportunity,” will explore the current landscape, emerging challenges, and the strategies needed to protect and strengthen opportunity in the American workplace.
The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program will soon release a report, Fixing Work: Lessons from Job Quality Practitioners, based on in-depth interviews with more than 20 leaders across the country about the work they are doing to create good jobs that provide economic security, the opportunity to advance and grow, and a safe, dignified, and equitable workplace.
Chris Hughes
