This post was inspired by a movie that I saw this week – “The Last Class”
Before we jump into the biographical information on Reich, here’s a link to his most recent blog post – very interesting from my perspective:
Reich blog on awakening the giant
And here’s a link to his website which contains a myriad of interesting and though provoking content:
Here’s a summary biography from Wikipedia:
About Robert Reich 40 years in education.
Robert Bernard Reich (/ˈraɪʃ/ ⓘ RYSH;[2] born June 24, 1946) is an American professor, author, lawyer, and political commentator.[3] He worked in the administrations of presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter,[4] and he served as secretary of labor in the cabinet of President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997.[5][6] He was also a member of President Barack Obama‘s economic transition advisory board.[7] In 2008, Time magazine named him one of the Ten Best Cabinet Members of the century;[8] in the same year The Wall Street Journal placed him sixth on its list of Most Influential Business Thinkers.[9]
Reich has also had a long teaching career. From 1981 to 1992 he was a lecturer at Harvard University‘s John F. Kennedy School of Government[10] and from 1997 to 2005 he was a professor of social and economic policy at the Heller School for Social Policy and Management of Brandeis University. In January 2006 he was appointed Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy at the Goldman School of Public Policy at UC Berkeley.[11] He taught his last class at Berkeley in the spring of 2023[12] and is currently Emeritus Carmel P. Friesen Professor of Public Policy.[11]
Reich has published numerous books,[13] including the best-sellers The Work of Nations (1991), Reason (2004), Supercapitalism (2007), Aftershock (2010), Beyond Outrage (2012), and Saving Capitalism (2015). The Robert Reich–Jacob Kornbluth film Saving Capitalism debuted on Netflix in November 2017, and their film Inequality for All won a U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Achievement in Filmmaking at the 2013 Sundance Film Festival.[14][15] He is board chair emeritus of the watchdog group Common Cause and blogs at Robertreich.org.[16]
Here’s what ChatGPT generated when asked to write a one page biography:
Robert Reich – Biography Summary
Robert B. Reich is an American economist, professor, author, and political commentator widely known for his work on economic inequality, labor policy, and public policy. Born on June 24, 1946, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Reich has had a distinguished career in public service, academia, and writing. Despite being diagnosed with a rare genetic condition called Fairbanks disease (which affects bone growth), Reich became a prominent and influential public intellectual.
Reich earned his undergraduate degree from Dartmouth College, won a Rhodes Scholarship to study at Oxford University, and later received a Juris Doctor from Yale Law School. He began his public service career in the administrations of Presidents Gerald Ford and Jimmy Carter. However, he gained national prominence as Secretary of Labor under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997. During his tenure, he focused on job training, worker rights, and raising the minimum wage.
After leaving government service, Reich transitioned into academia and public advocacy. He has taught at Harvard University and is currently a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. Reich has authored numerous influential books, including The Work of Nations, Aftershock, Saving Capitalism, and The System, which critique economic inequality and advocate for a more inclusive and equitable economy.
Reich is also known for his engaging public communication, including documentaries like Inequality for All (2013) and Saving Capitalism (2017), and his active social media presence where he continues to comment on economic and political issues. Through his work, Robert Reich remains a leading voice in progressive economic thought and a staunch advocate for social and economic justice.