For most of the 20th century, there was a clear wall between working people’s pension funds and the riskier corners of financial markets. This wasn’t accidental—it was the law.

Many feminists urge a transition toward a dual-earner/dual-carer system in which women and men alike earn money and provide unpaid care for their families and communities. But is this possible in the current economic system?

The D&S Debrief

Interview: Short Staffing and Work Intensification

Mike Prokosch discusses his article on short staffing, when employers intentionally hire too few workers as a menthod of work intensification.

D&S Admin May 22, 2025

Nurses from Providence Hospital with National Nurses United (NNU) on strike in Providence, R.I., November 12, 2014. Credit: UFCW Local 400, CC BY 2.0 license. — Nurses from Providence Hospital with National Nurses United (NNU) on strike in Providence, R.I., November 12, 2014. Short staffing in health care was a concern well before the Covid-19 pandemic. Credit: UFCW Local 400, CC BY 2.0 license.

On May 14, 2025, D&S co-editor Chris Sturr interviewed Mike Prokosch, veteran Boston-area popular economics organizer, about his article from our May/June issue, “Short Staffing.”