Upjohn Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2534-8164
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6869-9063
Issue Date
February 24, 2026
Abstract
These three presentations emphasize that affordability challenges across education, housing, and childcare stem from structural market and policy frictions, and that effective solutions require coordinated public investment, simplified systems, and attention to both supply and demand. The first presentation argues that while college tuition growth has slowed and aid has increased, affordability challenges persist due to complexity, misperceptions, and uneven costs, and it advocates for simple tuition-free programs combined with investments in advising, streamlined pathways, and stronger school-to-work connections. The second presentation highlights a growing housing affordability crisis in the Rust Belt driven by aging housing stock and limited supply, concluding that policies expanding housing supply—such as zoning reform and permitting liberalization—are effective, while rent control and investor bans are largely counterproductive. The third presentation explains that early childhood care and education markets fail to provide sufficient high-quality access due to cost pressures, workforce challenges, and fragile business models, and it recommends coordinated demand- and supply-side subsidies to improve affordability and availability.
Sponsorship
Rust Belt Rising
Subject Areas
EDUCATION; Early childhood; Childcare / Child care; Preschool and early education; Postsecondary education; Postsecondary access; Student loans; LABOR MARKET ISSUES; Wages, health insurance and other benefits; Work and family balance; Urban issues
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Included in
Early Childhood Education Commons, Economic Policy Commons, Education Economics Commons, Education Policy Commons, Higher Education Commons, Labor Economics Commons
Citation
Hershbein, Brad, Michelle Miller-Adams, Brian Asquith, and Chloe Gibbs. 2026. "Solving Affordability Challenges in Education, Housing and Childcare." Presentation prepared for Rust Belt Rising February 24, 2026.