When: The Scientific Secrets of Perfect Timing

by Daniel H. Pink

we should recognize that having a lot of people earning too little or struggling to make their way affects all of us—in the form of fewer customers for what we’re selling and higher taxes to deal with the consequences of limited opportunities. One solution might be for governments and universities to institute a student-loan-forgiveness program keyed to the unemployment rate. If the unemployment rate topped, say, 7.5 percent, some portion of a newly graduating student’s loan would be forgiven. Or perhaps if the unemployment rate ticked above a certain mark, university or federal funds would be unlocked to pay for career counselors to help new graduates trek their way across the newly rocky terrain—in much the same way the federal government deploys sandbags and the Army Corps of Engineers to regions beset by floods.