[Verse 1]
Nineteen forty-eight to now we'll trace
How prosperity rose then lost its place
Three forces shaped our economic fate
Trade and tech and institutions' weight
[Chorus]
Trade opens doors but jobs can flee
Technology lifts but leaves some behind
Institutions make the rules we see
Which force matters most? Let's find
[Verse 2]
David Autor studied factory towns
When China trade came, wages went down
Manufacturing jobs just disappeared
Local economies lost what they held dear
[Pre-Chorus]
Methods matter when we seek the truth
Difference-in-difference shows the proof
[Chorus]
Trade opens doors but jobs can flee
Technology lifts but leaves some behind
Institutions make the rules we see
Which force matters most? Let's find
[Verse 3]
Acemoglu tracked the robot's rise
Automation changed before our eyes
Each robot cost three workers their place
But boosted profits in the workplace
[Bridge]
Piketty measured wealth's growing gap
Capital gains while wages cap
Historical data tells the tale
When institutions start to fail
[Chorus]
Trade opens doors but jobs can flee
Technology lifts but leaves some behind
Institutions make the rules we see
Which force matters most? Let's find
[Verse 4]
Natural experiments help us see
What causes inequality
Regression analysis shows the way
How much each factor's in the fray
[Final Chorus]
Trade brings ten percent of wage decline
Tech takes twenty from the line
But institutions rule the game
Fifty percent bears their name
All three forces intertwine
In prosperity's design
[Outro]
From post-war boom to present day
Three forces shaped the American way