I started my journalism career long ago, back in the last century. My primary tools included a manual typewriter, a telephone and a car. Also vital were pencils, old newsprint and rubber cement, so I could literally cut and paste my articles together.

There was also a unionized "back shop" where skilled workers set type and put the newspaper together before it went to press.

Well, besides the phone and car, my tools are either in a museum or merely in my memory. And at newspapers, many of the union back shops have given way to newsroom-based staff who type and design on computers. It's common in publishing, and in most other industries, to say how much the workplace and the marketplace have changed in the past 25 years.

But as we continue to observe Illinois Issues' 25th anniversary, we decided to reflect on the implications of these changes. In this issue, we look at the lives of workers and the nature of business, both of which are changing, almost faster than we can track them.

This is the fourth in a series of seven issues of the magazine in which we provide a retrospective and prospective look at the dominant public policy issues of the past quarter century.

One irony of our capitalist economy is that, while many people tout the benefits of a free marketplace, politicians are often judged by the economy's performance, as if they control what happens. And political candidates at the federal and state levels always manage to say they will emphasize jobs, training and economic opportunity for all. So what we really seem to want is a relatively free marketplace with some meddling by the government. Hence our decision, as a public affairs magazine, to reflect on the role of public policy on the econ-omy, on workers and on businesses.

I think Thomas Geoghegan's essay, beginning on page 12, about Illinois workers and their standard of living will surprise you. He questions who benefits from the well-hyped economic boom of the 1990s. In doing so, he sheds new light on what "quality of life" means for Illinoisans, and he raises some thoughtful questions.

It should not surprise you that, in the context of the Illinois economy, we also look at foreign trade policy in this issue. After all, in 1998, Illinois exports amounted to $36.5 billion, making Illinois sixth in the nation in exports, according to the Massachusetts Institute for Social and Economic Research and the Illinois Department of Commerce and Community Affairs.

I hope you are enjoying this 25th anniversary series. Our goal, as always, is to give you a credible, in-depth perspective you won't find anywhere else. 

Illinois Issues February 2000 / 3