Certainly the effort was worth it.  From the time his thesis, The Determinants of the AFDC Caseload: A Time-Series Cross-Sectional Approach, was nominated for Association of Public Policy and Management's best dissertation of the year, he has addressed a wide diversity of issues.  His recent publications include The State of Working America, 1998-99, and "Defining and Characterizing the Low-Waged Labor Market."  From 1990-1994, he was an assistant professor and adjunct faculty member at Howard, Columbia, and New York Universities� Schools of Social Work and Public Policy.  In 1995, he became the US Department of Labor's deputy chief economist, and he has served as a senior economist with the Economic Policy Institute in Washington DC since 1992. 

Dr. Bernstein has reached a broad segment of society around the country through numerous op-ed pieces such as "Why Hit the Brakes Now?" "Should Congress Raise the Minimum Wage?" "Have Wages Turned the Corner?" and "The Fed Needs New Thinking About Rates."  He has shared his knowledge on the labor market, the minimum wage and the skills of the US labor force in various media, including a press conference with First Lady Hillary Clinton and Senator Edward Kennedy.  He presented a paper at the International Wage Symposium in London, England, engaged in consultations with Labor Secretary Alexis Herman and Attorney General Janet Reno, and testified before Congress.  A co-recipient of the Monthly Labor Review's Lawrence R. Klein Award for outstanding contributions, Dr. Bernstein is a board member for the Coalition of Human Needs.

Dr. Bernstein returned to his alma mater to deliver the May 1999 Commencement keynote address.