On University of New England College of Business Week: The New Deal gave us many important things we still rely on today.
Oak McCoy, assistant professor of economics in the college of business, examines a couple.
Dr. Oak McCoy is an Assistant Professor of Economics in the College of Business at the University of New England, where he studies economic history to inform contemporary policy. His research focuses on how landmark programs like the New Deal addressed critical issues such as economic security for the elderly through Social Security and job creation for the unemployed through Civilian Conservation Corps. These programs not only provided immediate relief but also had transformative, long-lasting impacts on the U.S. economy and infrastructure, including the development of state and national parks. Outside of academia, Oak combines his passion for economic history and the open road, riding his vintage BMW motorcycles to explore the enduring legacy of the New Deal-era projects. Today, he’ll discuss how the innovative strategies of the New Deal continue to influence economic security and infrastructure development in the modern era.
Social Security and National Parks Enduring Legacies of the New Deal
The New Deal helped America recover from the Great Depression while reshaping its policies and public spaces. My research investigates two enduring legacies of this transformative era: the evolution of Social Security and the development of state and national parks.
Social Security fundamentally changed how Americans viewed government responsibility by creating a financial safety net for those exiting the workforce. The program has become a cornerstone of economic security, providing critical stability for retirees. However, its initial exclusions—particularly of agricultural and domestic workers, who were disproportionately African Americans and women—reflect the inequities embedded in early policy design. My work examines how Social Security has evolved over time to address these disparities, including its growing impact on same-sex couples. While significant progress has been made, these analyses highlight the ongoing need for reform to achieve greater equity.
At the same time, the New Deal reshaped the physical landscape of the nation through investments in public lands. Programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps didn’t just create jobs during a time of mass unemployment—they also built trails, planted trees, and laid the foundation for much of the infrastructure in today’s state and national parks. The trails, campgrounds, and comfort stations in these parks reflect the contributions of one of the most ambitious public works projects in American economic history. My public-facing work combines archival research with innovative approaches to create digital projects, making the legacy of the New Deal accessible and engaging for a broader audience.
Together, Social Security and the development of parks demonstrate the wide-ranging impact of the New Deal, extending from economic security for individuals to the transformation of the nation’s physical landscape. By studying these legacies, my work highlights how past policies addressed urgent needs while offering lessons for shaping equitable and lasting outcomes today.
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The Original Oak Economics – Accessible curricula informed by meaningful research
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