Resources

What Work Does Generative AI Do? (opens in a new tab)

Essays SEP 8, 2026

Since August 2024, our Real-Time Population Survey (RPS), a nationally representative survey of U.S. adults ages 18 to 64, has tracked how many Americans use generative artificial intelligence (AI). The adoption…

By: Alexander Bick (opens in a new tab), Adam Blandin (opens in a new tab), David Deming (opens in a new tab), Tyler Schumacher (opens in a new tab)

What Work Does Generative AI Do? (opens in a new tab)

Working Papers SEP 8, 2026

We measure how workers use genAI for their jobs in a nationally representative survey linking genAI adoption to detailed occupations and tasks. Our data provide the first task-level genAI adoption…

By: Alexander Bick (opens in a new tab), Adam Blandin (opens in a new tab), David Deming (opens in a new tab), Tyler Schumacher (opens in a new tab)

What happens to U.S. workers without access to Unemployment Insurance amid economic downturns or disruptions related to AI? (opens in a new tab)

Essays SEP 2, 2026

The adoption of artificial intelligence in the workplace has led to predictions of U.S. labor market disruptions. In response, policymakers have increased attention on the fitness of the nation’s social…

By: Megan Rivera (opens in a new tab)

What can federal data collection tell policymakers and researchers about artificial intelligence in the U.S. labor market? (opens in a new tab)

Issue Briefs AUG 24, 2026

It is impossible to perfectly predict how artificial intelligence will affect the U.S. labor market. Policymakers and researchers are grappling with important questions around this topic, including what new opportunities…

By: Mary Beech (opens in a new tab)

Terms and conditions for generative AI users outline a new legal framework that puts U.S. consumers at risk (opens in a new tab)

Essays AUG 20, 2026

Generative AI, or genAI, is a form of artificial intelligence that produces content in response to prompts and includes large language model chatbots such as OpenAI’s ChatGPT or Anthropic’s Claude.…

By: Chiara Chanoi (opens in a new tab)

The Terms and Conditions of Generative AI (opens in a new tab)

Working Papers AUG 20, 2026

Generative AI raises pressing questions for myriad doctrinal areas. Policymakers and scholars have responded rapidly, devoting substantial attention to these difficult legal and policy questions. But, as a practical matter,…

By: John M. Newman, Andres Sawicki (opens in a new tab)

New research shows how U.S. homeownership and the accumulation of housing wealth are linked to political participation (opens in a new tab)

Essays AUG 14, 2026

Persistent affordability pressures have driven up housing costs for millions of U.S. families in recent years. Home prices remain near record highs relative to incomes, mortgage rates and associated costs…

By: Carlos Fernando Avenancio-Leon (opens in a new tab)

Housing Wealth Accumulation and Electoral Representation (opens in a new tab)

Working Papers AUG 14, 2026

We document that housing wealth accumulation systematically differs among homeowners by their political participation. Using a nationwide voter-property dataset, we find that realized housing appreciation increases monotonically the more a…

By: Carlos F. Avenancio-León, Yutao He (opens in a new tab), Michael Reher (opens in a new tab)

Defining extreme wealth is more complicated than it looks (opens in a new tab)

Videos AUG 13, 2026

Facing high levels of income and wealth inequality and shrinking tax revenues, U.S. policymakers are showing increased interest in proposals to tax the richest households. Yet determining which households fall into that category is complex and changes based…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

Estimating AI exposure is useful for research but cannot yet tell policymakers the whole story of AI’s impact on the labor market (opens in a new tab)

Essays AUG 7, 2026

Artificial intelligence has the potential to substantially change the nature and availability of work. To effectively manage the transitions this technology might bring to the U.S. economy, policymakers need information…

By: Chiara Chanoi (opens in a new tab)

Tracking new research on artificial intelligence and its impact on the U.S. labor market (opens in a new tab)

Essays AUG 5, 2026

Headlines often paint extreme and dissonant pictures of the future impact of AI on the U.S. economy and labor market, with workers themselves echoing the conflicting feelings of optimism and…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

The debt-to-wealth ratio: A missing lens on the U.S. government’s fiscal capacity (opens in a new tab)

Reports JUL 30, 2026

Few statistics shape the fiscal debate in the United States as powerfully as the ratio of federal debt-to-Gross Domestic Product. Debt held by the public recently surpassed 100 percent of…

By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab), David S. Mitchell (opens in a new tab)

Whether data from the Fed or from WID.world are used, U.S. debt-to-wealth measures show similar trends (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 22, 2026

The United States sits in the middle of the pack on debt relative to wealth (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 22, 2026

Explosion in post-1980 inequality largely explains low debt-to-top U.S. wealth ratios (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 22, 2026

Measured against the wealth of the very top, U.S. debt is historically modest (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 22, 2026

Private wealth has grown far faster than the overall U.S. economy in recent decades (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 22, 2026

U.S. debt looks alarming against GDP but far less so against wealth (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 22, 2026

The costs of the Trump administration’s tariffs diverge for countries and industries so far in 2026 (opens in a new tab)

Essays JUL 14, 2026

The first 4 months of 2026 saw continued seismic changes in U.S. trade policy. In late February, the U.S. Supreme Court struck down the Trump administration’s use of the International…

By: Christopher Bangert-Drowns (opens in a new tab)

Certain U.S. manufacturing subsectors have experienced more tariff relief since the Supreme Court IEEPA ruling (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 13, 2026

The U.S. Supreme Court IEEPA ruling reduced tariffs unevenly across key U.S. economic sectors (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 13, 2026

U.S. trade with China has largely been supplanted by trade with other countries suspected of transshipment (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 13, 2026

U.S. imports are up and tariff rates are down since the U.S. Supreme Court IEEPA ruling (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUL 13, 2026

Why Unemployment Insurance Alone Is Not Enough in the AI Era (opens in a new tab)

Essays JUL 8, 2026

Since the large language model ChatGPT was rolled out in November 2022, artificial intelligence has captured the public’s attention and generated myriad debates over the emerging technology’s potential impacts on…

By: Megan Rivera (opens in a new tab)

Personal Income in the United States nudges up in May but is down 0.76 percent in the past 6 months (opens in a new tab)

Essays JUN 25, 2026

According to today’s release of Personal Income estimates from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. household incomes have fallen 0.76 percent in the past 6 months, with month-to-month declines…

By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)

Transfer income has fallen faster than other components of U.S. income over the past 3 months (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 25, 2026

Income declines over the past 3 months and the past 6 months are higher for low-income U.S. households (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 25, 2026

Personal Income is now declining year-over-year, a possible warning sign for the economy (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 25, 2026

U.S. income data for 2024 shows the top 10 percent accrued the highest share of income since 2000 (opens in a new tab)

Essays JUN 25, 2026

Today, Equitable Growth updated the U.S. Inequality Tracker through 2024 following the release of new data last week by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. The data show that the…

By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)

U.S. income shares changed little due to the pandemic, with top decile and bottom half households making gains (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 24, 2026

In a reversal of 21st century trends, wages grew faster for lower-income U.S. households in the pandemic era (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations JUN 24, 2026

U.S. workers will be hurt by immigration enforcement overreach (opens in a new tab)

Essays JUN 17, 2026

President Donald Trump last week signed the $70 billion Secure America Act, a budget reconciliation package that boosts funding for immigration and border enforcement agencies while imposing no limits on their authority.…

By: Christopher Bangert-Drowns (opens in a new tab)

The United States can simultaneously foster an equitable AI boom and a clean energy economy (opens in a new tab)

Videos JUN 12, 2026

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth recently hosted a timely discussion exploring how the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence is colliding with—and reshaping—the clean energy transition. Bringing together researchers and…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

In Conversation with Costa Samaras (opens in a new tab)

In Conversation JUN 2, 2026

Equitable Growth in Conversation is a recurring series where we talk with economists and other academics to help us better understand whether and how economic inequality affects economic growth and…

By: Shayna Strom (opens in a new tab)

Factsheet: Defining top U.S. income and wealth thresholds for tax policy (opens in a new tab)

Factsheets MAY 27, 2026

Federal and state policymakers in the United States, responding to high levels of income and wealth inequality and shrinking tax revenues, are increasingly interested in proposals to tax households with…

By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)

Defining top wealth and income thresholds for U.S. tax policy design and analysis (opens in a new tab)

Reports MAY 27, 2026

Wealth and income inequality are an ongoing area of interest for policymakers. In particular, the rise of the richest of the rich—not just the top 1 percent, but also the…

By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)

Realized capital gains are highly volatile, leading to large swings in the top 0.1% U.S. income thresholds (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAY 26, 2026

Navigating the research on the impacts of AI on work, workers, and the labor market (opens in a new tab)

Research Databases MAY 21, 2026

Artificial intelligence will have a largely unpredictable but potentially profound effect on the labor market. Individuals have speculated how AI will affect the workforce since its earliest developments. But public…

By: Chiara Chanoi (opens in a new tab)

What is the relationship between inflation, interest rates, and economic growth, and what does it mean for the new Federal Reserve chair? (opens in a new tab)

Issue Briefs MAY 18, 2026

Since regaining the Oval Office in early 2025, President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for lower interest rates and severely criticized former Federal Reserve Board Chair Jerome Powell’s cautious approach…

By: Jacob Robbins (opens in a new tab)

Is Taxing Wealth Possible? Practical? Desirable? Yes, if we’re smart about it (opens in a new tab)

Essays MAY 7, 2026

While the American economy has outperformed much of the industrialized world in recent years, there are good reasons to be deeply concerned about its long-term prospects. It is dogged by…

By: David S. Mitchell (opens in a new tab)

Taxed capital gains are a tiny fraction of total capital gains, which have grown larger in recent decades (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAY 6, 2026

Top tax rates have been cut dramatically (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAY 6, 2026

Unrealized gains have grown substantially for richer, older Americans (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAY 6, 2026

The wealthiest 0.1 percent of households own one-in-seven dollars (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAY 6, 2026

Recent tax cuts have reduced revenue while economic growth has slowed (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAY 6, 2026

The United States is a relatively low-tax and low-spend country (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAY 6, 2026

Tax cuts are primarily responsible for the growing U.S. debt (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAY 6, 2026

Taxes have become less progressive over time in the United States (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAY 6, 2026

Income trend for the top 1% diverges from most Americans after 1980 (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAY 6, 2026

Research shows unions dampen support for right-wing populism and help workers navigate technological transitions (opens in a new tab)

Essays MAY 1, 2026

On May 1, much of the world—though not the United States—celebrates International Workers Day to honor the social and economic contributions of workers and labor unions. The May Day holiday began in large part to mark…

By: Christopher Bangert-Drowns (opens in a new tab)

Research on climate change’s impact on U.S. workers underscores the benefits of workplace heat standards (opens in a new tab)

Essays APR 22, 2026

This year’s Earth Day follows a record-breaking heat wave across much of the East Coast, which followed a record-breaking heat wave that took hold in much of the West and…

By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)

The other two-tiered U.S. tax system: How pass-through businesses let the ultra-wealthy dodge federal taxes (opens in a new tab)

Essays APR 15, 2026

Many Americans likely remember when the legendary value investor Warren Buffett drew attention to a glaring unfairness in the tax code by pointing out that he paid a lower effective…

By: David S. Mitchell (opens in a new tab)

Pass-through business owners account for a much larger share of people and income in the top 1 percent than public company executives (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations APR 14, 2026

Pass-through business income is highly concentrated among the very rich (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations APR 14, 2026

Equitable Growth event covers tariffs, tariff uncertainties, and the limits of U.S. trade policy (opens in a new tab)

Videos APR 1, 2026

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth recently hosted a webinar examining the economic, fiscal, and labor‑market effects of evolving U.S. tariff laws and regulations, particularly in the wake of the…

By: Christopher Bangert-Drowns (opens in a new tab)

Tariff policies in 2025 increased input costs for key U.S. industries, threatening growth and investment (opens in a new tab)

Essays MAR 24, 2026

All tariffs are not created equal. Throughout U.S. history, policymakers have imposed import taxes for a variety of economic and ideological reasons, with varying impacts. Targeted tariffs have been effective…

By: Christopher Bangert-Drowns (opens in a new tab)

Research-based perspectives on the connection between economic policy and rising support for authoritarian populism (opens in a new tab)

Essays MAR 19, 2026

In 2025, the Washington Center for Equitable Growth began to explore the evidence behind a link between the effects of economic policies and global support for authoritarian populist candidates for…

By: Melissa Grober-Morrow (opens in a new tab)

Midwest and Southern workers are more concentrated in tariff-exposed industries (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 17, 2026

Industries within the U.S. machinery manufacturing subsector faced different tariff costs in 2025 (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 17, 2026

Industries within the U.S. metals manufacturing subsector faced different tariff costs in 2025 (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 17, 2026

Certain subsectors of the U.S. economy were more exposed to tariff costs than others in 2025 (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 17, 2026

Construction faced the highest tariff rate of any U.S. sector in 2025 (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 17, 2026

The unintended macroeconomic effects of U.S. climate policy uncertainty (opens in a new tab)

Essays MAR 17, 2026

Recent policy developments in the United States highlight just how quickly climate policies can change. In January 2026, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced that it would stop considering lives…

By: Diego Känzig (opens in a new tab)

The Macroeconomic Effects of Climate Policy Uncertainty (opens in a new tab)

Working Papers MAR 17, 2026

We develop a novel measure of climate policy uncertainty based on newspaper coverage. Our index spikes during key U.S. climate policy events—including presidential announcements on international agreements, congressional debates, and…

By: Konstantinos Gavriilidis (opens in a new tab), Diego R. Känzig, Ramya Raghavan (opens in a new tab), James H. Stock (opens in a new tab)

Climate policy uncertainty spikes around major U.S. policy events (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 17, 2026

Certain AMS contract provisions give workers a sense of influence over how technology is used in their workplaces (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 12, 2026

How union contracts are protecting U.S. workers from automated management and surveillance in the workplace (opens in a new tab)

Reports MAR 12, 2026

Employers are increasingly using electronic and automated tools to collect data on their workers on and off the job and then using that data to inform decisions about workers’ pay,…

By: Alexander Hertel-Fernandez (opens in a new tab)

Certain AMS contract provisions give workers a better understanding of how technology is used in their workplaces (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 12, 2026

Union members who know more about automated management and surveillance in their workplace also report more input over how it is used (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 12, 2026

Slightly more workers agree than disagree that they have input over AMS tools used in their workplaces (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 12, 2026

Most unionized workers know how automated management and surveillance are utilized in their workplaces (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 12, 2026

Certain groups of unionized workers are more likely to have a contract with automated management and surveillance provisions (opens in a new tab)

Visualizations MAR 12, 2026