Resources
From peer-reviewed research to accessible policy briefs, explore the scholarship that’s shaping debates and driving change.
973 Results
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, one year later: Parsing the evidence on the law’s consequences so far (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUN 30, 2026
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act signed into law one year ago on July 4, 2025, shifted trillions of dollars in income from working-class families to corporations and very wealthy…
By: Lily Roberts (opens in a new tab)
ASSA 2026 Round-up: Day 3 (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 6, 2026
Yesterday was the third and final day of the 2026 annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, which is organized by the American Economic Association. The 3-day conference, held…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
ASSA 2026 Round-up: Day 2 (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 5, 2026
Yesterday was the second day of the 2026 annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, which is organized by the American Economic Association. The 3-day conference, held in Philadelphia…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
ASSA 2026 Round-up: Day 1 (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 4, 2026
Yesterday was the first day of the 2026 annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, which is organized by the American Economic Association. The 3-day conference, held in Philadelphia…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Accounting for capital gains in income significantly increases U.S. inequality (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUL 15, 2025
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth’s recently launched U.S. Inequality Tracker uses data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis to show how income and wealth inequality have evolved in…
By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth responds to passage of the federal budget bill (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUL 7, 2025
On Friday, President Donald Trump signed the 2025 federal budget bill, cementing into law the most regressive piece of tax and budget legislation to be passed in the United States…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Business owners often use their firms as tax shelters, reducing government revenue and reported income inequality (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 22, 2025
Picture this scene: After sharing a meal with friends, someone in the group grabs the check and says, “I’ll take this so I can expense it through my company.” It…
By: David Leite (opens in a new tab)
The political implications of bad jobs and the decline of unions (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 13, 2025
Bad jobs have become a distinctive feature of the U.S. economy over the past few decades. Globally, a lack of adequate demand, or what economists call “secular stagnation,” has meant…
By: Adam Dean (opens in a new tab), Jamie McCallum (opens in a new tab)
Federal and state governments can help solve the employment problems of people in distressed places to spur equitable growth (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 13, 2025
Places in the United States differ greatly in their residents’ access to jobs, including access to good jobs. In economically distressed places, these job problems can be addressed by creating…
By: Timothy Bartik (opens in a new tab)
More accurately measuring economic sentiment will help build a U.S. economy—and democracy—that works for all (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 13, 2025
When politicians and members of the media discuss the state of “the economy” in the United States, they often use a small handful of data points. Of all the indicators…
By: Jonathan Cohen (opens in a new tab), Katherine Cramer (opens in a new tab)
Understanding the role of immigration and economic factors in boosting support for far-right political parties (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 13, 2025
Far-right and right-wing populist political parties differ in many respects, but nearly all share one common thread: strong opposition to immigration. These parties often push for stricter border controls and,…
By: Sirus H. Dehdari (opens in a new tab)
America’s job-quality crisis and how to revive workers’ pay, dignity, job advancement, and economic well-being (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 13, 2025
The poor quality of jobs in the United States is a slow-burning crisis that has been underway for many decades and has eroded many workers’ quality of life. Too many…
By: Erin Kelly (opens in a new tab)
How the China trade shock impacted U.S. manufacturing workers and labor markets, and the consequences for U.S. politics (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 13, 2025
In the early 2000s, manufacturing-intensive communities in the United States entered a period of economic upheaval that would reshape their labor markets over the next two decades. China’s dramatic rise…
By: David Autor (opens in a new tab), David Dorn (opens in a new tab), Gordon Hanson (opens in a new tab)
Housing insecurity and U.S. economic policies: Lessons from tenant organizing (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 13, 2025
The destructive force of authoritarian power has become a prominent feature of U.S. political life. In just the first few months of 2025, we’ve seen unprecedented moves to use the…
By: Jamila Michener (opens in a new tab)
Countering right-wing populism: Identifying its cultural roots and charting a path forward (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 13, 2025
Donald Trump’s victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election set off an animated debate among Democrats over what went wrong with their policymaking, messaging, and campaigning. Specifically, Democrats puzzled over…
By: Yotam Margalit (opens in a new tab)
How the economic and political geography of the United States fuels right-wing populism—and what the Democratic Party can do about it (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 13, 2025
In wealthy nations around the world, the rise of the knowledge economy has increased political and economic divides that fuel right-wing populism. These divides generally have a strong geographic dimension,…
By: Jacob Hacker (opens in a new tab), Paul Pierson (opens in a new tab)
Tariffs pose real risks to the U.S. labor market (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 12, 2025
Uncertainty around trade policy makes it difficult to discuss the current state of the U.S. labor market. Businesses, workers, and policymakers at all levels make decisions based on both what…
By: Kevin Rinz (opens in a new tab)
Testimony by Michael Linden before the House Budget Committee (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 8, 2025
Chairman Arrington, Ranking Member Boyle, members of this committee, thank you for the opportunity to be here. Today, I’d like to make three main points. First, the main culprit responsible…
By: Michael Linden (opens in a new tab)
Advancing economic research on the Inflation Reduction Act: Q&A with Susan Helper (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 1, 2025
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is the most significant economic and clean energy jobs program the United States has ever initiated. To improve overall understanding of whether the new…
By: Susan Helper (opens in a new tab)
Evaluating the Inflation Reduction Act: Job quality, spillovers, and place-based policymaking (opens in a new tab)
Blog APR 16, 2025
The Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 is the most significant economic and clean energy jobs program the United States has ever initiated. To improve overall understanding of whether the new…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Improving economic outcomes for single mothers and their children across the United States (opens in a new tab)
Blog APR 16, 2025
Single-mother households are becoming more and more common in the United States. Over the past 50 years, the number of children raised by single mothers has more than doubled. It…
By: Megan Rivera (opens in a new tab)
“Econ 101” briefing on taxing multinationals brings Hill staffers up to speed on U.S. role in coordinating global crack-down on tax avoidance (opens in a new tab)
Blog APR 3, 2025
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth last week hosted a briefing for Capitol Hill staffers on multinational corporate tax trends and policies—another in our “Econ 101” series for Hill staffers.…
By: Elena Patel (opens in a new tab)
Analogies for AI policymaking (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 27, 2025
As a suite of technologies under the label of artificial intelligence increasingly take center stage, policymakers recognize the need to develop deep technical expertise about the deployment of evolving technologies…
By: Sorelle Friedler (opens in a new tab), Marc Aidinoff (opens in a new tab)
What makes a job ‘good’? How U.S. labor market data can provide insight to improve workers’ economic conditions (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 26, 2025
Since the Great Recession of 2007–2009, a great deal of U.S. economic policymaking has been dedicated to creating jobs. The tools used to do so vary widely, from awarding grants…
By: Kevin Rinz (opens in a new tab), Chiara Chanoi (opens in a new tab)
Do not abandon the care agenda (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 19, 2025
This column, co-authored by Equitable Growth President and CEO Shayna Strom and former Deputy Director of the White House Gender Policy Council Shilpa Phadke, first appeared in Democracy Journal in…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth hosts Hill briefing on proliferation and taxation of U.S. pass-through businesses (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 13, 2025
On March 7, the Washington Center for Equitable Growth hosted a briefing—part of a series we call “Econ 101”—for Hill staffers curious about the proliferation of pass-through businesses and how…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
The U.S. House of Representatives’ budget resolution threatens social infrastructure programs, putting families’ well-being at risk (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 10, 2025
In late February, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a budget resolution that calls for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in federal spending cuts. This resolution provides…
By: Priyanka Anand (opens in a new tab), Robert Moffitt (opens in a new tab)
Tackling AI, taxation, and the fair distribution of AI’s benefits (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 5, 2025
Artificial intelligence poses significant challenges to income growth, inequality, and meaningful work. At the same time, AI has geopolitical significance, with many national and supranational governments shying away from intervening…
By: Mona Sloane (opens in a new tab), Ekkehard Ernst (opens in a new tab)
New research finds capital gains are highly concentrated and hardly taxed, underscoring widespread U.S. inequality (opens in a new tab)
Blog FEB 26, 2025
For two decades, booming stock, housing, and private business markets have driven large capital gains in the United States. Real capital gains, which are the inflation-adjusted appreciation of a financial…
By: Jacob Robbins (opens in a new tab), Cole Campbell (opens in a new tab), Sam Wylde (opens in a new tab)
Boosting U.S. worker power and voice in the AI-enabled workplace (opens in a new tab)
Blog FEB 19, 2025
The deployment of Artificial Intelligence in the workplace has grown rapidly in the United States. Labor unions have been at the forefront of efforts to encourage more productive and sustainable…
By: Virginia Doellgast (opens in a new tab), Nell Geiser (opens in a new tab)
As the U.S. labor market stabilizes, is nominal wage growth now too hot? (opens in a new tab)
Blog FEB 13, 2025
After the tumultuous swings of the early COVID-19 pandemic period and years of normalization since then, economic data from the past several months suggest that the U.S. labor market may…
By: Kevin Rinz (opens in a new tab)
Testimony by Michael Linden House Oversight Subcommittee on Healthcare and Financial Services (opens in a new tab)
Blog FEB 11, 2025
Chairman Grothman, Ranking Member Krishnamoorthi, and members of the Committee – thank you for the opportunity to be here. Today, I’d like to make three main points. First, federal investments…
By: Michael Linden (opens in a new tab)
Understanding market concentration in the AI supply chain (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 28, 2025
Artificial intelligence is more than just the applications we use, such as chatbots and predictive algorithms. Beneath the surface of AI lies a technology stack that is increasingly concentrated at…
By: Tejas Narechania (opens in a new tab)
ASSA 2025 Round-up: Day 3 (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 6, 2025
Yesterday was the third and final day of the 2025 annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, which is organized by the American Economic Association. The 3-day conference, held…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
ASSA 2025 Round-up: Day 2 (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 5, 2025
Yesterday was the second day of the 2025 annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, which is organized by the American Economic Association. The 3-day conference, held in San…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
ASSA 2025 Round-up: Day 1 (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 4, 2025
Yesterday was the first day of the 2025 annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, which is organized by the American Economic Association. The 3-day conference, held in San…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
New U.S. Treasury Department research shows that it pays to be an S corporation (opens in a new tab)
Blog DEC 16, 2024
Businesses that are organized as so-called pass-through entities for tax purposes—meaning their profits show up on the owners’ personal tax returns rather than on an entity-based tax return—pay a lower…
By: Michael Linden (opens in a new tab)
Recent research shows how paid leave impacts women’s employment and financial security in the United States (opens in a new tab)
Blog DEC 13, 2024
During the first several months of the COVID-19 pandemic, the federal government ensured that all U.S. workers had access to at least 2 weeks of paid sick leave and up…
By: Shira Markoff (opens in a new tab)
New research highlights the impact of COVID-era unconditional cash benefits for U.S. workers and families (opens in a new tab)
Blog DEC 10, 2024
The breadth of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic ushered in sweeping, albeit temporary, changes to income support programs and tax policies in the United States. These changes include…
By: Shira Markoff (opens in a new tab)
Addressing pervasive tax evasion by cryptocurrency users (opens in a new tab)
Blog NOV 21, 2024
The price of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies reached record highs last week, buoyed by the U.S. election of Donald Trump, who is seen as friendly to this novel asset class,…
By: Magne Mogstad (opens in a new tab), Tom Meling (opens in a new tab), Arnstein Vestre (opens in a new tab)
The U.S. labor market keeps beating projections (opens in a new tab)
Blog NOV 5, 2024
No single economic indicator fully describes the state of the U.S. labor market. Yet a range of commonly used measures, from the unemployment rate and the prime-age employment-population ratio to…
By: Kevin Rinz (opens in a new tab)
Changing earnings requirements for Unemployment Insurance could improve access and better support U.S. workers (opens in a new tab)
Blog OCT 24, 2024
Temporary changes to the Unemployment Insurance program played an enormous role in the U.S. policy response to the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting sharp-but-short recession in 2020. Typically, Unemployment Insurance replaces…
By: Kevin Rinz (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth virtual event details how tax policies affect U.S. economic growth and could combat income and wealth inequality (opens in a new tab)
Blog OCT 23, 2024
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth recently held the second in a two-part event series on tax policies for congressional staffers interested in learning more about using persuasive, evidence-backed arguments…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth renews collective bargaining agreement with Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (opens in a new tab)
Blog OCT 7, 2024
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth has renewed its 3-year collective bargaining agreement with the Nonprofit Professional Employees Union IFPTE Local 70. The agreement, which was signed on August 23,…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
End Ineffective Business Tax Breaks Before Creating New Ones (opens in a new tab)
Blog OCT 7, 2024
(This opinion piece first appeared in Tax Notes Federal on September 23, 2024.) Vice President Kamala Harris recently proposed an expanded tax benefit for start-up businesses, aimed at helping fledgling…
By: David S. Mitchell (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth’s ‘Econ 101’ offered congressional staffers a rundown of the contours of U.S. tax policy (opens in a new tab)
Blog OCT 2, 2024
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth recently hosted a congressional briefing—part of a series we call “Econ 101”—for Hill staffers interested in learning more about the ins and outs of…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
New data show significant changes in racial and class mobility gaps in the United States (opens in a new tab)
Blog SEP 19, 2024
Past research shows that differences in intergenerational mobility between Black and White Americans have persisted since the 1880s. Current racial economic mobility gaps are rooted in historical discriminatory policies, such…
By: Shira Markoff (opens in a new tab)
The unequal impact of the Federal Reserve’s monetary tightening and easing on firms in the United States (opens in a new tab)
Blog SEP 16, 2024
The easing of inflation in the U.S. economy beginning in 2022 and recent signs of weakness in the U.S. labor market over the past several quarters have led households and…
By: Ezgi Kurt (opens in a new tab)
The upcoming U.S. election’s most important policy effects are under the radar (opens in a new tab)
Blog SEP 3, 2024
Although the old maxim that Labor Day marks the true beginning of U.S. presidential campaigns may no longer hold, the end of summer and beginning of fall remain a period…
By: Kevin Rinz (opens in a new tab)
Will labor’s surging popularity result in new union members in the United States? (opens in a new tab)
Blog AUG 29, 2024
Mass strikes across U.S. industries, successful organizing drives in multiple sectors of the economy, and a U.S. president who declares himself proud to be labeled “the most pro-union president in…
By: Jake Rosenfeld (opens in a new tab)
Early career scholars to receive Equitable Growth funding to study economic inequality (opens in a new tab)
Blog AUG 28, 2024
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth today announced a new slate of grantees. These 10 scholars responded to a Request for Proposals specifically targeted at those early in their careers…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth invests in new research to better understand the effects of the fiscal response to the COVID-19 recession (opens in a new tab)
Blog AUG 28, 2024
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth today announced a new cohort of grantees in response to a Request for Proposals on the effectiveness of the fiscal response to the COVID-19…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
New economic analyses of the 2017 Trump tax cuts find mixed effects that policymakers should consider when those tax cuts expire in 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Blog AUG 22, 2024
Former President Donald Trump’s hallmark economic policy was a swathe of tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations in 2017. His Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA, supercharged…
By: Rakeen Mabud (opens in a new tab), Janelle Jones (opens in a new tab), Michael Linden (opens in a new tab)
New labor market data suggest that U.S. wage growth may be cooling too much (opens in a new tab)
Blog AUG 6, 2024
After increasing rapidly over the course of 2021, nominal wage growth (before accounting for inflation) in the United States has been trending down consistently across measures since early- to mid-2022.…
By: Kevin Rinz (opens in a new tab)
New federal heat standard will protect U.S. workers from the ill effects of high temperatures amid intensifying climate change (opens in a new tab)
Blog AUG 1, 2024
U.S. workers are more vulnerable than ever to the ill effects of high and rising temperatures as the world continues to shatter heat records this year. Climate-related deaths and injuries…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
New federal heat standard offers novel distributional analysis to determine which workers benefit and how (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUL 16, 2024
The U.S. Department of Labor recently released a much-anticipated proposed rule that promises to protect workers from on-the-job injuries and deaths that result from toiling in the heat. The timing…
By: David S. Mitchell (opens in a new tab)
The new Labor Department overtime rule is a win for workers—and good policy, too (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUL 8, 2024
On July 1, the first step of the U.S. Department of Labor’s new overtime rule went into effect, meaning about 1 million salaried, white-collar workers currently exempt from overtime began…
By: Janelle Jones (opens in a new tab), Rajesh Nayak (opens in a new tab)
On Juneteenth: New research demonstrates how economic mobility is restricted for Black Americans (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUN 18, 2024
On June 19, 1865, emancipation was officially declared in the state of Texas, more than two full years after the Emancipation Proclamation and more than two full months after the…
By: Shaun Harrison (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth receives funding to advance women’s power, gender equality, and care economy (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 28, 2024
Melinda French Gates’ Pivotal funds organization as part of $1 billion global commitment The Washington Center for Equitable Growth announced today that it has received funding from Pivotal as part…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
What is going on with wage growth in the United States? (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 16, 2024
Fast wage growth is a key feature of a strong labor market. U.S. workers, and low-wage workers in particular, experienced exceptional wage growth over the past couple of years, which…
By: Kevin Rinz (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth delivers letter on proposed IRS rule to expand data sharing with the U.S. Department of Commerce (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 15, 2024
On April 29, the Washington Center for Equitable Growth delivered a comment letter responding to a proposed rule from the Internal Revenue Service that would expand the amount of administrative…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
U.S. workers, generative AI, and the future of work (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 9, 2024
The launch of ChatGPT in November 2022 captured the world’s attention and illustrated the potential of generative Artificial Intelligence to instantly perform tasks long considered quintessentially “human.” Already, the technology…
By: Molly Kinder (opens in a new tab)
Structural changes in the U.S. economy highlight anew the gray areas of continued racial bias and discrimination in American workplaces (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 8, 2024
Four years after George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis by three city police officers and the Black Lives Matter movement led large-scale protests across the country, workplaces across the U.S.…
By: Adia Harvey Wingfield (opens in a new tab)
New workplace surveillance bill would protect U.S. workers and address new technological risks (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 2, 2024
Across the U.S. economy, the risks posed by unchecked automated surveillance and management technologies are widespread—and growing. These technologies can sometimes be beneficial for workers, customers, and businesses alike. For…
By: Alexander Hertel-Fernandez (opens in a new tab)
New recommendations for an integrated system of U.S. inequality statistics chart a bold path forward (opens in a new tab)
Blog APR 23, 2024
A new report from the National Academy of Science’s Committee on National Statistics is packed with recommendations for building an integrated system of national statistics that can provide accurate and…
By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)
An Unemployment Insurance modernization bill now before the U.S. Senate is a much-needed step in the right direction (opens in a new tab)
Blog APR 9, 2024
The nearly 90-year-old federal-state Unemployment Insurance program provides much-needed relief to unemployed workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own and helps to stabilize the U.S. economy…
By: Alexander Hertel-Fernandez (opens in a new tab)
Enhanced Child Tax Credit helped U.S. families afford life-enhancing necessities and cope with inflation (opens in a new tab)
Blog APR 2, 2024
Amid ongoing congressional debate over expanding the Child Tax Credit for U.S. families, it’s important to understand why the fears about the expansion of that tax credit in 2021 were…
By: David S. Mitchell (opens in a new tab)
Testimony by Michael Linden before the Joint Economic Committee (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 12, 2024
Chair Heinrich, Vice Chair Schweikert, Members of the Committee, thank you so much for extending me the opportunity to testify before you today. My testimony will broadly cover three important…
By: Michael Linden (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth hosts State of the Union press briefing with leading U.S. economists (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 7, 2024
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth last week hosted an online press briefing in prelude to tonight’s State of the Union address to the U.S. Congress by President Joe Biden.…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
The state of the U.S. labor market 4 years after the start of the COVID-19 recession (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 5, 2024
Over the past 4 years, the U.S. economy—in particular the U.S. labor market—weathered some incredible shocks and fluctuations. From the COVID-19 pandemic and supply chain breakdowns to global energy shocks…
By: Michael Linden (opens in a new tab)
Ahead of President Biden’s State of the Union address, the U.S. economy is strong (opens in a new tab)
Blog FEB 21, 2024
On March 7, President Joe Biden will deliver the 2024 State of the Union address to the U.S. Congress and the American public, in which he will tout his economic…
By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth’s recent ‘Econ 101’ assessed the state of the U.S. economy and recovery for Capitol Hill staff (opens in a new tab)
Blog FEB 13, 2024
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth hosted a briefing last week—part of a series we call “Econ 101”—presenting insight on the state of the U.S. economy and how the current…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
New Circular A-4 offers opportunities for researchers interested in disaggregating the costs and benefits of U.S. regulations (opens in a new tab)
Blog FEB 1, 2024
This column is adapted from remarks I made at the Allied Social Sciences Associations 2024 annual meeting, held earlier this year in San Antonio, Texas, as part of a panel…
By: David S. Mitchell (opens in a new tab)
The impacts of increasing U.S. hospital consolidation on Medicaid recipients (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 25, 2024
The U.S. healthcare sector is a consequential part of the overall economy. As of 2021, U.S. healthcare expenditures alone would rank third among the world’s largest economies in terms of…
By: Sunita Desai (opens in a new tab), Kyle Smith (opens in a new tab)
Statement on the passing of Nobel laureate Robert Solow (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 11, 2024
A founding member of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth’s Steering Committee, Solow was also a longtime partner and advisor to the organization Robert Solow, the Nobel laureate and longtime…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Doubling down on cuts to the IRS is bad for the federal budget and for tax fairness in the United States (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 9, 2024
The U.S. Congress recently announced a bipartisan budget deal for fiscal year 2024 appropriations for the U.S. federal government. The budget is largely consistent with the framework agreed to in…
By: David S. Mitchell (opens in a new tab)
ASSA 2024 Round-up: Day 3 (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 8, 2024
Yesterday was the third and final day of the 2024 annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, which is organized by the American Economic Association. The 3-day conference, held…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
ASSA 2024 Round-up: Day 2 (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 7, 2024
Yesterday was the second day of the 2024 annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, which is organized by the American Economic Association. The 3-day conference, held in person…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
ASSA 2024 Round-up: Day 1 (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 6, 2024
Yesterday was the first day of the 2024 annual meeting of the Allied Social Science Associations, which is organized by the American Economic Association. The 3-day conference, held in person…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Six years later, more evidence shows the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act benefits U.S. business owners and executives, not average workers (opens in a new tab)
Blog DEC 20, 2023
When policymakers were debating the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017, many proponents claimed that average U.S. workers would benefit via wage increases. These adherents of trickle-down economic theory…
By: David S. Mitchell (opens in a new tab)
What the research says about the impacts of hospital consolidation across the United States (opens in a new tab)
Blog DEC 6, 2023
When patients in the United States rely on hospitals for care, they are often at their most vulnerable, such as during acute illnesses, when suffering major injuries, or while giving…
By: Amy Phillips (opens in a new tab)
New evidence shows that limiting a tax break for highly leveraged firms doesn’t hurt the U.S. economy (opens in a new tab)
Blog NOV 21, 2023
Does increasing taxes on businesses reduce private-sector investment? Most economists agree that investment in new projects and technologies is a key driver of economic growth. While the tax code plays…
By: David S. Mitchell (opens in a new tab)
Sameera Fazili and Mary Beth Maxwell join Equitable Growth’s Board of Directors (opens in a new tab)
Blog NOV 15, 2023
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth today announced the addition of two new members to its board of directors: Sameera Fazili, former deputy assistant to the president and deputy director…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
New evidence suggests that receiving benefits from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program facilitates work in the long run (opens in a new tab)
Blog NOV 13, 2023
One of today’s most heated debates around U.S. income support programs is about work requirements. From the removal of work requirements through the 2021 enhancements to the Child Tax Credit…
By: Alix Gould-Werth (opens in a new tab)
What the minimum wage can tell us about the future of the U.S. child care system (opens in a new tab)
Blog NOV 1, 2023
The U.S. child care market is plagued by a math problem. Families in the United States are stretched thin, dedicating substantial portions of their household budgets to child care expenses.…
By: Sam Abbott (opens in a new tab)
What recent research says about the benefits of labor strikes and growing worker power for broader U.S. economic growth (opens in a new tab)
Blog OCT 25, 2023
Labor organizing and strikes are experiencing a resurgence in the United States. Before this year’s bevy of labor actions—including Hollywood strikes, autoworker walk-outs, healthcare labor stoppages, and more—2022 and 2021…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Employment scarring research suggests benefits for aggressive U.S. fiscal policy in response to recessions (opens in a new tab)
Blog OCT 19, 2023
It can be difficult for the federal government to get its fiscal response to an economic downturn just right. Too much fiscal stimulus can create excess fiscal demand and inflation,…
By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)
New research finds $15 minimum wages raise pay and increase employment for low-wage workers (opens in a new tab)
Blog OCT 16, 2023
Increasing the minimum wage has repeatedly been shown to raise the pay of low-wage workers and improve the overall economy. While the federal minimum wage remains at its 2009 level…
By: Michael Reich (opens in a new tab), Justin Wiltshire (opens in a new tab), Carl McPherson (opens in a new tab)
Strong unions push firms to reduce riskier debt, lowering risks of unemployment for U.S. workers (opens in a new tab)
Blog SEP 27, 2023
Unionization efforts and labor organizing are increasingly ubiquitous in the United States. Indeed, July 2023 was one of the busiest months for strikes in 30 years, following two years of…
By: Carlos Fernando Avenancio-Leon (opens in a new tab), Alessio Piccolo (opens in a new tab), Roberto Pinto (opens in a new tab)
Testimony by Shayna Strom before the Senate Budget Committee (opens in a new tab)
Blog SEP 20, 2023
Chairman Whitehouse, Ranking Member Grassley, and members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify today. I am the President and CEO of the Washington Center for Equitable…
By: Shayna Strom (opens in a new tab)
U.S. labor market concentration, competition, and worker bargaining power as employment trends shift from manufacturing to services (opens in a new tab)
Blog SEP 6, 2023
Labor market concentration and competition in the United States has received renewed and well-deserved attention over the past several years. Competitive labor markets are critical engines of economic growth, worker…
By: Laura Alexander (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth announces new round of grantmaking exploring the connection between policy and economic growth (opens in a new tab)
Blog AUG 31, 2023
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth today announced its 2023 cohort of grantees, an impressive group of researchers from across academic disciplines who are studying how inequality affects economic growth…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Latino homeownership: Confronting home appraisal bias to create a more equitable and more sustainable U.S. economic trajectory (opens in a new tab)
Blog AUG 10, 2023
Homeownership is part of the American Dream and a pathway to build wealth for many people in the United States. Homeownership allows families to plant roots, build equity, and secure…
By: Sam Kenney (opens in a new tab)
The effects of the expanded Child Tax Credit on low-income families in the United States (opens in a new tab)
Blog AUG 2, 2023
Childhood poverty is a stubborn problem in the United States. About 11 million U.S. children lived in poverty prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, accounting for nearly one-third of the impoverished…
By: Jesus Torres (opens in a new tab)
Short-term effects of the expanded Child Tax Credit on U.S. labor force participation amid the COVID-19 pandemic (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUL 26, 2023
There is a common politicized thread to arguments against expanding the federal antipoverty Child Tax Credit program permanently and to the justifications that a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court…
By: Sullivan Anderson (opens in a new tab)
New research shows that differences in state Unemployment Insurance rules cause inequity and inefficiency (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUL 19, 2023
The Unemployment Insurance system in the United States aims to provide temporary and partial wage replacement for workers who become unemployed through no fault of their own. In helping unemployed…
By: Daphné Skandalis (opens in a new tab), Ioana Marinescu (opens in a new tab), Maxim Massenkoff (opens in a new tab)
Algorithmic wage discrimination requires policy solutions that enforce predictability and the U.S. spirit of equal pay for equal work (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUL 12, 2023
U.S. consumers generally believe that gig workers who labor for companies such as Uber Technologies Inc. and Lyft Inc. are free to set their own hours and thus able to…
By: Veena Dubal (opens in a new tab)
GDP 2.0: Measuring who prospers when the U.S. economy grows (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUL 11, 2023
This post was updated on July 11, 2023. Gross Domestic Product, or GDP, is the constant go-to economic indicator that news anchors and U.S. Members of Congress alike love to…
By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)
New data and analysis suggest private equity takeovers of U.S. medical practices cause anticompetitive harms to patients, insurers, and employers in local markets (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUL 10, 2023
The linked resources and the PDF for this piece were updated on February 20, 2024. Private equity firms are deeply engaged in buying up and consolidating medical practices across the…
By: Laura Alexander (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth’s Jobs Day Graphs: June 2023 Report Edition (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUL 7, 2023
On July 7th, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released new data on the U.S. labor market during the month of June. Below are five graphs compiled by Equitable Growth…
By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab), Carmen Sanchez Cumming (opens in a new tab)
JOLTS Day Graphs: May 2023 Edition (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUL 6, 2023
Every month the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases data on hiring, firing, and other labor market flows from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, better known as JOLTS.…
By: Carmen Sanchez Cumming (opens in a new tab), Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)
Ahead of the June Jobs Day report, here is what the past three months of employment data say about the health of the U.S. labor market (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUL 6, 2023
The U.S. economy is now flush with many more jobs than prior to the onset of the COVID-19 recession in early 2020, and employment growth in the country continues to…
By: Carmen Sanchez Cumming (opens in a new tab)
The historical lessons from the U.S. General Property Tax (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUL 5, 2023
In the early 19th century, a new type of property tax system emerged in the United States, distinguishing itself from its European counterparts by encompassing all forms of property. This…
By: Sacha Dray (opens in a new tab), Camille Landais (opens in a new tab), Stefanie Stantcheva (opens in a new tab)
LGBTQ+ Black Pride: More than a celebration (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUN 22, 2023
This column is the fifth in our series of pieces by guest authors examining systemic racial, ethnic, and gender inequities in the U.S. economy and in access to government social…
By: Earl D. Fowlkes. Jr. (opens in a new tab)
Paid sick leave means dads can spend more time caring for loved ones and less time worrying about missing work (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUN 15, 2023
The economic story of the United States in the post-WWII era is arguably the dramatic surge in women’s labor force participation. The increases in hours worked and income generated by…
By: Sam Abbott (opens in a new tab)
What monetary and fiscal policy can tell us about the U.S. recovery from the COVID-19 recession (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUN 14, 2023
The Federal Reserve is at the center of the main story in the U.S. economy, and not just because there’s actual ambiguity around this week’s Federal Open Market Committee meeting.…
By: Michael Madowitz (opens in a new tab)
Wealth as a driver of income and consumption mobility in the United States (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUN 7, 2023
When most Americans think about how economic well-being transfers from parents to children, they will likely think about income, consumption, and wealth. After all, parents’ ability to provide for and…
By: Jonathan Fisher (opens in a new tab), David Johnson (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth’s Jobs Day Graphs: May 2023 Report Edition (opens in a new tab)
Blog JUN 2, 2023
On June 2nd, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released new data on the U.S. labor market during the month of May. Below are five graphs compiled by Equitable Growth…
By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab), Carmen Sanchez Cumming (opens in a new tab)
JOLTS Day Graphs: April 2023 Edition (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 31, 2023
Every month the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases data on hiring, firing, and other labor market flows from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, better known as JOLTS.…
By: Carmen Sanchez Cumming (opens in a new tab), Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)
Food assistance can disrupt intergenerational poverty in the United States, promoting racial economic equity (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 30, 2023
The post-COVID-19 economy is a strange beast. Unemployment rates are at historic lows, but inflation—despite some cooling—remains high. Many parents continue to struggle with child care and their children’s schooling,…
By: Christopher Wimer (opens in a new tab), Zachary Parolin (opens in a new tab), Ronald Mincy (opens in a new tab), Benjamin Glasner (opens in a new tab)
The rise of industrial policy means data synchronization is more critical than ever (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 12, 2023
Industrial policy is the hot new trend in D.C. policymaking circles, a Biden administration promise to radically transform the economy that is pouring federal dollars into green energy, infrastructure, and…
By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth grantee Gabriel Zucman awarded the 2023 John Bates Clark Medal (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 9, 2023
Earlier this month, associate professor of public policy and economics Gabriel Zucman at the University of California, Berkeley—and a Washington Center for Equitable Growth 2018 grantee—won the 2023 John Bates…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Child care prices, inflation, and the end of federal pandemic-era aid in five charts (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 8, 2023
For much of the COVID-19 recession of 2020 and subsequent economic recovery, the child care sector was spared the accelerating inflation that impacted other areas of the U.S. economy. As…
By: Sam Abbott (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth’s Jobs Day Graphs: April 2023 Report Edition (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 5, 2023
On May 5, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released new data on the U.S. labor market during the month of April. Below are five graphs compiled by Equitable Growth…
By: Raksha Kopparam (opens in a new tab), Kathryn Zickuhr (opens in a new tab)
JOLTS Day Graphs: March 2023 Edition (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAY 2, 2023
Every month the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases data on hiring, firing, and other labor market flows from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, better known as JOLTS.…
By: Raksha Kopparam (opens in a new tab), Kathryn Zickuhr (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth delivers comment letter responding to the Federal Trade Commission’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Non-Compete Clauses (opens in a new tab)
Blog APR 20, 2023
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth this week delivered a comment letter responding to the Federal Trade Commission’s Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on Non-Compete Clauses. In our comment letter,…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Police in public schools harm students, leading to far-reaching socioeconomic inequalities alongside less safe schools (opens in a new tab)
Blog APR 19, 2023
This column is the third in a series by guest authors examining systemic racial, ethnic, and gender inequities in the U.S. economy and in access to government social infrastructure and…
By: Tyler Whittenberg (opens in a new tab), Jessica Alcantara (opens in a new tab)
Employers can alleviate the U.S. child care crisis, but they cannot be the primary solution (opens in a new tab)
Blog APR 13, 2023
The U.S. Department of Commerce last month announced new requirements for semiconductor manufacturers seeking funding under the CHIPS and Science Act of 2022—a key component of the Biden Administration’s industrial…
By: Sam Abbott (opens in a new tab)
Seven ways the inflation debate in the United States has changed since last year and how the Fed can now recalibrate its monetary policy (opens in a new tab)
Blog APR 12, 2023
Inflation in the United States today is considerably cooler than at its peak in the first half of 2022, but it will remain at the center of the economic policy…
By: Michael Madowitz (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth’s Jobs Day Graphs: March 2023 Report Edition (opens in a new tab)
Blog APR 7, 2023
On April 7, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released new data on the U.S. labor market during the month of March. Below are five graphs compiled by Equitable Growth…
By: Kathryn Zickuhr (opens in a new tab), Carmen Sanchez Cumming (opens in a new tab)
Why measuring inflation is surprisingly challenging (opens in a new tab)
Blog APR 5, 2023
In spite of recent bank turmoil in the United States and abroad, reining in inflation remains very much at the top of the macroeconomic agenda for policymakers in advanced economies…
By: Michael Madowitz (opens in a new tab)
JOLTS Day Graphs: February 2023 Edition (opens in a new tab)
Blog APR 4, 2023
Every month the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases data on hiring, firing, and other labor market flows from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, better known as JOLTS.…
By: Kathryn Zickuhr (opens in a new tab), Carmen Sanchez Cumming (opens in a new tab)
Executive actions to strengthen unions and increase worker power in the United States (opens in a new tab)
Blog APR 3, 2023
Relevant federal agencies: U.S. Department of Labor White House Relevant federal laws: The Fair Labor Standards Act of 1938 (29 U.S.C. § 203) National Labor Relations Act of 1935 (Public…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Summary of Equitable Growth’s March ‘Econ 101’ briefing on inflation for Capitol Hill staffers (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 23, 2023
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth hosted a briefing earlier this month—part of a series we call “Econ 101”—presenting the key points on inflation to congressional staffers in both the…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Executive actions to modernize federal data collection and improve measurements of U.S. economic inequality (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 22, 2023
Relevant federal agencies U.S. Census Bureau U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, U.S. Department of Commerce U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor Relevant federal laws Internal Revenue Code…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Executive actions to reduce inequality and improve job quality for U.S. workers (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 16, 2023
Relevant federal agencies: Federal Trade Commission Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Office of Personnel Management Relevant laws: Federal Trade Commission’s Trade Regulation Rule on Commercial Surveillance and Data Security, Commercial Surveillance…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Inflation, Federal Reserve policymaking, and liquidity traps (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 14, 2023
The Federal Reserve is fighting inflation, but more importantly, the Fed wants everyone to know that it is fighting inflationary expectations. This means, in the short term, that with inflation…
By: Michael Madowitz (opens in a new tab)
Major federal ‘Big Tech’ antitrust case against Google will test the strength of current U.S. antitrust laws in new digital markets (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 13, 2023
A high-profile antitrust enforcement action taken in January by the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice against Alphabet Inc.’s Google unit—one of the largest technology companies in the…
By: Laura Alexander (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth’s Jobs Day Graphs: February 2023 Report Edition (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 10, 2023
On March 10, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released new data on the U.S. labor market during the month of February. Below are five graphs compiled by Equitable Growth…
By: Kathryn Zickuhr (opens in a new tab), Carmen Sanchez Cumming (opens in a new tab)
The importance of the American Rescue Plan for U.S. workers and families on the law’s second anniversary, in 8 charts (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 10, 2023
Tomorrow marks 2 years since the American Rescue Plan Act was signed into law. One year after the COVID-19 pandemic that began in early 2020 triggered enormous employment losses and…
By: Carmen Sanchez Cumming (opens in a new tab), Raksha Kopparam (opens in a new tab)
JOLTS Day Graphs: January 2023 Edition (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 8, 2023
Every month the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases data on hiring, firing, and other labor market flows from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, better known as JOLTS.…
By: Kathryn Zickuhr (opens in a new tab), Carmen Sanchez Cumming (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth delivers letter responding to the NTIA’s Privacy, Equity, and Civil Rights Request for Comment (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 6, 2023
The Washington Center for Equitable Growth this week delivered a comment letter responding to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Privacy, Equity, and Civil Rights Request for Comment. Our comment…
By: Kathryn Zickuhr (opens in a new tab)
Access to paid family leave improves U.S. women’s labor market outcomes following a spouse’s health shock (opens in a new tab)
Blog MAR 6, 2023
Women now make up almost half of the U.S. labor force, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, and families are increasingly reliant on women’s earnings. Despite their growing labor…
By: Courtney C. Coile (opens in a new tab), Maya Rossin-Slater (opens in a new tab), Amanda Su (opens in a new tab)
Examining the history of the U.S. racial wealth divide shows stagnating progress on closing these disparities (opens in a new tab)
Blog FEB 24, 2023
A central part of Black History Month is highlighting the accomplishments and contributions of Black Americans to U.S. society, culture, and the economy, often in the face of incredible barriers.…
By: Kreg Steven Brown (opens in a new tab)
Fair competition in the U.S. labor market is threatened by more than the noncompete clauses targeted by new Federal Trade Commission rule (opens in a new tab)
Blog FEB 23, 2023
When a worker gets a new job, it is normally a cause for celebration and not litigation. Yet noncompetition clauses in employment agreements, and a veil of other threats buried…
By: Peter Norlander (opens in a new tab)
Executive actions to strengthen U.S. income support programs and support research about them (opens in a new tab)
Blog FEB 22, 2023
Relevant federal agencies: U.S. Department of Labor U.S. Department of Agriculture Relevant federal laws: The Agriculture Improvement Act of 2018 (P.L. 115-334) Social Security Act of 1935 (P.L. 74-271) Advisory…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Climate policy has potential to spur economic growth and ensure a competitive U.S. economy (opens in a new tab)
Blog FEB 9, 2023
Addressing climate change is a crucial—and sizeable—economic task. Ensuring equity in every dimension of climate mitigation and adaptation is critical to redressing ongoing harms and environmental injustices. Tracking the implementation…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Executive actions to leverage federal agencies to improve child care in the United States (opens in a new tab)
Blog FEB 8, 2023
Relevant federal agencies: U.S. Census Bureau U.S. Department of Health and Human Services The White House White House Council of Economic Advisers Relevant federal laws: Child Care Development Block Grant…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
Equitable Growth’s Jobs Day Graphs: January 2023 Report Edition (opens in a new tab)
Blog FEB 3, 2023
On February 3, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics released new data on the U.S. labor market during the month of January. Below are five graphs compiled by Equitable Growth…
By: Kathryn Zickuhr (opens in a new tab), Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)
JOLTS Day Graphs: December 2022 Edition (opens in a new tab)
Blog FEB 1, 2023
Every month the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics releases data on hiring, firing, and other labor market flows from the Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, better known as JOLTS.…
By: Kathryn Zickuhr (opens in a new tab), Carmen Sanchez Cumming (opens in a new tab)
Automated and algorithmic management is already here, invisibly shaping job quality for U.S. workers (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 24, 2023
Predictions about which jobs may be “lost” in the United States as employers implement new automation and algorithmic technologies often consider management tasks and roles as the least vulnerable to…
By: Kathryn Zickuhr (opens in a new tab)
A future-oriented approach to wealth offers new possibilities for wealth creation in the United States (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 19, 2023
Wealth inequality in the United States has grown significantly over the past five decades, with the overall share of wealth becoming more concentrated among the highest-income families. A lot of…
By: Equitable Growth (opens in a new tab)
U.S. income and wealth inequality are no longer increasing, but a return to the equitable levels of the mid-20th century isn’t likely anytime soon (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 17, 2023
Five or 6 years ago, economists and pundits frequently debated whether the incomes of low- and middle-class households in the United States were stagnating. I wrote about it, and I…
By: Austin Clemens (opens in a new tab)
New research suggests connections between market concentration and the exercise of political power in the United States (opens in a new tab)
Blog JAN 12, 2023
Consolidation of markets at the hands of U.S. companies that are actively engaged in mergers and acquisitions raises an important question about the political ramifications of market concentration. Do mergers…
By: Laura Alexander (opens in a new tab)
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