Analysis & Opinion

At 10.2%, October’s unemployment is a wake-up call

Pace of job loss slows in October, but unemployment keeps rising. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} November 6, 2009

Mishel on double-digit unemployment

EPI President Lawrence Mishel says October's unemployment rate should send an alarm that more help is needed. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} November 6, 2009

Mishel weighs in on White House Middle Class Task Force

During a recent discussion with Vice President Joe Biden about the economic challenges of the middle class, EPI President Lawrence Mishel explained how economic policies had left so many people squeezed. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} November 5, 2009

How tax policy could help promote prosperity

EPI's Research and Policy Director John Irons addressed the President's Economic Recovery Advisory Board November 2 on ways that a simpler, fairer tax policy could help promote economic growth. But he stressed that tax policy was not the only tool for doing so. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} November 3, 2009

EPI launches Economy Track

EPI's new Web site offers exclusive data on the recession and the jobs crisis, nationwide and state by state. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} November 2, 2009

Recovery Act spurs genuine growth

The economy’s newfound growth relies almost totally on the Recovery Act. And that’s just fine. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} October 29, 2009

A new way to pay teachers

The authors of an EPI book that proposes a new system for tying teacher pay to performance recently spoke on a panel at EPI about the benefits and challenges of the four-tiered pay structure they recommend. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} October 28, 2009

In praise of reining in runaway pay

In an October 23 editorial for National Public Radio, EPI President Lawrence Mishel praised the Obama administration's plan to limit executive pay at firms that received bailout funds. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} October 26, 2009

Senate tax proposal would affect one-third of health insurance plans

Proposed tax on "Cadillac plans" could make health care less affordable for many Americans. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} October 22, 2009

Krugman at EPI

During a September 30 panel discussion, economist and Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman explained why many common fears about federal budget deficit spending are unfounded and why further government investment would be good for the economy both today and in the future. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} October 15, 2009

Recovery.gov’s jobs data: A (very) partial monty

As Recovery.gov prepares to post recipient reports on jobs created through Recovery Act investments, EPI’s Research and Policy Director John Irons cautions against reading too much into the data. The report will cover only a small fraction of the Recovery Act funding. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} October 14, 2009

Is the financial crisis leading to a new global order?

"The question is not if the state should intervene in the market, but in whose interest," EPI Founding President and Distinguished Fellow Jeff Faux recently said during a speech in Santiago, Chile, describing one of the lessons of the 2008 financial crisis. Faux argued that a new system of regulation was needed but it may have to grow up from a grass roots level. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} October 13, 2009

EARN conference showcases progressive state policy agendas

Doug Hall, EPI's Director of the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN), discusses some highlights of EARN's annual conference last month in Detroit. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} October 8, 2009

Tracking the recovery: Big banks seen as big beneficiaries of government economic policies

Most Americans think the government’s economic policies have helped banks and large investment companies far more than average workers or small businesses. A new survey finds broad consensus that the Recovery Act has helped the economy “a little,” but even broader agreement that more needs to be done. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} October 6, 2009

Jobs Picture for October 2, 2009

Unemployment, now at 9.8%, has been on the rise for two and a half years. In its editorial, Wanted: Leadership on Jobs, The New York Times, cited many of the same concerns that EPI has been highlighting, such as long-term unemployment, and urged the federal government to invest more to create jobs. Along with the high official unemployment rate, the Times notes, more than half a million people dropped out of the work force last month. The employment rate, or the share of the population with a job, now stands at 58.8%, the lowest level in 25 years. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} October 2, 2009

Tracking the recovery: Most Americans see high unemployment for some time

Most people expect unemployment will remain a problem for a long time. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} October 2, 2009

The excise tax shares flaws of the tax cap but with even worse results

The latest proposal for taxing employer-provided health care benefits still ultimately shifts costs onto workers. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} October 2, 2009

Tracking the recovery: One in four households has suffered a layoff over the past year

To most people, it doesn't feel like the recession is over. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} September 30, 2009

The role of government in hard times

EPI’s Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) gathered with a group of state legislators in Detroit last week, where they agreed that the current economic downturn presented a unique opportunity to advance progressive policies. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} September 29, 2009

Making ends meet on $21,834 a year

The Census Bureau's recent report that 13.2% of Americans were living in poverty in 2008 begs the question: What is poverty? According to official poverty thresholds, a family of four living on $22,000 a year is not living in poverty. But try paying for food, housing, and other necessities on that amount. READ MORE

{REL[anop_author_1]mATTSviTREL} {REL[anop_author_2]JbHPLd55REL} September 24, 2009