In June, Rep. Barney Frank provided the keynote address to EPI’s Agenda for Shared Prosperity event, Good Jobs, Bad Jobs. A full transcript [PDF] (as well as audio and video) can be found on EPI’s home page and at SharedProsperity.org.
EPI’s new Research & Policy Director
John Irons joined the Economic Policy Institute this month as its new Research and Policy Director. His areas of research include the U.S. economy and economic policy, with an emphasis on federal tax and budget policy. He previously worked as the Director of Tax and Budget Policy at the Center for American Progress and as a tenure-track Assistant Professor of Economics at Amherst College. He has also worked for the Brookings Institution and at the Federal Reserve Board of Governors.
Some recent Economic Snapshots
- If the economy is a pie, 90% of workers are getting smaller pieces now than when the recovery began. EPI President Lawrence Mishel asks Who’s grabbing all the new pie?
- In Homeowners losing purchasing power, EPI economist Josh Bivens examines how rapidly declining mortgage equity withdrawals are weakening consumer purchasing power.
- EPI’s Liana Fox and Elise Gould discuss the decline in employer-provided health coverage for college grads in entry-level jobs.
Tax breaks for billionaires
EPI’s latest policy memo, Tax Breaks for Billionaires, explains how hedge fund managers end up with privileged tax breaks that result in over $6 billion in forgone tax revenue. This amount alone could fund the proposed expansion of the public health insurance program for low-income children.
New state-by-state data on pre-K programs
New fact sheets for all 50 states and the District of Columbia serve as an addendum to EPI’s recently released book Enriching Children, Enriching the Nation by Robert G. Lynch. He examines the costs and benefits of pre-K programs and their positive impact over time on federal and state budgets, crime costs, and the earnings of participating children and adults.
Is CAFTA good for Costa Rica?
The Global Policy Network hosted a debate at EPI to discuss the forthcoming public referendum on the Central American Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA). Featured guests were Ottón Solís, former presidential candidate and head of the Costa Rican Citizen’s Action Party, John Murphy, Vice President of International Affairs at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, and moderator Bruce Stokes from the National Journal. Listen to an audio recording and view a slideshow from the event at GPN.org.
Save the date! — Robert Reich at EPI on Sept. 14
The American Prospect, Random House, and EPI will host an event for EPI co-founder and former Secretary of Labor Robert Reich to discuss his latest book, Supercapitalism: The Transformation of Business, Democracy, and Everyday Life. Invitations and more details for this event to be held on the morning of September 14 will follow shortly.