Valerie Wilson, Director of the Program on Race, Ethnicity and the Economy at the Economic Policy Institute (EPI), has some notions as to why this convergence is occurring now and how it can be further harnessed. “I think the fact that wages have not grown for the vast majority of workers, regardless of race, in over 35 years makes this an issue with broad-based support. But for Black workers in particular, there’s the issue of raising wages and then there’s the issue of equal pay for equal work,” Wilson said.
Ebony
October 26, 2015
Cooper’s decision is in fact supported by strong economic reasoning, as open salary negotiations and pay transparency are key ways to reduce the gap in salaries paid to men and women. “Hollywood may seem trivial, but I think it’s a window into the gender gap,” Monique Morrissey, an economist at the Economic Policy Institute, tells Quartz. “It shows that even at the very top, among people who are high earners, there’s still a tendency for men to pay other men more.” But while Cooper can raise awareness of the issue, one man’s actions will only have a limited effect. Morrissey says we need to be far more “systematic” about disclosing our pay. Mandated salary disclosure is not widespread in the US, though unions and non-profits are required to reveal salary information (non-profits only do so for directors, officers, and key employees, though this can be everyone at smaller non-profits). Morrissey says this transparency makes it far more difficult to systematically pay men more than women. “Groups that tend to be discriminated against in the workforce do better when there’s less secrecy,” says Morrissey. “If you were hired at the same time as somebody else, you’re doing the same job, and you know that you’re paid less than them, you’re going to go ask for a raise.”
Quartz
October 26, 2015
The findings may be a tad obvious, but an analysis out this week could add more fuel to Sacramento’s big fight over a higher minimum wage – specifically whether workers who get tips should be included or not. Waiters, waitresses and bartenders are far less likely to be living in poverty if they are paid the regular minimum wage, according to the Economic Policy Institute’s study.
Sacramento Bee
October 26, 2015
Child-care costs exceed rent for many American families, according to the Economic Policy Institute. And some couples decide to forgo the hefty cost of child care by having one parent stay home, which means the entire family must make do with less money at a time when expenses are likely rising.
CNBC
October 26, 2015
A higher minimum wage will lead to less people on welfare: A 2014 study by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found that raising the minimum wage to 10.10 an hour would lead to a savings of 7.6 billion in social welfare programs.
The Huffington Post
October 23, 2015
From in-home daycare and child care centers to nannies and babysitters, parents often see their budgets strained by the high cost of child care. While the US Department of Health and Human Services recommends that families spend no more than 10 percent, a recent study by the nonprofit, nonpartisan think tank, the Economic Policy Institute, found that very few people live in areas where child care costs are at all close to that threshold. In this hour of Midday, EPI’s Elise Gould and Maryland Family Network’s Margaret Williams join Sheilah to discuss the financial burden placed on American families with young children.
WYPR
October 22, 2015
Considering the nation already spends billions each year to treat, educate and incarcerate children and young adults with lead poisoning, according to available cost estimates, experts say the investment is worthwhile. For every dollar spent to control lead hazards, between $17 and $221 could be saved, a 2009 study by Elise Gould at the Washington D.C.-based Economic Policy Institute found.
Cleveland Plain Dealer
October 22, 2015
“It used to be when productivity went up in America, everybody got to share. The people who caused the productivity increase, they got to share. They got a piece of the action,” the vice president said last month. “Something is wrong.”
Biden was citing research by the liberal Economic Policy Institute, which suggests that in recent years, workers’ wages have stopped increasing even though investments in technology and equipment are still allowing them to produce more per hour on the job. Clinton has used the same figures in her campaign.
The Washington Post
October 22, 2015
Elise Gould and Josh Bivens are the rare economists who cut across that divide. Both work at the Economic Policy Institute and generally support the Affordable Care Act. But both argue that the Cadillac tax is a bad policy that could lead to Americans skipping out on needed medical care. They think, much like most politicians, that the United States would be better off scrapping the new fee altogether.
VOX
October 22, 2015