Media clips

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• A push to raise Oklahoma’s minimum wage must wait at least

  About 36% of the state’s workforce is earning less than $17 an hour, according to data from the Economic Policy Institute. 

  The Oklahoman October 15, 2024
• New report highlights immigrants’ vital role in Virginia’s economy

  Amid the ongoing debate on immigration, a new report showed how much immigrants boost Virginia’s economy.

  The report, “Immigrants Are a Vital Part of Virginia’s Future,” revealed immigrants contribute more than $100 billion to the state’s economy and are essential to critical industries such as health care, technology and hospitality.

  …

  The Immigration Research Initiative and Economic Policy Institute also contributed to the report. The findings come as immigration policies remain a hot-button issue, with critics expressing concerns over job competition and resource allocation.

  Public News Service October 15, 2024
• Local opinion: Reduce income inequity between CEOs and all other employees

  The Economic Policy Institute (EPI), an independent, nonprofit think tank which researches the effects of economic trends and policies on U.S. working people, released a startling report on September 19, 2024. That report disclosed facts which document that, for the 45 years ending in 2023, the CEOs of large U.S. corporations, have amassed staggering amounts of power and wealth, apparently by stiffing the remainder of the American workforce.

  Arizona Daily Star October 15, 2024
• The Progressive Corporation (PGR): Hedge Funds Are Bullish On This Momentum Stock Now

  Gould emphasized that the prime-age employment-to-population ratio is at a 23-year high, which shows a strong economy. Despite wage growth reaching 4%, she downplayed concerns that this could lead to inflation and mentioned improvements in productivity and a low labor share of corporate income.

  She expressed confidence in the labor market’s strength and suggested that it may influence the Fed’s decisions on interest rates. She also believes that the Fed should normalize rates, which remain high historically given current employment levels.

  Gould observed that the overall labor market is strong, but not excessively heated, as shown by softer job turnover rates.

  Insider Monkey October 15, 2024
• As Election Day nears, the economy remains top of mind for Wisconsin voters

  One of the aspects of inflation that economists haven’t found consensus on is the idea that “corporate greed” drove inflation. The left-leaning nonprofit Economic Policy Institute reports a spike in corporate profits “contributed significantly to inflation” early in the pandemic recovery.

  Wisconsin Public Radio October 15, 2024
• How much income does it take to crack the top 1%? A lot depends on where you live.

  Wage equality is rising in America. Between 1979 and 2022, the wages of Americans in the top 1% of earners grew by 172%, after adjusting for inflation, according to the Economic Policy Institute. In the same years, the bottom 90% of earners saw their wages grow by a more modest 33%. 

  “When you think about the very top, it’s about what’s happening with executive compensation,” and CEO pay in particular, Gould said.  

  In 1965, CEOs were paid 21 times as much as a typical worker, on average, according to EPI research. In 2023, CEOs were paid 290 times as much.  

  But lower-income Americans are also earning more money, especially in recent years. Lower-paid workers actually had relatively robust wage growth between 2019 and 2023, the EPI found, because of policy moves that aided them during the pandemic.  

  USA Today October 15, 2024
• October 14, 2024
  October 15, 2024
• How does the Ohio manufacturing sector view this year’s election?

  An Economic Policy Institute report from 2022 argued wages for non-college educated workers tend to be substantially lower in service industry jobs and the impact has been particularly pronounced for workers of color.

  Ohio Capital Journal October 15, 2024
• Don Goldstein and Thomas Michl: Three Trump myths about the economy

  Finally, the mother of all these myths is that his­tor­i­cally Re­pub­li­cans have been bet­ter eco­nomic man­ag­ers of the na­tion’s af­fairs than Dem­o­crats. A re­cent study by the Eco­nomic Pol­icy In­sti­tute shows that this one finds no sup­port in the his­tor­i­cal record.

  Demo­cratic ad­min­is­tra­tions since WWII have seen job growth of 2.5%, com­pared to only 1.1% for their Re­pub­li­can ri­vals. Other mea­sures like GDP show a sim­i­lar gap.

  Pittsburgh Post Gazette October 15, 2024
• The rise — and fall? — of the New Progressive Economics

  Between 2017 and 2024, the Hewlett Foundation spent tens of millions of dollars to develop alternatives to neoliberalism. Grantees included:

  Progressive think tanks: Hewlett funded policy work at the Roosevelt Institute ($5.8 million), Washington Center on Equitable Growth ($6.1 million), Economic Policy Institute ($1.4 million), Demos ($1.1 million), and the Center for Economic and Policy Research ($615,000).

  VOX October 15, 2024