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Professor Robert Frank of Cornell University, the author of Luxury Fever, compares conspicuous consumption in an economy like ours to the military arms race, and we already know that's destined to end in mutually assured destruction. The key to countering this headlong rush towards ever-more

Testimony on the need to restore Section 5 of the Voting Rights Act’s protections against purposeful racial discrimination in jurisdictions that are subject to the Section 5 preclearance requirement.

This new Demos report, published in collaboration with Business Ethics Magazine, explores growing efforts by state and local governments to ensure corporate accountability. It looks at the changing role of state treasurers, labor pension funds, and others working to demand more responsible business

"Appraisal fraud is part of a bigger, more ominous picture," says David Callahan, Home Insecurity author and Director of Research at Demos. "As home prices have continued to increase above inflation, even nearing 20 percent per year in some cities, American homeowners are vulnerable as never before

Hefty heating bills will take the biggest bite out of the finances of households that are already struggling.

"The Plastic Safety Net" study found that middle- and low-income households were racking up credit card balances just to cover everyday expenses. One-third of the 1,000 survey respondents said that basic living expenses contributed to their current debt level.

Last week, New York-based consumer action group Demos and the Center for Responsible Lending released findings from a new report, "The Plastic Safety Net: The Reality of Household Debt in America." The survey results found that 7 out of 10 low- and middle-income families are using their credit cards

One-third of low- and middle-income consumers are using their credit cards to pay basic living expenses - including their monthly mortgage, according to a new study. CRL and Demos also found that even though consumers are using home-equity loans to pay down their credit cards, many households are

Public Briefing is an occasional white paper series by the Public Works program of Demos. These papers include summaries of research and reports as well as essays and articles related to the work of the program. Key findings from the second round of cognitive interviews about public perceptions of

The average credit card debt of low- and middle-income indebted households was $8,650, according to the study from Demos and the Center for Responsible Lending. The more stringent law comes at a tough time for American consumers. A survey released last week showed that total credit card debt now