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From cutting-edge policy research to illuminating analysis, we bring a racial equity lens to the most pressing issues facing our country. For our latest blog posts and media updates, visit our Media page.

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Policy Briefs
Eliana Golding

Taxes Explained: Tax Credits and Deductions

Tax Code Should Help Families Achieve Economic Security and Mobility

Re: RIN 1235-AA10 - Proposed Rule – Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors

Mary Ziegler, Director Division of Regulations Legislation, and Interpretation Wage and Hour Division U.S. Department of Labor, Room S-3510 200 Constitution Avenue, NW Washington, DC 20210 Re: RIN 1235-AA10 - Proposed Rule – Establishing a Minimum Wage for Contractors Dear Ms. Ziegler:
Testimony and Public Comment
Robert Hiltonsmith

Lessons From the Detroit Bankruptcy

Introduction In March 2013, acting under a controversial statute that authorized extraordinary action, Michigan Governor Rick Snyder appointed Emergency Manager Kevyn Orr to replace the elected government of Detroit. By July, the emergency manager had filed for bankruptcy of the city.

Research
Wallace C. Turbeville

What Is Our Public GDP? Valuing Government in the Twenty-First Century Economy

Why better measures of government output can help us grasp potentially damaging tradeoffs between fiscal austerity and collective needs.

Research
Lew Daly

Business As Usual: New Jersey Employers’ Experiences with Family Leave Insurance

Executive Summary 
Research
Sharon Lerner
Eileen Appelbaum

Letter on the Reauthorization of the HEA to the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee

The Honorable Thomas Richard Harkin Chairman Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee The Honorable Lamar Alexander Ranking Member Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee Dear Chairman Harkin and Ranking Member Alexander:
Testimony and Public Comment
AFL-CIO
American Federation of Teachers
League of United Latin American Citizens
National Education Association
Service Employees International Union

Underwriting Good Jobs: How to Place Over 20 Million Americans on a Pathway to the Middle Class Using Federal Purchasing Power

This report presents new research on the scope of federally-supported employment in the private economy and shows how, using our over 1.3 trillion dollars in federal purchasing, the President of the United States can place over twenty million Americans on a pathway to the middle class.

Research
Robert Hiltonsmith
Lew Daly

A Higher Wage is Possible at Walmart (2014 Update)

In 2013, Walmart spent billions repurchasing shares of its own stock. It should have spent it raising wages.

Research
Catherine Ruetschlin
Amy Traub

Retail's Choice: How Raising Wages and Improving Schedules for Women in the Retail Industry Would Benefit America

Executive Summary Today, women make up nearly half of America’s workforce, and there is little question that their success in the economy is critical to the nation’s prosperity. Yet every day across America, millions of women go to work in low paying jobs that fail to move their families out of

Research
Amy Traub

Letter to SEC Chair Mary Jo White Regarding the Dodd-Frank Act Pay Ratio Disclosure Mandate

More information about CEO-to-worker pay disparities is critical for investors.

Testimony and Public Comment
Heather C. McGhee
Catherine Ruetschlin

The Credit CARD Act

Signed into law on May 22, 2009, the Credit CARD Act has benefited millions of households in ways that directly affect their monthly budgets. Demos’ 2012 National Survey on Credit Card Debt of Low- and Middle-Income Households finds that the Credit CARD Act empowers Americans to take control of
Policy Briefs