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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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Cover of 'Solving the Affordability Crisis' by People's Action and Dēmos: a rising staircase of icons representing groceries, health care, energy, housing, and child care, each topped with dollar bills."

Solving the Affordability Crisis

The affordability crisis is the result of policy choices — and different choices can reverse it. This report from Dēmos and People's Action traces why housing, utilities, food, health care, and child care have become unaffordable, and five structural solutions for building a people-powered, racially just economy.

Policy Briefs
Demos
People's Action
A Black care worker in scrubs reviews a clipboard with an older Black woman seated on a couch. In the background, composite images show caregivers working with children and supporting elderly adults, overlaid with illustrated icons representing justice, economic opportunity, and care.

Empowering Care Workers: The Key to a Better Care Economy

Good care jobs are the foundation of a good care economy. Empowering care workers through better pay, stronger protections, and collective voice would improve care quality, reduce workforce shortages, and advance racial and economic equity.

Policy Briefs
Nick Wertsch
Row of empty voting booths in a school gym

Missing Voters: The Real Threat to Alabama's Democracy

More than 815,000 Alabamians are missing from the electoral process. In this report, Stand Up Mobile, Dēmos, and Southern Coalition for Social Justice examine who's missing, why, and what Alabama must do to fix it.

Research
Beverly Cooper
Dustin Tyler Broughton
Keshia Morris Desir
Jens Manuel Krogstad
Lucy Krueger
Sarah Ovaska

Building Ohio's Future Middle Class: Addressing the Challenges Facing Young Adults

Today's young adults are coming of age in a tough economy, on the heels of 30 years of declining economic opportunity and security for all but the most affluent and most highly educated. These changes are quite evident in Ohio, where the once-mighty manufacturing sector that provided better-than
Research
Viany Orozco
Amy Hanauer
Nancy K. Cauthen

The SAFE Banking Act: A Summary Background and FAQ

[RELATED: Read Demos' Letter in Support of the SAFE Banking Act, here.]
Research
Americans for Financial Reform

Letter to U.S. Senate Urging Support For Safe Banking Act to Limit Size of Largest Financial Institutions

Congress now has the opportunity to erect new public structures guaranteeing stability, transparency and competition in banking.

Testimony and Public Comment
Heather C. McGhee

Increasing Access in Hard Times: Women and the National Voter Registration Act

The Great Recession of 2008 and its after-effects still are radically impacting the lives of millions. While men initially bore the heavier burden, women are now increasingly falling victim to unemployment, fore- closure, and eviction. Low-income women have been hit particularly hard. Women’s
Research
Youjin B. Kim

Paving the Way Through Paid Internships: A Proposal to Expand Educational and Economic Opportunities for Low-Income College Students

Doing an internship while in college has become a near prerequisite for obtaining a good job.  Yet internships are often out of reach for low-income students because most of them are unpaid. This report outlines the limitations of the current college internship system, and proposes the creation of
Research
Kathryn Anne Edwards
Alex Hertel-Fernandez
Nancy K. Cauthen
Economic Policy Institute

Talking About Taxes Do’s and Dont's

Taxes support the government services that undergird the quality of life Americans enjoy. As communicators, we must promote this unique and foundational role that taxes play. We can do this by explicitly communicating the relationship between the purpose of taxes and the well-being Americans
Research
Public Works Partnership

Ending Prison-Based Gerrymandering in Maryland with the the No Representation Without Population Act

The No Representation Without Population Act would correct within the state of Maryland a long-standing flaw in the decennial Census that counts incarcerated people as residents of the wrong location.

Testimony and Public Comment
Brenda Wright

Student Debt 101: Why College Students Are Burdened by Debt and What To Do About It

This fact sheet includes a brief overview of why paying for college has become so difficult. Suggestions for how college students can lower their own college costs and information on public policies that can make attending college more affordable are included. TOP FACTS:
Policy Briefs
Viany Orozco

Why We Need An Independent Consumer Protection Agency

The era of deregulated finance has shown that without public structures to ensure accountability and fairness, the system can not sustain itself.

Policy Briefs
Heather C. McGhee
Tamara Draut

Same Day Registration In Maryland

Authors R. Michael Alvarez (California Institute of Technology) and Jonathan Nagler (New York University) have analyzed the likely impact on voter turnout should Maryland adopt Same Day Registration (SDR). Under the system proposed in Maryland, eligible voters who miss the current 21-day deadline
Policy Briefs
Jonathan Nagler