Program on Inequality and the Common Good
Extreme inequalities of income, wealth and opportunity undercut democracy, social solidarity and mobility, economic stability, and many other aspects of our personal and public lives. The Program on Inequality and the Common Good focuses on these and other dangers that income disparities pose for the U.S.
Through research and reporting, this program encourages policy interventions that can reduce extreme wealth inequality, and close the growing gap between the rich and poor. Recent reports have examined the estate tax, the racial wealth gap, inequality in philanthropy, and other topics related to extreme wealth concentration. The central theme of the program is that without significant reform and a systemic view of inequality on both a national and global level, the overall wealth divide will continue to grow exponentially.
Latest Work
It Isn't Nice, But Climate Activists Will Block the Doorways
"There are nicer ways to do it. But the nice ways always fail.”
More than Half of America’s 20 Top Public Charities Are Donor-Advised Funds
The highest-earning DAF now takes in $11 billion more than the highest-earning working charity.
Sixty Years Later, We Can Make King's Dream a Reality
In our new report, "Still A Dream," we note progress—alongside some humbling findings about how far we have to go.
Wealthy People Working for Justice? Michael Gast’s Map of an Unprecedented Movement
Exploring the burgeoning movement to organize the rich for our common good.
REPORT: Still A Dream: Over 500 Years to Black Economic Equality
60 years after the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom, the racial wealth divide persists.
A Perfect Example of Donor-Advised Fund Slipperiness in Silicon Valley
When charitable intermediaries tout their generosity, reporters should take a closer look.
Here We Go Again, Again With the Commercial Donor-Advised Fund Industry
Commercial DAF sponsors are squirreling away money intended for charities at a greater clip than they're giving it away.
Why Not Tax Private Jets Out of Existence?
The industry not only exploits our planet’s precious resources but makes the rest of us subsidize the extravagant lifestyles of the ultra-rich.
Boston’s Wealthy Real Estate Players Avoid Paying their Fair Share
The state legislature has blocked the city’s luxury real estate transfer tax for nearly four years.
How to Raise $1.8 Billion for Green Transit
A proposed tax hike on private jet fuel could raise $1.8 billion a year for sustainable transit.
The 5 Percent Foundation Payout Requirement May Be a Floor, but the Ceiling Is Awfully Low
Most private foundations stick quite closely to their 5 percent payout requirement. And America's largest are unlikely to give much more than the minimum.
Tax the Fat Cat Private Jet Class, Invest in Green Transit
Democrats introduce a bill to hike fuel taxes on private jets and invest the new revenue in public transportation.
More than $2.5 Billion in Donor-Advised Fund Grants Went to Other DAFs in 2021
The IRS just released two years of long-awaited nonprofit tax filings. We found an enormous jump in DAF-to-DAF giving.
How Do We Act Morally in the Face of Climate Change?
As climate change produces more misery, we will increasingly confront the question asked by Chuck Collins in his new novel: What does moral action look like against such an immoral status quo?
Taxes on the Wealthy Could Fund Reparations—and Create a More Equal America for Everyone
Congress should establish a national commission to examine the legacy of slavery and propose reparations funded by breaking up concentrated wealth in the United States.
Wealth Hoarding and Capitalist Capture
In this episode of "For the Wild," guest Cuck Collins dives deeply into the world of wealth hoarding and staggering inequality.
From Affirmative Action To Reparations: Bridging Racial Economic Inequality
While our federal government backtracks, state and local lawmakers are increasingly taking action to repair racial divides through policies designed to address racial inequality.
Private Foundations Gave $2.6 Billion in Grants to National Donor-Advised Funds in 2021
Private foundations are currently allowed to make grants to donor-advised funds, or DAFs, and to count those grants toward their charitable distribution requirement of 5 percent of their assets each year.
Wealth Inequality, Trade Agreements & How a Progressive Annual Wealth Tax Could Help Promote Economic Democracy
Omar Ocampo joins Bringing Light into Darkness (BLID) to discuss IPS' Report: “Extreme Wealth: The Growing Number of People With Extreme Wealth and What an Annual Wealth Tax Could Raise."
Until the River Runs Dry
Every year, wealthy donors divert more money into intermediaries, drying up the river of donations meant for working charities. We can change that.
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