Sarah Anderson directs the Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies and is a co-editor of the IPS web site Inequality.org. Sarah’s research covers a wide range of international and domestic economic issues, including inequality, Wall Street reform, CEO pay, taxes, labor, and international trade and investment. Sarah is a well-known expert on executive compensation, as the lead author of more than 20 annual “Executive Excess” reports that have received extensive media coverage.

During the Obama administration, she served on the Investment Subcommittee of the U.S. State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy (ACIEP). In 2009, this subcommittee carried out a review of the U.S. model bilateral investment treaty. In 2000, she served on the staff of the bipartisan International Financial Institutions Advisory Commission (“Meltzer Commission”), commissioned by the U.S. Congress to evaluate the World Bank and IMF. Sarah is a co-author of the books Field Guide to the Global Economy (New Press, 2nd edition, 2005) and Alternatives to Economic Globalization (Berrett-Koehler, 2nd edition, 2004).

Prior to coming to IPS in 1992, Sarah was a consultant to the U.S. Agency for International Development and an editor for the Deutsche Presse-Agentur. She holds a Masters in International Affairs from The American University and a BA in Journalism from Northwestern University.

Latest

Congressmembers Express Regret for U.S. Support of Pinochet Dictatorship as Chilean President Arrives in Washington

President Boric will reflect on the 50th anniversary of the Chilean coup at the site of the assassination of two Institute for Policy Studies colleagues in 1976.

REPORT: Executive Excess 2023

These “Low Wage 100” large corporations are enriching CEOs at the expense of both workers and taxpayers.

Executive Excess 2023

New report finds the ‘Low-Wage 100’ large corporations have spent more than $340 billion on stock buybacks since 2020.

55 Years After the Launch of the Poor People’s Campaign, Taking Stock of Interlocking Injustices

New fact sheets by the Poor People’s Campaign and the Institute for Policy Studies reveal disturbing data on systemic racism, poverty and inequality, ecological devastation, and militarism in every U.S. state.

An Alternative to Social Security Cuts: Make CEOs Pay Their Fair Share

Let’s raise the contribution cap, get rid of tax preferences for gilded CEO retirement accounts, and use the extra revenue to expand retirement benefits.

Social Security’s Back in the GOP’s Crosshairs: Here’s an Alternative to Cuts

Washington’s months-long debate over raising the debt ceiling started with some prominent Republicans calling to slash Social Security.

Unlikely Allies Warren and Vance Join Forces to Claw Back Banker Pay

Their bipartisan plan is a step forward, but regulators already have the power to crack down on Wall Street’s reckless bonus culture.

Report Reveals Top CEOs Dodge Taxes on Nearly $9 Billion in Retirement Funds

Some executives can expect to receive monthly retirement checks larger than their workers’ median annual pay.

Report: S&P 500 Executives Have Stashed Nearly $9 Billion in Special Tax-Deferred Compensation Plans Not Available to Ordinary Workers

At Walmart, Home Depot, and 20 other low-wage employers, executives have accumulated enough funds in these exclusive accounts to generate monthly retirement checks larger than their workers’ median annual pay.

REPORT: A Tale of Two Retirements 2023

Our tax code helps CEOs retire in luxury while ordinary workers struggle. Here’s how to fix it.

Wall Street Bonuses Decline But Still Dwarf Worker Pay Increases Since 2008 Crash

Since 2008, the average Wall Street bonus has climbed by more than 75 percent, compared to just a 54 percent increase in average earnings of all private sector workers and a 42 percent rise in manufacturing wages. If the minimum wage had increased as much as Wall Street bonuses since 1985, it would be worth $42.37 today.

Where are the Women CEOs? Should We Care?

Women CEOs are becoming slightly less rare at large corporations. But simply replacing men with women at the top of the income scale won’t lead to greater equity.

Defend the Postal Service, Defend Good Jobs for Black Workers

The U.S. Postal Service is a vital source of decent jobs for Black workers. Instead of cutting or privatizing services, this public agency should expand to meet 21st century needs.

Before COB on the First Workday of 2023, CEOs Will Make More Than the Average Annual Pay for All US Workers

Before happy hour, the typical CEO will have pocketed more than home health aides, firefighters, pre-K teachers, and other workers will make the whole year.

The Top 10 Inequality Victories of 2022

Champions of a more egalitarian society made important strides, building the power of workers while reducing the power of wealthy tax dodgers and greedy pharma execs.

Inequality-Fighting Ballot Initiatives Win Big

Voters approved proposals to tax the rich, build worker power, and make housing and education more affordable.

This Year, Voters Made an End Run Around Out of Touch Politicians

Citizen-led initiatives scored big wins in the midterms. But now this form of direct democracy is under attack.

What’s driving the gap between the richest and poorest Americans

Yahoo Finance quoted Sarah Anderson on CEO pay and Chuck Collins on billionaire wealth and cited IPS findings as part of examining income inequality.

Rep. Jamie Raskin on Chile’s Proposed New, More Equitable and Democratic Constitution

The Maryland Democrat draws from his constitutional scholarship in analyzing the proposal that will be on the September 4 ballot in Chile.

Biden’s Debt Cancellation Plan Is a Step Forward on the Racial Wealth Divide

Black students have had to take out larger loans and faced greater difficulty paying them back than other borrowers.