Taylor Swift fans had their time wasted and pockets emptied by Ticketmaster. Now they’re calling to break up the company’s live events monopoly – and joining the movement to crack down on monopolies, period.
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Economic Justice
Combating inequality means both lifting up and building power at the bottom, and breaking up concentration of wealth and power at the top. That’s why we work at the intersection of economic and racial justice through projects designed to build leadership and self-empowerment of black workers, immigrant workers, and low-wage workers, youth and families affected by incarceration, along with projects aiming to reverse the rules that criminalize poor people of color, and projects fighting to ensure that the wealthy and Wall Street corporations pay their fair share of taxes.
Latest Work
REPORT: Homecoming: The Greater Birmingham Community Speaks on Regional Cooperation and a More Inclusive Economy
Greater Birmingham, AL, has experienced a resurgence in economic growth and civic engagement. Yet the benefits of this prosperity are not widely shared.
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NEW REPORT: “Homecoming: The Greater Birmingham Community Speaks on Regional Cooperation and a More Inclusive Economy”
The Institute for Policy Studies and Alabama Arise’s professional study findings expose the critical issues that impact Greater Birmingham residents — and the solutions they want to see.
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How Low-Income Voters Shaped the Midterm Elections
Americans across the spectrum voted to raise wages, expand health care, and protect abortion rights. These issues have a common thread.
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Inequality-Fighting Ballot Initiatives Win Big
Voters approved proposals to tax the rich, build worker power, and make housing and education more affordable.
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Do the Forbes Philanthropy Scores Give Foundation Donors Too Much Credit?
The giving estimates behind the scores include some outlays from private foundations that shouldn’t actually count as charitable giving.
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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.
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Rebekah Entralgo Fernandez on MeansTV on Ballot Initiatives on Election Night
Rebekah Entralgo Fernandez speaks with MeansTV about key ballot initiatives during election night coverage.
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These midterm elections have enormous stakes for poor and low-income Americans
Our country faces a material and moral crisis – and Republicans are offering only resentment and false solutions.
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Why Do Billionaires So Love Owning Newspapers?
You never know when an editorial can come in handy. Just ask Jeff Bezos.
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Reports
REPORT: The Warfare State: How Funding for Militarism Compromises Our Welfare
Nearly two-thirds of the federal discretionary budget goes to militarized federal programs, leaving just over a third for our communities — a sliver some lawmakers want to cut even further.
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.
Report: High Flyers 2023: How Ultra-Rich Private Jet Travel Costs the Rest of Us and Burns Up the Planet
In this report, we assess the environmental, economic, and security risks of private jet travel — and lay out tax reforms to offset them.
Tax Day 2023: Where Your 2022 Tax Dollars Went
IPS’s National Priorities Project takes a look at where American taxpayers’ money went in 2022, and how skewed our national priorities are.
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.