Our Work

At IPS, our work is centered in our vision: we believe everyone has a right to thrive on a planet where all communities are equitable, democratic, peaceful, and sustainable. Our intersecting programs and initiatives, led by a diverse group of expert staff and associate fellows, are helping to shape progressive movements toward this vision.

Latest Work

D.C. Labor Battle Turns Into a Civil Rights Fight

Negin Owliaei | July 17, 2018

As city council attempts to overturn a minimum wage initiative, district residents demand elected officials respect their vote.

A Sweet New Century for America’s Most Privileged

Sam Pizzigati | July 13, 2018

America's elected leaders haven't ignored inequality since 2000. They've made it spectacularly worse.

It’s Not Just the U.S. with a Gerrymandering Problem — Look at Pakistan

Sajjad Hussain | July 12, 2018

In one Pakistani province, it took just 544 voters to choose a chief minister. But 80,000 minorities there may not get a single representative.

Trump’s Complaints About NATO Defense Spending Don’t Add Up

Lindsay Koshgarian | July 12, 2018

If Trump's concern is spreading the burden of security, why does he want the U.S. to ramp up its military spending?

How To Level The Playing Field For Workers — Even With Unions Hurting

Bob Lord | July 12, 2018

A federal jobs and income guarantee could protect workers the way unions once did.

Why I Got Arrested This Summer (And You Should, Too)

Saurav Sarkar | July 12, 2018

With 43 percent of Americans in or near poverty, most of us know there's something deeply wrong with our democracy. Will we stand up for it?

Five Powerful Families

Bob Lord | July 12, 2018

We've reached the point where a handful of extraordinarily wealthy clans essentially have the power to suffocate our democracy.

New Mexico's Drought is a Climate Crisis

Derrick Toledo | July 12, 2018

And while climate change affects everyone, majority-Native counties are disproportionately affected.

Trump’s Investment in North Korea

John Feffer | July 6, 2018

The president may be a diplomatic wrecking ball, but he believes his investment in Korea is too big to fail. That's a good thing.

Abolishing ICE Isn't Radical — It's Rational

Fizz Perkal | July 6, 2018

ICE is supposed to keep Americans safe. Instead, it's terrorizing refugees, families, and small children.

Poverty Won't 'Make America Great'

Ebony Slaughter-Johnson | July 6, 2018

A recent UN report on international poverty highlighted an unexpected crisis area: the United States.

The Tax Act is a Lost Opportunity to Help Small Business

Chuck Collins | July 6, 2018

For Main Street small businesses, the benefits of the Tax Act are peanuts. Nearly half of all the savings go to people making over $1 million a year.

Toys ‘R’ Us Workers Take on Private Equity Vultures

Negin Owliaei | July 6, 2018

The toy store's former employees are using public shaming and pension plans to demand severance and fight Wall Street greed.

The ‘Declaration of Independence’ Created a Country for Immigrants. What Happened?

Derrick Toledo | July 6, 2018

A closer look at the United States' founding document reveals a failure to live up to the principles and ideals expressed in it.

As we Celebrate 'Independence,' Remember That the U.S. Left Its Colony Puerto Rico to Die

Basav Sen | July 6, 2018

The disastrous impacts of Hurricane Maria were made worse by inequalities of race, income and access to U.S. political power.

Unions Have Survived Tough Times Before

Sarah Anderson | July 6, 2018

The Supreme Court just dealt unions a crushing blow, but they've endured worse — and come out stronger.

Minimum Wage? It's Time to Talk About a Maximum Wage

Sam Pizzigati | July 6, 2018

Conservatives try to laugh off the idea of capping executive pay – but it’s an idea with a distinguished history.

Still Another Reason to Cheer LeBron James

Sam Pizzigati | July 5, 2018

An iconic basketball superstar reminds us that raising taxes on the rich will not end civilization as we know it.

Why ‘Janus’ Figures to Juice Income Inequality in America

Sam Pizzigati | July 4, 2018

Any court ruling that limits how effectively unions can bargain on behalf of workers, even mainstream economists recognize, concentrates wealth at our economic summit.

How to Restore Taxes on Inheritances

Chuck Collins | July 3, 2018

With the estate tax further weakened, is it time to pivot to an inheritance tax?

Economic and Racial Justice

Combating inequality means both lifting up and building power at the bottom, and breaking up concentration of wealth and power at the top. Learn more >

Climate Justice

In order to avert a climate catastrophe, we must transition away from fossil fuels to a clean energy economy rooted in economic and racial justice. Learn more >

Peace and Foreign Policy

To build peace, we must dislodge the economic and political foundations of war. Just foreign policy is based on human rights, international law, and diplomacy. Learn more >