The COVID-19 pandemic is already a world-historic event, both in terms of health and economics. For Brazil, no one knows how far the disease will go and how bad the damage will be. (A Brazillian Portuguese version is available for download here/Versão em português do brasil) Yet as people around the world engage in “social…
Publications
Americans are fed up seeing corporate profits soaring even as their paychecks inch upward by comparison. Companies need stronger incentives to share their prosperity with workers – something the 2017 GOP tax package should have included. Though President Donald Trump promised higher wages as one result of his corporate tax cuts, the biggest winners were…
When it comes to health care, Americans could not face a clearer choice. Progressives believe all Americans should have access to affordable, high-quality health coverage. Republicans want to kill the Affordable Care Act – thereby depriving an additional 17 million Americans of insurance – and have no credible plan to replace it. Too often, however,…
Press
PPI's Ben Ritz joined an expert panel on Capitol Hill last week to discuss the recently published report by Social Security's trustees. The annual report projected that the program's trust funds face insolvency within the next 16 years, after which point beneficiaries face the prospect of an across-the-board cut of 23 percent. All panelists encouraged…
As the idea of "free college" gains popularity, Virginia and Iowa are instead focused on career and technical education. In the midst of record low unemployment, many states are nonetheless struggling with ongoing skills gaps -- shortages of workers with the right skills for in-demand jobs. At the start of 2019, according to the Department…
For Immediate Release (3/6/19) WASHINGTON - "Senator Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Congressman Mike Doyle (PA-14) today unveiled a bill that will only continue to delay real action on net neutrality. Congress last passed significant legislation on our communications networks in 1996 and this new proposed bill is a continuation of the DC game of rhetoric…
Blog
The failure of the app intended to collect results from the Democratic caucuses in Iowa wasn’t the best advertisement for the App Economy. But we have to remember that apps play a central role in the economy. As part of a global project measuring the size of the App Economy, we estimated the U.S. App…
In a perfect example of unintended consequences, restaurant workers are pushing back against a nationwide campaign by labor advocates intended to raise their wages. They worry that the advocates’ push will cost them more in lost tips than they’ll gain in mandated wage increases – and cut their income overall. These workers have found an…
The Democratic presidential field continues to be in flux, with Julian Castro dropping out and Michael Bloomberg ramping up his campaign. Participation in the January 14th debate is, as of yesterday, limited to just five candidates. Those five — Joe Biden, Amy Klobuchar, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, and Bernie Sanders — have hit the polling and…
