In this collection of undergraduate papers, student authors from the Roosevelt Network Emerging Fellowship program engage deeply with research that embraces the intersections of policy, power, and narrative change to develop around-the-corner policy ideas that could fundamentally change their communities.
As you will read, the entire Emerging cohort interrogates the policy choices that have led to severe wealth inequality and democratic decline, offering visions of how communities can (re)build institutions and foster worker-oriented economies.
We have been reflecting recently, even more than usual, on the legacy of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt—from the transformative first 100 days of FDR’s presidency that established the broad strokes of the social safety net we depend on today, to Eleanor’s lifelong human rights advocacy at home and around the world.
The Roosevelts were unafraid to embrace bold ideas, to build novel and sometimes uncomfortable coalitions, and to seek hope and vision from unexpected quarters. They would certainly find inspiration in the essay collection you are reading, a set of 14 big ideas from the Roosevelt Network Emerging Fellows. Emerging Fellows engage in a year of research, learning from community members and subject experts to write policy briefs that explore an important aspect of their state or local policy landscape.
This year’s Emerging policy briefs offer bold visions of democratic economies and democratic institutions, proposing people-centered, aspirational policy solutions that shift power from corporations to the people. Sian Salazar, for example, examines California’s gig economy and the segmented (and often contentious) rideshare driving community that pits those that work full time and could qualify as employees against those that drive part-time, favoring the flexibility. Salazar proposes a tiered classification system that could help heal the rift between these two segments of drivers by making space for the goals of each group, allowing for both job stability and scheduling flexibility.
Alex Aghdaei advances a vision of what it would take to rebuild higher education following the decades-long corporate capture of academia. Aghdaei proposes locally elected boards—not gubernatorial appointees or donor-influenced trustees—to govern public universities and colleges as representatives who are directly accountable to the public. A democratic governance model, he suggests, would foster a more favorable environment for union power-building—one that could enable a “wall-to-wall” organizing approach, in which all categories of campus workers, from adjuncts and graduate instructors to custodial staff and academic advisors, are organized into a single, unified union.
As you will read, the entire Emerging cohort interrogates the policy choices that have led to severe wealth inequality and democratic decline, offering visions of how communities can (re)build institutions and foster worker-oriented economies.
As Eleanor said, “We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just one step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down.”
Our Emerging Fellows and their ideas are lighting the path toward a better world, so that we may walk it, just one step at a time.
Eric & Jeanne
Explore the Collection
Table of Contents
Democratic Economy
Run by Labor, Led by Labor: Building Worker Power Toward a Sustainable Economy
A Worker-Driven Industrial Strategy for Diversifying Local Economies: Transitioning From Defense in New London, Connecticut
By Tony Ruan
In October 2023, Congresswoman Cori Bush of Missouri became one of the first elected officials to call for a ceasefire in Gaza. In response, critics accused her of threatening local jobs tied to two Boeing manufacturing plants outside of St. Louis with Israeli military contracts (Barnes 2023). Their argument was simple: If military contracts slow, so do jobs.
About the Author
Tony Ruan (he/him) grew up in Phoenix, Arizona, where he attended K–12 public schools and was a high school student during the 2018 Red for Ed teacher strike. He recently graduated from Yale University with a concurrent BA/MA in political science, focusing on labor and education politics. Later this year, he will begin working as a Labor Economist for the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).
A Gig Economy That Works for Everyone: Rejecting the Exploitation of Worker Divisions by Rideshare Apps in California
By Sian Salazar
This brief addresses the plight of one specific community of gig workers: rideshare app drivers, referred to in this brief as either Uber or Lyft drivers. This community finds itself split down the middle with two types of drivers seeking different end goals: Full-time drivers are calling for the mobilization of all rideshare drivers, while part-time drivers are voting against labor protection laws in favor of upholding the flexibility that makes gig work so attractive in the first place. These contrasting ideals place them directly along the ideological fault lines espoused by Uber and Lyft during the fierce battle over California’s Proposition 22.
About the Author
Sian Salazar was born and raised in Northern California as the child of immigrants from Southeast Asia. She is a recent graduate of the University of Southern California and an incoming 1L at Stanford Law School. She is passionate about the intersection between legislation and the labor economy, and hopes to use her law degree to further progress in labor and human rights, on both an international and domestic scale. Previously, Sian served as an undergraduate fellow with the JusticeCorps branch of AmeriCorps at the Los Angeles County Superior Court (LACSC), as an intern working in the security field at the US Agency for International Development (USAID), and as the founder and president of the USC chapter of Kappa Alpha Pi pre-law fraternity (KAPi).
Extending Brotherly Love to Philadelphia’s Subcontracted Workers: Expanding on Labor Reforms by Building Worker Power
By Sophia Rosser
Many cities, like Philadelphia, have already made great strides in expanding local workers’ rights by passing paid sick leave, fair scheduling, and a Domestic Workers Bill of Rights. However, these policy innovations at the local level have mainly focused on creating new legal rights rather than shifting power to workers. With labor law failing to adapt to the changing nature of work, worker organizing is critical, and local governments can support these efforts. Creating new legal rights are crucial, but they are not enough against the backdrop of rapidly concentrating global capital and increased workplace fissures. To genuinely improve conditions for subcontracted workers and others with precarious employment, local governments must go beyond legal protections and actively build worker power.
About the Author
Sophia Rosser grew up in Philadelphia and recently graduated from the University of Pennsylvania with a degree in history and economics. Through her academic pursuits and involvement in activism at Penn, she has become passionate about advocating for political and economic justice for all. She looks forward to working in the labor movement.
A Blueprint for Water Equity in the Farmworker Communities of California’s Central Valley
By April Higa
Despite its agricultural wealth, the California Central Valley is in an environmental justice crisis involving one major issue: water access. Industrial agriculture is a resource-intensive practice that depletes groundwater and contaminates drinking water with fertilizer runoff, further contributing to the state’s long battle against drought (Lindwall 2022). These unsustainable practices are exacerbated by water allocation policies prioritizing agricultural interests over the needs of rural, predominantly Latinx, farmworker communities. The status quo is not just a policy failure—it is a failure of accountability.
About the Author
April Higa is a recent graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, where she earned a BA in global studies with a concentration in development and the Americas and a minor in conservation and resource studies. At Berkeley, she explored the interconnectedness of global development, environmental degradation, and political economies through research, advocacy, and community engagement. Her experience includes conducting agricultural labor and climate justice research as an Emerging Fellow, analyzing water access inequities in California’s Central Valley through community-based research, and developing environmental curricula focused on sustainability and active stewardship. She has also worked on policy research related to carbon tax credit systems and conservation management. Passionate about environmental justice and rural equity, April hopes to pursue a career in environmental economic research and policy.
Investing in Green Space in the South Bronx for Public Health and Equity
By Kimberly Vega
The South Bronx, one of New York City’s most underserved neighborhoods, faces a severe shortage of green spaces. Years of industrial development and systemic neglect have turned the area into a hub for manufacturing, processing, and waste management, leaving residents with minimal access to parks and recreation areas. This lack of green spaces is more than an environmental oversight, it is a public health and equity issue. And the consequences are clear: The South Bronx suffers from some of the highest rates of asthma and obesity in the city, linked both to poor air quality and to limited opportunities for outdoor physical activity (New York State Department of Health 2023).
About the Author
Kimberly Vega is a recent graduate of New York University, where she earned her degree in social science and economics. A proud New York City native, Kimberly is deeply passionate about climate justice and the disproportionate impact of environmental challenges on urban and historically underserved communities. She is especially interested in exploring how economic systems, public infrastructure, and community engagement intersect with climate resilience. Kimberly is committed to supporting initiatives that promote environmental equity and sustainability, and she hopes to continue contributing through research, advocacy, and community-based solutions.
Southern Hospitality in Extreme Heat: Combating the Urban Heat Island Effect in Metropolitan Nashville
By Lindsey Spencer
Climate change has caused the Southeast to become hotter and more prone to weather disasters, and has depleted the strength of its housing, agriculture, infrastructure, and economy (McNulty et al. n.d.). As urban planning infrastructure—our built environments, systems, and communities—is devastated by the sheer force of the climate crisis, it becomes clear that our southern cities require immediate attention from politicians and organizers alike.
About the Author
Lindsey Spencer is a recent graduate of the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she majored in political science and English. During her time in undergrad, Lindsey was involved in multiple student organizations, including The Michigan Daily, Michigan Institute for Progressive Policy, and the Michigan Undergraduate Law Review. In learning the tenets of journalism and research, Lindsey became interested in the ways in which effective communication styles can advance policy change. She is especially passionate about environmental justice and health-care policy, and more recently in the intersection between the two fields. In the fall of 2025, Lindsey will begin her first year of her legal education at William & Mary Law School, where she hopes to learn more about progressive readings of legal statute and how the law can act as a lever for social change.
An Analysis of the Impacts of Climate Investments on Local Economic Conditions and News Sentiment
By Jay Philbrick
Over the past decade, investments in US clean energy infrastructure have accelerated, both because of government policy and private investment. While the US government in August 2022 passed the nation’s largest climate investment in the form of the Inflation Reduction Act to help drive solutions to the climate crisis, because it has relatively little precedent, there is not a strong understanding of which approaches to climate investment work and which do not.
About the Author
Jay Philbrick is a recent graduate of Brown University, where he studied applied math, economics, and computer science. He is currently an intern at the Federal Reserve Board. Jay has helped guide effective domestic and international economic policy through internships in economic research with the White House Council of Economic Advisers, the US State Department’s Office of Monetary Affairs, the Budget Lab at Yale, and the Brookings Institution. He has also interned as a speechwriter to Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen. Jay is a 2024 recipient of the Harry S. Truman Scholarship, representing his home state of Maine.
The Power Struggle: How Investor-Owned Utilities Undermine California’s Clean Energy Goals
By Katelyn Eng
Despite the clear alignment between community solar and California’s zero-carbon goals, California’s community solar makes up less than 1 percent of projects currently in existence across 22 states (St. John 2024b). In 2024, the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC) received a proposal entitled the Net Value Billing Tariff (NVBT), which outlined a plan to restructure the financial incentives for community solar and was estimated to build eight gigawatts (GW) of community-solar-battery projects—enough energy to power 800,000 homes. However, this proposal was rejected by the CPUC despite broad coalitional support across solar companies, environmental justice groups, and consumer advocates, in favor of a plan submitted by Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E), an investor-owned utility (IOU) company.
About the Author
Katelyn Eng graduated from the University of Southern California with a BA in political economy and an MS in applied economics and econometrics. She has been a member of the Roosevelt Network since 2023, initially serving as a Forge Fellow from 2023 to 2024 and as an Emerging Fellow from 2024 to 2025. After graduation, Katelyn will be working as a consultant at Resolution Economics. She previously worked as a policy and research intern at Freedman Consulting and has several other experiences in the public and nonprofit sectors, including working with Climate Resolve, Bay Area JusticeCorp, Equality California, and the Office of LA County Supervisor Holly Mitchell.
A New Energy Frontier: Indigenous-Led Renewable Development in Alaska
By Bria Dominici
This brief proposes a set of policy recommendations aimed at restructuring Alaska’s energy landscape to prioritize Indigenous leadership and equitable energy distribution, streamline access to federal funding, and enforce consultation mechanisms that ensure meaningful tribal participation in Alaska’s renewable energy transition. Central to this effort is the pursuit of Indigenous energy sovereignty: the right of Native communities to control, develop, and benefit from energy resources on their lands. This concept goes beyond infrastructure to encompass tribal self-determination, environmental stewardship, and economic autonomy, offering a framework through which Indigenous communities can reclaim decision-making power and shape their energy futures on their own terms.
About the Author
Bria Dominici (she/her) is a junior at Barnard College majoring in environment and sustainability and double-minoring in science, public policy, and ethics (SPPE) alongside women, gender, and sexuality studies (F/ISTS). She is an Environmental Science Pathways Scholar, Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow and 2025 Udall Scholar. Bria has interned with We ACT for Environmental Justice, focusing on New York energy policy in her childhood neighborhood of Washington Heights, as well as the Columbia University World Projects Center for Political Economy. Inspired by Kiskeya Taíno and Arawak histories of her peoples in Dominican Republic—alongside personal experiences post–Hurricane Sandy and growing up next to a natural gas power plant—Bria is deeply passionate about histories of environmental justice (EJ) in marginalized communities and the role different models of community care play in carrying it out. She has been a community organizer and advocate for EJ since 2018.
Reversing the Corporate Capture of Higher Education: Restoring Job Security and Democracy on Campus
By Alex Aghdaei
Executive orders and administrative policies are rapidly eroding public funding for universities deemed too “woke,” while newly empowered political appointees strive to eliminate DEI programs and slash grant support for academic fields viewed as insufficiently aligned with conservative or market-driven priorities. But these moves are just the latest phase in a decades-long project to dismantle the university as a space for progressive thought, critical inquiry, and democratic possibility. Central to this effort has been the replacement of tenured faculty—who enjoy academic freedom, job security, and a voice in institutional governance—with precariously employed adjunct instructors, who are often paid poverty wages, lack benefits, and can be dismissed without cause. This shift has not only degraded working conditions but has made it far more difficult for faculty to speak freely, conduct critical research, or mentor students over time—all of which are essential to the university’s public mission.
About the Author
Alex Aghdaei graduated in June 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in political science from the University of Oregon. His Emerging Fellowship research explores how the neoliberal restructuring of public universities has contributed to the rise of precarious academic labor and the erosion of democratic governance. A former student organizer and current SNAP policy analyst, Alex brings experience in both direct advocacy and policy development. His work centers on expanding access to public benefits, strengthening labor protections, and building grassroots power across campus and community institutions. Alex hopes to continue his career at the intersection of research, organizing, aand public policy—advancing a vision of higher education rooted in equity, dignity, and the public good.
Restoring Democratic Values Eroded by Immigration Enforcement in Maverick County, Texas
By Karyme Flores
By increasing the presence of law enforcement officers—some of whom are brought in from other states and include the National Guard—and limiting access to public recreation areas such as Shelby Park and the Rio Grande River, Operation Lone Star has completely altered the lives of those in Maverick County. The program turned a once-vibrant community defined by its strong social cohesion and connection to Mexican culture into a military zone that disrupts the daily life of residents, generates government distrust among the public, and severely erodes the social and communal fabric of Maverick County.
Texas’s intense border security efforts are accelerating the quality-of-life crisis that austerity and neoliberalism has already brought onto communities like Maverick County.
About the Author
Karyme Flores (she/her) is the proud daughter of Mexican immigrants and a lifelong fronteriza and Texan. Karyme grew up on the Texas-Mexico border in Eagle Pass, where she first fostered her love of social advocacy through the Eagle Pass Border Coalition. Karyme is a Terry Scholar and political science student at Texas Woman’s University. During the 89th Texas legislative session, Karyme served as administrative and communications director for state Rep. Donna Howard. She is passionate about voting rights, immigrant rights, and access to civic education.
Who’s On First? Lessons for Implementing Ranked-Choice Voting and Making Elections More Representative
By Zara Chapple
Elections are a critical system for accountability. The most significant leverage that ordinary citizens have over their elected officials is the threat of removing them from office. Most voters experience two sources of discontent with the current electoral system: dissatisfaction with the choices presented, and skepticism of whether their vote will matter. This not only dissuades individuals from voting, but it dissuades them from engaging with electoral politics as a whole.
About the Author
Zara Mohindra Chapple (she/her) recently graduated from the University of Chicago with a BA in sociology and public policy. Having grown up as the daughter of immigrants in New York City, she has always been deeply interested in the intersection of immigration, citizenship, and civic participation. Her experience working on local political campaigns after raanked-choice voting was first implemented in the city motivated her to study the policy in more detail. Before her Emerging Fellowship, she worked as a research assistant at the American Bar Foundation and the GenForward Project where she developed a passion for social science research and policy communication. On her campus, she was president of the Paul Douglas Institute, a public policy think tank for undergraduate students. Zara plans to continue her education by pursuing a master of public policy, specializing in research methods, and to pursue a career in progressive policy research.
Who Gets to Be a Peer? A Pathway to Reforming Texas’s Ex-Felon Jury Exclusion Laws
By Katherine Jeng
The right to a jury of one’s peers was deemed so intrinsic to American values and beliefs that it was enshrined in the Sixth Amendment of the United States Constitution in 1791. However, in Texas, this principle has never been equally applied to all. Since 1963, Texas law has permanently excluded individuals with felony convictions from serving on juries. This policy affects over 450,000 Texans—disproportionately Black and Latino individuals—or 2.5 percent of the eligible population, denying them a voice in the judicial process and depriving defendants of diverse and fair juries (Uggen et. al 2022). This exclusion creates racially homogenized juries, perpetuates systemic biases, and undermines the democratic ideal of representative civic participation (Jackson-Gleich 2021)
About the Author
Katherine Jeng (she/her) is a recent graduate of Rice University, where she studied English and social policy analysis, and minored in politics, law, and social thought. She has previous professional experiences at The Sentencing Project, Houston Forensic Science Center, and the Innocence Project. Katherine’s Emerging Fellowship research focused on the intersection of two of her biggest passions: civic engagement and criminal legal reform. She intends to continue cultivating these passions in law school, after which she plans to pursue a career in strategic litigation for the criminal legal system. Ultimately, Katherine’s career and aspirations are fundamentally rooted in the inexhaustible belief in a better world that promotes justice and equity for all.
Legislate, Lobby, or Organize? How Latinos Can Build Local-Level Political Power in Majority-Black Prince George’s County, Maryland
By Carlos Hernandez Tavares
Immigrant Latinos, typically fleeing violence and political instability in their nations of origin, come to the United States to build wealth and support their families in their home country. This is reflected in their demographics: Immigrants in Prince George’s County were 36.8 percent more likely to be of working age compared to their US-born counterparts, and in 2019 they contributed $11.9 billion to the county’s economy, representing 24.4 percent of its GDP. This is considerable given not only that they made up 22.9 percent of the population during this same period, but that they are predominantly working in essential blue-collar jobs that concentrate them on the lower end of the economic ladder (AIC 2023). In many ways, these migrants provide a vibrant working class that allows the wealthy in Prince George’s County to enjoy the many amenities that make the county what it is.
About the Author
Carlos Hernandez Tavares is a recent graduate of Williams College with a degree in political science and mathematics. Immigrating to the United States from Venezuela as a child, Carlos has focused his studies on democratic government and its intersection with economic justice. Toward that end, he has worked with UNITE HERE, the US Senate, FairVote Massachusetts, and the Maryland Department of Labor to increase worker self-determination, curb corporate power, and create more effective democratic government.
The Roosevelt Network develops and supports undergraduate college students and early career professionals—in particular, those who hold identities historically denied political power—to be the next generation of leaders in the progressive policy ecosystem. We are creating a pipeline of new leaders who champion ideas that rebalance power in our economy and democracy. As a program of the Roosevelt Institute stewarding the legacy of Eleanor and Franklin Roosevelt into the 21st century, we believe that we can rewrite the rules by changing who writes them.
The Roosevelt Network’s Emerging Fellowship is a yearlong fellowship experience focused on policy writing and designed for students in the last one to two years of their undergraduate degree program. This rigorous and advanced fellowship offers progressive-minded students the opportunity to dive deeper into policy research and writing, receive mentorship from Network alumni and Roosevelt Institute staff, be in community with other passionate policy wonks, and ground themselves in Roosevelt’s vision for a just economy and multiracial democracy. Fellowship alumni become members of our national Network, with continued opportunities for mentorship and programming for young professionals.
Note: The views expressed in this collection are solely those of the author of each paper, and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Roosevelt Institute. Nor should the views of any author of a paper in this collection be attributed to their employers—past or present—or taken as endorsement of any other paper.
