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Resurrecting the Promise of 40 Acres: The Imperative of Reparations for Black Americans

Today’s black-white wealth gap originated with the unfulfilled promise of 40 acres in 1865. The payment of this debt in the 21st century is feasible—and at least 155 years overdue.  In From Here to Equality: Reparations for Black Americans in the Twenty-First Century, William Darity Jr. and A. Kirsten Mullen advance a general definition of

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The Roosevelt Network and Young People Stand in Solidarity

Young people and students have been on the frontlines of movements for social change throughout our country’s history. And over the last few days, young people have joined protestors, across age, race, and class, and flooded the streets to demand justice—for George Floyd, for Breonna Taylor, for the disproportionate number of Black lives lost to

George Floyd and America’s Failure to Provide Safety, Security, and Justice: A Statement from the Roosevelt Institute

“It looks as if the system cannot reform itself,” said Dr. Cornel West this past Friday in discussing the public murder of George Floyd on May 25. In 5 minutes and 23 seconds, Dr. West delivers the powerful—and painful—truth: We are living in a moment of compounded systemic failures, at least those of us who

The Government’s Misplaced Trust in Big Business

In the CARES Act, the government offered different types of financial relief to businesses based on their size. There is a clear trend: the bigger the company, the fewer the requirements to use government aid to help its workers. Recent experience shows that we shouldn’t trust big American corporations to put the interests of their

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Three Reasons to Worry about the House Democrats’ New Student Debt Proposal

Citing cost concerns, House Democrats amended their latest coronavirus response package yesterday to exclude a proposal that would have cancelled up to $10,000 in student debt for more than 45 million Americans. The new proposal offers cancellation only to a narrow group of “economically distressed” borrowers. This change is worrisome, not only because it leaves

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Chart showing how Hispanic or Latinx people are disproportionately represented in

Three Takeaways of the COVID-19 Unemployment Crisis

Last week, another 3 million Americans filed for unemployment benefits, bringing the total to 36.5 million since the pandemic began.  In the latest #ProgressingAhead Twitter chat, some of the brightest minds in economic policy shared their takeaways and possible solutions for what is already the deepest employment crisis since the Great Depression. Black, Latinx, and

Antitrust + Labor Policy = Worker Power

Let’s start with the obvious: We are experiencing the worst labor market since the Great Depression, if not ever. Since the COVID-19 crisis began, the employment-to-population ratio has cratered to a record low 51.3 percent, with nearly 43 million Americans unemployed or underemployed in April. That figure is likely to worsen in May, as about

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Antitrust-Plus: Evaluating Additional Policies to Tackle Labor Monopsony

Labor market monopsony exists when firms can wield outsized power to offer lower wages. Though antitrust enforcement can address monopsony, it isn’t enough; more robust labor regulations and protections are necessary, especially in markets characterized by low concentration and little use of anticompetitive practices. In Antitrust-Plus: Evaluating Additional Policies to Tackle Labor Monopsony, Roosevelt Fellow

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A Progressive Analysis of the HEROES Act: Three Key Questions

The United States is facing an unprecedented public health and economic crisis: over 82,000 dead, 20.5 million jobs lost in April, and a 15 percent unemployment rate. The scale and depth of the crisis are drawing parallels to World War II mobilization and the Great Depression. In fact, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer and House

My Favorite Things: Roosevelt Edition

The Roosevelts contributed so much to the way of life in America. Their story is worth knowing and celebrating. Understanding how personal their impact has been is seen here through the eyes of the Library’s dedicated supporters as they recount their favorite Roosevelt things. 6/26/20 Favorite memory or experience involving the Roosevelts or the Library: