Our Writers

Employee ownership could be the key to solving our retirement security crisis

At a time when retirement seems out of reach for many Americans, there is clear and convincing evidence that people who work for private businesses with Employee Stock Ownership Plans (S corporation ESOPs) have far greater retirement security than the average American.

That is why when we were in Congress, we led bipartisan legislation to encourage

How To Make America More Affordable

For the last two years, the debate on the economy has centered around inflation.

After reaching a 40-year high last summer, inflation as measured by economists is now approaching normal levels. But despite the rapid slowdown, millions still feel squeezed by a decades-long affordability crisis.

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans struggled to afford sky-high prices

Interview with Amita Dahiya, Project Lead (Entrepreneurship) Centre for Gender Equality and Inclusive Leadership, XLRI

John Hoffmire: I’m always interested to hear how someone’s career evolves and, in some ways, changes direction. I often refer to such a career path as “following the current” as in the current of a river. It seems like your career has been a bit like that, would you agree?

Amita: Yes, I think I would agree that

Income, Poverty and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2022

The U.S. Census Bureau announced last month that real median household income in 2022 fell in comparison to 2021. The official poverty rate of 11.5% was not statistically different between 2021 and 2022. The Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) rate in 2022 was 12.4%, an increase of 4.6 percentage points from 2021. This is the first

Enough Of The Crumbs: We Want A Piece If The Pie

Irit Tamir, Director of Oxfam America’s Private Sector Department, has written an excellent article explaining the context for the recent and dramatic uptick in number of workers going on strike in the U.S.  In it she writes:

“Why are members of the United Automobile Workers (UAW) taking to the street as the latest workers to go

Personal Financial Wellness Scale™ is now available in 7 languages

The PFW Scale™ is an eight item survey, which is a reliable measurement of perceived financial distress/financial well-being. It provides the user with a score, which has been scientifically determined to be a valid and reliable measure of one’s perceived personal financial wellness, as well as measure for employees learning progress during the financial literacy

De-silting Lakes and Ponds in India

Water is the basic necessity for all living organisms.  Water capacity of ponds and lakes in India has been significantly reduced due to the settling of silt at the bottom of these water bodies. This causes a water availability problem for villages, in particular.

Another problem is that many people don’t have the resources to de-silt

In India 135 million people were lifted out of multi-dimensional poverty between 2015-16 and 2019-2021,

Too often good news goes unnoticed and not reported.  Such is the case with a new report released in July 2023 by India’s biggest public policy think tank.  The numbers are mind-blowing. 135 million people were lifted out of multi-dimensional poverty between 2015-16 and 2019-2021, easily putting India, the world’s most populous nation and fastest

2023-08-03T03:15:54-05:00

Inequality and Poverty

While the steep rise of inequality in the United States is well-known, long-run data on the incomes of the richest shows countries have followed a variety of trajectories. Here are four articles, written by Joe Hasell for Our World in Data, that explore a wide range of indicators on inequality and poverty

When US labor laws fall short, inequality in the workforce grows wider

A while ago, researchers at Oxfam set out to answer a question: if we compare labor laws in the US to peer nations, how does the US stack up? We figured the answer would be “not so great.” We didn’t anticipate just how poorly the US is doing.

It turns

Economic ratings are poor – and getting worse – in most countries surveyed

As the global economy continues to weather high inflation, energy prices and interest rates, majorities of adults in 18 of 24 countries surveyed by Pew Research Center this spring rate their nation’s economic situation poorly. A median of 70% of adults across these countries say their nation’s economic situation is bad. Just 29% offer positive

Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2022

According to the Federal Reserve Board’s May 2023 report Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households in 2022, nearly four in 10 US adults reported that they couldn’t cover a $400 emergency expense with cash, savings, or a credit card paid off at the next statement.

The Federal Reserve Board noted, the higher savings aren’t

Record share of Americans say they are worse off financially than one year earlier: survey

A record share of Americans in a new survey from the Federal Reserve Board say they’re worse off financially than they were a year earlier.

According to the “Economic Well-Being of U.S. Households” report, the 35 percent of adults who reported they were worse off in 2022 than they year prior is the highest share recorded

Businesses Addressing Poverty in India

India is a country with a rich cultural heritage and a fast-growing population and economy. However, it still faces a enormous challenge of poverty. According to the World Bank, in 2018, about 44.8% of India’s population lived below the international poverty line of $1.90 per day.  Those are the most up-to-fate figures since India

Creating Sustainable Jobs: A Key to Breaking the Cycle of Poverty

Breaking the cycle of poverty requires addressing the root causes of poverty and providing individuals and communities with the resources they need to build better lives. One of the most effective ways to do this is by creating sustainable jobs that provide stable employment opportunities and access to the resources needed to build assets and

Half of American households have no retirement savings

In 2019, about half of American households had no savings in retirement accounts, according to the Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF). These accounts include individual retirement accounts; Keogh accounts; certain employer-sponsored accounts, such as 401(k), 403(b), thrift savings accounts; and pensions.

Personal saving has grown more important as

7 ways in which businesses can better address poverty issues

Businesses can play a crucial role in addressing poverty issues in the USA and throughout the world by implementing strategies that promote economic and social equity. Business needs to be part of the equation of alleviating poverty. Ask any one who is struggling financially what would improve their situation and the answer will usually

Two improvements for American workers

Two improvements for American workers

The Covid-19 pandemic was terrible. But it did contribute to two improvements in the lives of working Americans on both sides of the wage spectrum.

First, low earners. “After a brutal few decades in which low-wage jobs proliferated and the American middle class hollowed out, the working poor have started earning

One-in-four U.S. parents say they’ve struggled to afford food or housing in the past year

Amid soaring inflation rates and signs that the economy is approaching a recession, one-in-four U.S. parents say there have been times in the past year when they could not afford food their family needed or to pay their rent or mortgage. A similar share (24%) say they have struggled to pay for health care their family

For Gender Equality to Thrive, Gender Equity Needs All Hands on Deck

Imagine a 12-year-old girl, named Merah, who aspires to be a female legislator in her country when she grows up but who cannot continue her schooling because there is no secondary school in her community. She and other girls like her are not allowed to shuttle back and forth to neighboring communities to attend school,

Go to Top