Inequality and the Common Good

The Program on Inequality and the Common Good focuses on the dangers that growing inequality pose for U.S. democracy, economic health and civic life.

The program runs the following projects: Inequality.org, Too Much, Resilience Circles, Class Action, The Other98%, Wealth for the Common Good, Jamaica Plain Forum, and the Jamaica Plain New Economy Transition.

Sign up here for Too Much, our weekly newsletter on inequality and excess:

The Case for Increasing Taxes on the Wealthy

It is clear that the U.S. needs to reduce government expenditures in a responsible way. But if our lens is entirely focused on the expenditure side of the equation, we're going to miss a huge part of the solution.

IPS expert Chuck Collins discusses an economic and moral rationale for increasing taxes on the wealthy at TEDx.

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Recent Work

Op-Ed
The Rich Don't Need a Free Ride
December 5, 2011 - Why should I pay no taxes while someone who gets up and goes to work every day does? By William Rice

Op-Ed
We Need a Flat Tax for Social Security
November 30, 2011 - It could raise $100 billion and provide a solution to give retired people the raises they need. By Salvatore Babones

Op-Ed
Occupy the Budget
November 21, 2011 - How to pay for the crisis while making our nation more equitable, green, and secure. By Sarah Anderson, published in Truthout and The Fall River (MA) Herald News

Report
America Is Not Broke
November 21, 2011 - How to pay for the crisis while making the country more equitable, green, and secure. By Sarah Anderson and John Cavanagh, published in Marc Steiner Show and Democracy Now! and KPFK 90.7 (Pacifica) and Free Speech Radio News and Truthout and KBOO Portland, Oregon and WBAI 99.5 FM-Pacifica and The Salt Lake Tribune and Kansas City InfoZine and Public News Service and The Nation and Democracy for America TV and The Federal Times and Pacific Sun and The Huffington Post

Blog
The Global Super-Rich Stash: Now $25 Trillion
November 17, 2011 - Still another financial firm has tallied how much net worth is sloshing in the pockets of the world's most spectacularly wealthy. So when will the time finally come to stop the counting and start the taxing? By Sam Pizzigati

Event
TEDx: Taxes on the Wealthy.
November 17, 2011 - There is an economic and moral rationale for increasing taxes on the wealthy. By Chuck Collins

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Buy This Book
- Published April 15, 2012
- 168
- ISBN 1609945921
99 to 1: How Wealth Inequality Is Wrecking the World and What We Can Do About It
By Chuck Collins

Chuck Collins' new book provides revealing and powerful information about inequality in all realms of today’s world, including individual wealth and power, corporate wealth and power, media control, political influence, and other areas.
Buy This Book
- Published January 28, 2009
- ISBN 978-0-7391-3167-1
Mandate for Change: Policies and Leadership for 2009 and Beyond
By Chester Hartman

Three decades ago, conservative ideologues at The Heritage Foundation produced a primer on the Reagan Revolution entitled Mandate for Leadership, which offered an overarching philosophy against the role of government and in favor of markets.

Today, IPS has taken on the same task for the Obama administration. Mandate for Change is aimed at strengthening the new administration at a time when the need for progressive policies — and appointing progressive people to lead such efforts—is most urgent.
Buy This Book
- Published December 15, 2008
The Economic Meltdown Funnies
By Chuck Collins and Nick Thorkelson

The “Economic Meltdown Funnies” are a co-production of Jobs with Justice and the Institute for Policy Studies' Program on Inequality and the Common Good. Authors Chuck Collins and Nick Thorkelson provide a humorous, easy-to-follow guide to the many factors that led to the current financial crisis.

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August 20, 2012

Venture Beat features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”
Visit the publisher's website • See the report
August 20, 2012

The Las Vegas Sun features article “Subsidizing CEO Welfare”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article
August 20, 2012

The Waterville (ME) Morning Sentinel features article “Subsidizing CEO Welfare”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article
August 19, 2012

The Guardian features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”
Visit the publisher's website • See the report
August 17, 2012

Daily Finance features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”
Visit the publisher's website • See the report
August 17, 2012

Forbes features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”
Visit the publisher's website • See the report
"Our nation's tax code has become a powerful enabler of bloated CEO pay," the study says.
August 17, 2012

The Wall Street Journal features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”
Visit the publisher's website • See the report
The liberal group said the tax code has become "a powerful enabler of bloated CEO pay" because of tax breaks and subsidies and "tax dollars are flowing from average Americans who depend on public services to the kingpins of America’s private sector."
August 17, 2012

The Hazard (KY) Herald features article “The 64-Gazillion-Dollar Question”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article
August 16, 2012

The Everett (WA) Sky Valley Chronicle features article “Grabbing Bigger Slices of Pie”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article
August 16, 2012

The Valley Advocate
Visit the publisher's website
DeFazio's proposed tax rate, notes Sam Pizzigati of the Institute for Policy Studies, "runs 321 times smaller than the typical sales tax on a tube of toothpaste."

"The volume of global speculative trading [industry experts point out] now exceeds—by 70 times—the size of the entire real global economy, the actual goods and services that people use everyday," Pizzigati writes at his online journal Too Much: A Commentary on Excess and Inequality.

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Sign up here for Too Much, our weekly newsletter on inequality and excess:

The following are all projects of Inequality and the Common Good:

Inequality.org

This new inequality.org site aims to be your portal into all things online related to the income and wealth gaps that so divide us, in the United States and throughout the world. Visit www.Inequality.org

Too Much

Each and every week, Too Much explores excess and inequality, in the United States and throughout the world. We cover a wide swatch of territory, everything from the latest executive pay outrage to the most current research insights on how staggering income and wealth divides are impacting our health and our happiness. Visit www.TooMuchOnline.org

Common Security Clubs

These are uncertain times. The Great Recession has reminded us of our vulnerabilities: debt, foreclosure, unemployment, job insecurity, evaporating savings, and rising costs. Common Security Clubs are a safe place where neighbors come together to increase their personal security in a rapidly changing world. Visit www.CommonSecurityClub.org

Class Action and www.classism.org

Class Action is a project based at the Program on Inequality and the Common Good. We provide a dynamic framework and analysis, as well as safe space, for people from across the class spectrum to explore class and to identify and begin to dismantle classism. We accomplish this through trainings, workshops, organizational consulting, resources, public awareness, and our blog, Classism Exposed. Visit www.Classism.org

The Other 98%

The Other 98% is a grassroots network of concerned citizens fed up with the status quo in Washington. We seek practical solutions to the many challenges facing America. We stand against the bankers, CEOs and lobbyists who have hijacked our democracy to serve themselves at the expense of everyone else. Visit www.Other98.com

Wealth for the Common Good

Wealth for the Common Good is a network of business leaders, high-income households and partners working together to promote shared prosperity and fair taxation. Our membership includes entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers, school teachers, engineers and elected officials of all backgrounds, political stripes and from all over the country. Visit www.WealthForCommonGood.org

Jamaica Plain Forum

Jamaica Plain Forum is a free, public series of discussions, lectures, workshops, films, and events addressing current topics of interest to the Jamaica Plain community, a neighborhood in Boston where our IPS New England office is based. Visit www.JamaicaPlainForum.org

Jamaica Plain New Economy Transition

The Jamaica Plain New Economy Transition (JPNET) brings together neighbors to address the ongoing challenges of a hurting economy, climate change, and the rising costs of healthcare, food, and energy, and prepare for a transition to a new economy. We are part of Transition U.S. Visit www.jptransition.org

Inequality and the Common Good

The Case for Increasing Taxes on the Wealthy

Recent Work

Venture Beat features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”

The Las Vegas Sun features article “Subsidizing CEO Welfare”

The Waterville (ME) Morning Sentinel features article “Subsidizing CEO Welfare”

The Guardian features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”

Daily Finance features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”

Forbes features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”

The Wall Street Journal features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”

The Hazard (KY) Herald features article “The 64-Gazillion-Dollar Question”

The Everett (WA) Sky Valley Chronicle features article “Grabbing Bigger Slices of Pie”

The Valley Advocate

Project Staff

Associate Fellows