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

Blog
Rick Perry: Reverse Robin Hood
October 31, 2011 - The Texas governor's new plan is to give more money to the rich, but he says he "doesn't care." By Sam Pizzigati

Magazine Article
OWS Revives the Struggle for Economic Equality
October 31, 2011 - Inspired by struggles overseas and in the past, the protests have brought the wealth gap back to the center of political debate. By Sam Pizzigati

Blog
All Money Trails Lead to Wall Street
October 25, 2011 - An anthropologist estimates that one out of five dollars Americans earn ends up in Wall Street coffers, one way or another. By Sam Pizzigati

Blog
Do We Need 'Student Loans' for Billionaires?
October 18, 2011 - Students of modest means must pay a stiff price to build their capacity to contribute to society - and pay interest if they can't afford that price. A wealth tax could apply this same principle to America's rich. By Sam Pizzigati

Blog
How Corporations Built to Loot Lobby to Win
October 12, 2011 - With a small army of lobbyists, WIN America corporations twist politicians into giving them tax breaks that hurt the rest of us. By Sam Pizzigati

Blog
Report from Occupy Boston
October 11, 2011 - Occupiers in Boston expand their camp to Rose Kennedy Greenway Park, but they are met with police force and arrests. By Andrea Gordillo

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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 16, 2012

ABC News features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”
Visit the publisher's website • See the report
“The report is timely at a time when the tax debate is so intense in this country,” Sarah Anderson, the institute’s global economy project director and the report’s co-author, told ABC News. ”Some leaders are saying we need to reduce the corporate tax burden even more while major companies are taking advantage of loopholes to lower their tax bill.”
August 16, 2012

The Chicago Tribune features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”
Visit the publisher's website • See the report
August 16, 2012

The Washington Post features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”
Visit the publisher's website • See the report
August 16, 2012

USA Today 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 16, 2012

CNBC features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”
Visit the publisher's website • See the report
August 14, 2012

Common Dreams features article “The 64-Gazillion-Dollar Question”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article
August 8, 2012

The Star-Ledger features blog “Mr. President, the Elephant in the Room Is Not a Republican”
Visit the publisher's website • See the blog
August 8, 2012

The Jackson County (IN) Banner features article “Grabbing Bigger Slices of Pie”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article
August 7, 2012

The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT) features article “Grabbing Bigger Slices of Pie”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article
August 2, 2012

The (Los Angeles, CA) Bell Gardens Sun features article “Marching Toward Greater Inequality”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article

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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

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

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

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

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

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

Common Dreams features article “The 64-Gazillion-Dollar Question”

The Star-Ledger features blog “Mr. President, the Elephant in the Room Is Not a Republican”

The Jackson County (IN) Banner features article “Grabbing Bigger Slices of Pie”

The Register Citizen (Torrington, CT) features article “Grabbing Bigger Slices of Pie”

The (Los Angeles, CA) Bell Gardens Sun features article “Marching Toward Greater Inequality”

Project Staff

Associate Fellows