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.

Download Unnecessary Austerity, Unnecesary Shutdown Report
- Released April 7, 2011
Unnecessary Austerity, Unnecessary Shutdown
By Chuck Collins, Alison Goldberg, Scott Klinger, Sam Pizzigati

If corporations and households amassing $1 million or more in income each year paid taxes at the same rates as they did in 1961, the Treasury would collect an additional $716 billion a year — $7 trillion over a decade.
Download Shifting Responsibility
- Released April 7, 2010
Shifting Responsibility
By Chuck Collins, Alison Goldberg, Sam Pizzigati

The scene has become depressingly familiar. A governor — or a mayor or a county executive — steps to the podium and somberly intones the necessity of making "hard choices" and "living within our means." The elected leader then proceeds to announce prodigious budget cuts that will overcrowd classrooms, furlough public employees, and deny medications to poor families.
Download The Recession and Native America
- Released November 23, 2009
Challenges to Native American Advancement: The Recession and Native America
By Dedrick Muhammad

These are exciting times to be a Native American. The century-old movement for Indian self-determination is now bearing fruit, as Native Americans have increased control over their assets and can apply Indigenous principles to shape their economies. Yet, as this report powerfully documents, glaring disparities persist and much work remains to further increase Indian control of their rich assets, thereby increasing their well-being and prosperity.

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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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January 1, 2013

USA Today features article “The fiscal cliff ... of '32”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article
December 13, 2012

Unionosity features article “In Fact, Fairly Taxing the Rich Won't Scare Them Away”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article
December 12, 2012

The Albany Tribune features article “In Fact, Fairly Taxing the Rich Won't Scare Them Away”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article
December 7, 2012

The (Prestonsburg, KY) Floyd County Times features article “For Pete's Sake, What's Happened to Our Democracy?”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article
December 7, 2012

Counterpunch features article “For Pete's Sake, What's Happened to Our Democracy?”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article
December 3, 2012

Nation of Change features article “To Move Forward, We Must Learn from Our Progressive Past”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article
November 30, 2012

The (Russellville, KY) News-Democrat & Leader features article “To Move Forward, We Must Learn from Our Progressive Past”
Visit the publisher's website • See the article
November 14, 2012

National Catholic Reporter features report “Executive Excess 2012: The CEO Hands in Uncle Sam's Pocket”
Visit the publisher's website • See the report
The Institute for Policy Studies’ “Executive Excess 2012” reports that in 2010 and 2011 a quarter of America’s 100 highest-paid CEOs took home more in pay than their corporations paid the U.S. in taxes. Two of those firms were Citigroup and AIG, both bailed out by taxpayers. In total, these 25 corporations have 533 subsidiaries in tax havens such as the Cayman Islands, Bermuda and Gibraltar.

The CEOs’ hands in Uncle Sam’s pocket -- to use the institute’s neat phrase -- mean that “the four most direct tax subsidies for excessive executive pay cost taxpayers $14.4 billion per year -- $46 for every man, woman and child,” who, in effect, buy a CEO lunch, with a glass of wine, once a year.
November 13, 2012

The Sidney (MT) Herald features report “Inequality Report Card: Grading Congress on Inequality”
Visit the publisher's website • See the report
We awarded “A+” grades to the 12 House members who did the most to narrow America’s economic divide over the past two years. Eleven of these lawmakers won.

Three of the five senators who nailed top marks for their legislative actions to reduce inequality in America were up for re-election. They all won: Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I.

Of the 45 [one-percent-friendly representatives] who were up for re-election, two lost. One was Rep. Nan Hayworth, R-N.Y., who was the lead sponsor of a bill to repeal a provision in the Dodd-Frank financial reform law that requires corporations to disclose the ratio between what they pay their CEO and their workers.

This new metric could encourage a narrowing of the staggering inequality gaps within companies. In the midst of Hayworth’s two-year crusade against that provision, the SEC has failed to implement it.
November 9, 2012

Unionosity features article “The Invisible Hand Won't Stop Inequality in Its Tracks”
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

USA Today features article “The fiscal cliff ... of '32”

Unionosity features article “In Fact, Fairly Taxing the Rich Won't Scare Them Away”

The Albany Tribune features article “In Fact, Fairly Taxing the Rich Won't Scare Them Away”

The (Prestonsburg, KY) Floyd County Times features article “For Pete's Sake, What's Happened to Our Democracy?”

Counterpunch features article “For Pete's Sake, What's Happened to Our Democracy?”

Nation of Change features article “To Move Forward, We Must Learn from Our Progressive Past”

The (Russellville, KY) News-Democrat & Leader features article “To Move Forward, We Must Learn from Our Progressive Past”

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

The Sidney (MT) Herald features report “Inequality Report Card: Grading Congress on Inequality”

Unionosity features article “The Invisible Hand Won't Stop Inequality in Its Tracks”

Project Staff

Associate Fellows