Sarah Anderson directs the Global Economy Project at the Institute for Policy Studies and is a co-editor of the IPS web site Inequality.org. Sarah’s research covers a wide range of international and domestic economic issues, including inequality, Wall Street reform, CEO pay, taxes, labor, and international trade and investment. Sarah is a well-known expert on executive compensation, as the lead author of more than 20 annual “Executive Excess” reports that have received extensive media coverage.

During the Obama administration, she served on the Investment Subcommittee of the U.S. State Department’s Advisory Committee on International Economic Policy (ACIEP). In 2009, this subcommittee carried out a review of the U.S. model bilateral investment treaty. In 2000, she served on the staff of the bipartisan International Financial Institutions Advisory Commission (“Meltzer Commission”), commissioned by the U.S. Congress to evaluate the World Bank and IMF. Sarah is a co-author of the books Field Guide to the Global Economy (New Press, 2nd edition, 2005) and Alternatives to Economic Globalization (Berrett-Koehler, 2nd edition, 2004).

Prior to coming to IPS in 1992, Sarah was a consultant to the U.S. Agency for International Development and an editor for the Deutsche Presse-Agentur. She holds a Masters in International Affairs from The American University and a BA in Journalism from Northwestern University.

Latest

5 Charts on Our Broken CEO Pay and Corporate Tax Systems

When companies are paying their executives more than Uncle Sam, you know we’ve got a problem.

Corporations That Pay Their Executives More Than Uncle Sam

Tesla, Ford, Netflix, and T-Mobile are among scores of profitable U.S. firms that pay their top executives more than they pay in federal taxes.

New Report from Americans for Tax Fairness and Institute for Policy Studies Reveals 35 Big Corporations That Paid Their Top Executives More Than They Paid in Federal Taxes

Those firms not only paid less to the federal government than their top bosses between 2018-22— they paid less than nothing to Uncle Sam, instead receiving almost $2 billion in cumulative refunds.

The USPS Network Consolidation Plan: What’s at Stake for Southern Oregon

A postal facility in Medford is one of many across the country facing the transfer of processing functions to a regional hub hundreds of miles away.

Will Corporate Lobbyists Steamroll Stock Buyback Regulations?

The SEC should stand up to the Chamber of Commerce and keep fighting for rules to expose CEOs who manipulate buybacks to pad their own pockets.

Waking the Sleeping Giant of the Low-Income Voting Bloc

The Poor People’s Campaign is planning 42 weeks of actions to mobilize this potentially powerful yet often ignored segment of the electorate.

6 Takeaways from the Court Decision to Void Elon Musk’s Compensation

The Musk ruling sets a huge precedent and could lead to similar suits against other outrageous CEO pay packages.

‘Year of the Strike’ Could Be a Turning Point for Labor Movement

In 2023, a reenergized movement began reversing its downward slide so that all American workers can get a fair reward for their labor.

10 Victories for the Working Class in 2023

From the picket lines to state houses to the White House, champions in the fight against inequality landed huge wins.

Scraping Away the Anti-Worker, Anti-Racial Equity Vestiges of the Reagan Era

The Biden administration aims to undo contracting policy holdovers from the 1980s to boost public investment benefits for workers and their communities.

Yes, We Actually Can Do Something About CEO Pay

A new report highlights effective policies to narrow CEO-worker gaps and marks progress to date.

Why is Biden Cracking Down on Stock Buybacks in Just One Industry?

All companies receiving federal funds should face the same restrictions.

Let’s Trash Junk Fees

President Biden is cracking down on deceptive fees that cost American consumers tens of billions of dollars a year.

Congressmembers Express Regret for U.S. Support of Pinochet Dictatorship as Chilean President Arrives in Washington

President Boric will reflect on the 50th anniversary of the Chilean coup at the site of the assassination of two Institute for Policy Studies colleagues in 1976.

The 100 Largest Low-Wage Employers Have Spent $341 Billion on Stock Buybacks Since 2020

A new report reveals how stock buybacks have inflated CEO paychecks and widened pay gaps at the 100 largest low-wage corporations.

REPORT: Executive Excess 2023

These “Low Wage 100” large corporations are enriching CEOs at the expense of both workers and taxpayers.

Executive Excess 2023

New report finds the ‘Low-Wage 100’ large corporations have spent more than $340 billion on stock buybacks since 2020.

55 Years After the Launch of the Poor People’s Campaign, Taking Stock of Interlocking Injustices

New fact sheets by the Poor People’s Campaign and the Institute for Policy Studies reveal disturbing data on systemic racism, poverty and inequality, ecological devastation, and militarism in every U.S. state.

An Alternative to Social Security Cuts: Make CEOs Pay Their Fair Share

Let’s raise the contribution cap, get rid of tax preferences for gilded CEO retirement accounts, and use the extra revenue to expand retirement benefits.

Program Director

Global Economy

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CEO Pay, Financial Regulations, Financial Transaction Tax, Inequality, International Monetary Fund, Tax Reform, Trade, Wages, Wall Street, Worker Rights

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