The easing of inflation in the U.S. economy beginning in 2022 and recent signs of weakness in the U.S. labor market over the past several quarters have led households and financial market participants alike to form expectations that the Federal Reserve might embark on an easing cycle over the rest of 2024. This potential shift […] The post The unequal impact of the Federal Reserve’s monetary tightening and easing on firms in the United States appeared first on Equitable Growth ..read more

Authors:Ezgi Kurt, Bentley University Abstract: This paper documents firm-level evidence on the asymmetric effects of monetary policy in the US. Focusing on the 1980q3-2019q4 period, I find that monetary tightenings show larger effects on firms’ employment and sales than monetary easings. In comparison, investment rate does not generate significant asymmetry in response to sign-dependent monetary […] The post Asymmetric Effects of Monetary Policy on Firms appeared first on Equitable Growth ..read more

The post In Conversation with Mishaela Durán appeared first on Equitable Growth ..read more

Mass strikes across U.S. industries, successful organizing drives in multiple sectors of the economy, and a U.S. president who declares himself proud to be labeled “the most pro-union president in history” all point to a historic resurgence for organized labor in the United States. Even longtime foes of unions have begun to rethink past positions […] The post Will labor’s surging popularity result in new union members in the United States? appeared first on Equitable Growth ..read more

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth today announced a new slate of grantees. These 10 scholars responded to a Request for Proposals specifically targeted at those early in their careers whose research is policy-relevant and can inform how policymakers can take action to create more stable, broadly shared U.S. economic growth. Equitable Growth is committed […] The post Early career scholars to receive Equitable Growth funding to study economic inequality appeared first on Equitable Growth ..read more

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth today announced a new cohort of grantees in response to a Request for Proposals on the effectiveness of the fiscal response to the COVID-19 recession. These research projects are specifically analyzing whether policies worked to generate better macroeconomic outcomes and better and more equitable outcomes for working-age individuals in […] The post Equitable Growth invests in new research to better understand the effects of the fiscal response to the COVID-19 recession appeared first on Equitable Growth ..read more

Former President Donald Trump’s hallmark economic policy was a swathe of tax cuts for the wealthy and big corporations in 2017. His Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, or TCJA, supercharged the wealth of billionaires and shifted more power and wealth to big corporations. Republican legislators in Congress savvily made the corporate tax cuts permanent due […] The post New economic analyses of the 2017 Trump tax cuts find mixed effects that policymakers should consider when those tax cuts expire in 2025 appeared first on Equitable Growth ..read more

After increasing rapidly over the course of 2021, nominal wage growth (before accounting for inflation) in the United States has been trending down consistently across measures since early- to mid-2022. This has generally been regarded as a positive development because inflation also increased rapidly in 2021, and slowing nominal wage growth tends to reduce upward […] The post New labor market data suggest that U.S. wage growth may be cooling too much appeared first on Equitable Growth ..read more

U.S. workers are more vulnerable than ever to the ill effects of high and rising temperatures as the world continues to shatter heat records this year. Climate-related deaths and injuries are on the rise, yet only a handful of U.S. states have heat protections in place for workers, while Texas and Florida recently passed laws […] The post New federal heat standard will protect U.S. workers from the ill effects of high temperatures amid intensifying climate change appeared first on Equitable Growth ..read more

Overview The majority of working-age adults in the United States have health insurance via their employers. Theory and a growing body of research suggest that when the cost of workers’ benefits go up, these cost increases are borne by workers and their employers. As a result, employer-sponsored insurance creates a link between what happens in […] The post Hospital consolidation and rising health care prices lead to job losses for U.S. workers appeared first on Equitable Growth ..read more