Economic Policies for Working America: A New Initiative at UMass Amherst

The Game Changers initiative brings together 40 experts to develop policy proposals on jobs, healthcare, housing, immigration, the care economy, climate, finance, and other issues.

Source: UMass Political Economy Research Institute

The Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has launched Game Changers: Economic Policies for a Working America, a national initiative focused on developing policy proposals to improve economic security, support workers, families and communities, and address persistent inequalities in the U.S.

The project brings together some 40 experts, including economists, legal scholars, political scientists and sociologists, who have developed 30 policy proposals across nine areas: the care economy; environment and climate change; finance and financial regulation; healthcare; housing; immigration; macroeconomics and fiscal and monetary policy; work and jobs; and workers and international trade. 

Gerald Epstein, PERI co-director and professor of economics at UMass Amherst, directs the initiative. Epstein says the project began as a response to Trump administration policies but grew into a broader effort to offer constructive alternatives. 

“The basic idea was to come up with a set of transformational but practical policies that could really make working people’s lives better,” he explains. 

The initiative includes a weekly webinar series beginning Sept. 10. The virtual events will examine individual policy areas and feature experts from UMass Amherst and other universities and policy organizations. Registration is free.

Game Changers: The Economy We Deserve
When a system reaches the point of breakdown, it’s time for radical change. That was the lesson of the 1930s, when the Great Depression ignited transformative labor and social movements that reset national priorities.  It was also the negative lesson of the 1980s, when elites responded to stagflation with a neoliberal turn to “free markets” and enhanced corporate power. The resulting intensification of income and wealth inequality has enabled state capture by a white supremacist authoritarian movement in alliance with tech and fossil fuel interests.

The antidote is increasingly clear: recognizing the equal dignity of every human being and working to guarantee their right to economic security, the opportunity to thrive, a livable planet, a world free of racism, and democratic governance of our lives, societies, and economies. Large majorities of the public understand that the current system is failing most of us and threatening democracy itself. They’re ready to begin building an economy that we deserve.

The first webinar, “Changing the Game for Labor,” will take place from 4 to 5 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Sept. 10. Labor scholars Juliet Schor, Paul Sonn, and David Weil will discuss proposals related to worker protections, wages, and the four-day workweek. Epstein will moderate the discussion. 

The series will continue Thursdays through October with webinars including:

• Sept. 17: “Oh Canada: Trump vs. North American Workers,” on U.S.-Canada trade and tariffs
• Sept. 24: “The U.S. Needs a Care Package,” on childcare, elder care, paid family leave and income support for children
• Oct. 1: “Cutting the Military Budget While Improving Real Security”
• Oct. 8: “Crypto and AI Dreams: Stopping the Power Grab”
• Oct. 15: “Immigration: The Wealth of Welcome”
• Oct. 22: “Environmental Policies that Work for Working Americans” 
• Oct. 29: “‘Medicare for All’ in New York State”

The webinars are open to all and will use a discussion format with speakers making brief presentations followed by questions and answers. 

In addition to the webinars, Game Changers provides policy briefs, background papers, and videos explaining the work of the project’s expert teams.

More information about the initiative is available online at GameChangersPolicy.org.