The Economic Opportunity Index

How much opportunity do Americans have today compared to 25 years ago? How does opportunity compare across gender and racial groups? What will matter most in ensuring opportunity in America in the future?

POLICY BRIEF: Personal and Family Savings

Personal and family savings enhance American economic prosperity by supplying the investment capital that is necessary to ensure long-term economic growth and job creation, while reducing dependence on more volatile sources of capital such as lending by foreign central banks. Equally important, savings are essential in achieving milestones across the entire lifecycle of individuals and families, from seeking higher education, to homeownership, retirement and the accumulation and transfer of wealth to the next generation.

American Dreamers: 'Since Sliced Bread' and the Opportunity Economy

Since Sliced Bread was an online contest sponsored by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) that solicited ideas from ordinary Americans on how to strengthen the economy and improve the lives of working men and women and their families. This essay looks at a sampling of the over 22,000 ideas submitted to the contest through the lens of Opportunity Economics. Hope Street Group argues that the American Dream, while alive and well in the hopes and aspirations of many Americans, is in need of retooling for the 21st Century.

Casting (Sliced) Bread Upon the Waters: Since Sliced Bread and the Concerns of Ordinary Americans

Americans are increasingly worried that the American Dream is slipping out of their grasp, and have anxieties about providing a better future for themselves and their families. This report, published on the Since Sliced Bread website, finds that contest participants share many common concerns, and want solutions that will empower and engage individuals, families, and communities. They also want a government that is more innovative, productive, and responsive to the aspirations of ordinary people.

POLICY PAPER: The Debt Tax

The United States federal government paid $332.5 billion in interest last year on the national debt. This payment, equal to 11% of the total federal budget, does not build roads, nor does it provide education, subsidize housing, or create any other service. It merely services the $6.6 trillion (and growing) national debt. These interest costs are equivalent to a "Debt Tax" - a tax that drains income but does not produce any corresponding service benefit for today's taxpayers.

POLICY PAPER: Restoring Confidence in America's Capital Markets

Recent headlines tell us that America's markets are endangered by corruption and mismanagement. Our proposals will repair the broken engine of our country's economic growth.

POLICY PAPER: Expanding Retirement Security for All Americans

The private pension system is often described as one leg of the so-called "threelegged stool" of retirement income for Americans: Social Security, private pensions (including 401(k) plans and Individual Retirement Accounts), and personal savings. The pension system provides security and peace of mind for many of America's workers during their working years and into their retirement, supplementing personal savings and income from Social Security enough to allow them to live comfortably. However, too many Americans are unable to adequately fund their pension accounts - or even worse, do not have access to a pension plan at all. Our country needs a private pension system that is available to every worker, not tied to a specific employer, and simple to administer and understand - a system that encourages and enables working people to save more.