University of Wisconsin–Madison
Progressive Local Government
For the 21st Century

ProGov21 Policy Library

Policy Area
Policy Area Scrollable Checkbox List
Material Type
Material Type Scrollable Checkbox List
Level
Level Scrollable Checkbox List
State
State Scrollable Checkbox List
Source
Source Scrollable Checkbox List
Year
Raising Pay in Public K-12 Schools is Critical to Solving Staffing Shortages
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2022
Level Other
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Children & Families, Education, Finance & Procurement
Public school staffing shortages have been a persistent problem across the United States, and the recent pandemic has only intensified the issue. Low pay for K-12 teachers and support staff is a long standing factor in public school staffing shortages. This report suggests ways in...
Tags
Hardships in America
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2001
Level National
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Education, Health, Housing, Children & Families
Many working families in the United States are living in poverty despite working full-time. A stronger social safety net, including universal programs for health care, child care, and housing, is necessary to support single parents, young workers, people from historically marginalized...
Tags
The Raise the Wage Act Would Support Essential Care Workers
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level National
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice
Essential care workers would benefit from the Raise the Wage Act, and the $15 per hour minimum wage it would establish. This report illustrates the impact of this legislation on various demographics, locations, and industries....
Tags
Ensuring the High Road in Cannabis
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level National
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice
As federal and state governments move toward marijuana legalization, labor conditions within the industry need to be evaluated. Currently, many of the employers in the marijuana industry take a "low road" approach to their workforce, with low wages, poor to no benefits, and frequent...
Tags
Flexible Work Without Exploitation: Reversing Tech Companies’ State-by-State Agenda to Unravel Workers’ Rights and Misclassify Workers as ‘Contractors’ in the Gig Economy and Beyond
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2023
Level City or Town, State
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Finance & Procurement
Digital platform companies like Uber and Doordash consistently violate workers' rights by misclassifying them as 'independent contractors,' paying subminimum wages, and shifting primary risks and costs of doing business onto workers and consumers. This report examines how tech companies...
Tags
Energizing Prosperity: Renewable Energy and Re-Industrialization
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2008
Level City or Town
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Environment & Natural Resources, Energy
This report evaluates in detail the renewable energy laws of Nevada and Michigan, discusses the progress made, missed opportunities, and bad implementation. It also discusses the threats that climate change and de-industrialization as an economic development pose against energy security...
Tags
2023-2024 State and Local Policy Agenda
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2023
Level City or Town, County, State
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Community Development, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice
Economic inequality, worker disempowerment, and systemic barriers to equity continue to challenge state and local governments. This policy agenda outlines key solutions, including expanding collective bargaining rights, repealing "right-to-work" laws, raising minimum wages, and ensuring...
Tags
The role of early career supports, continuous professional development, and learning communities in the teacher shortage
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2019
Level School Board, School District
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Education
The teacher shortage is real, large and growing, with high-poverty schools suffering most from the shortage of credentialed teachers. Continuous learning helps teachers keep up with advances in effective teaching and learning, and can provide the support necessary to maintain a stable...
Tags
National Survey of Gig Workers Paints a Picture of Poor Working Conditions, Low Pay
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2022
Level National
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice
Firms like Uber, DoorDash, and others have amassed market power by circumventing labor rights through the practice of classifying their workers as contractors rather than employees. Many of the firms within the so-called "gig economy" have argued that the freedom to choose when to...
Tags
City Governments Are Raising Standards for Working People—and State Legislators Are Lowering Them Back Down
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2017
Level City or Town, State
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice
This report looks at the rising use of preemption by state legislatures to undercut local labor standards. It provides an overview of five key areas of labor and employment policy affected by preemption—including minimum wage, paid leave, fair work scheduling, prevailing wage, and...
Tags
Focus on Wisconsin’s 1 Percent
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2015
Level State
State(s) Wisconsin
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice
Income inequality is expanding in Wisconsin, with the top 1% capturing a significant share of income growth. This mirrors broader economic trends and national changes in workers' rights, education, technology, and trade. Policymakers should invest in workforce education, support working...
Tags
The Stakes for Workers in How Policymakers Manage the Coming Shifts to All-electric Vehicles
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level Other
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Data & Technology, Economic Justice, Transportation & Mobility
The shift toward electric vehicles (EVs) will change large sectors of the economy, and these changes will require workers take on new roles. These changes provide an opportunity to reconsider existing policies that are currently failing workers and to improve labor protections. If...
Tags
CEO Pay has Skyrocketed 1,322% since 1978
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level National
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice
Inequality between CEO and their employees has been growing exponentially over the last four decades. This report illustrates how outsized the growth in executive compensation has been after accounting for pay, stock awards, and stock options. This report also shows that average...
Tags
Preempting Progress in the Heartland
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level City or Town
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice
This report compares the prevalence of preemption in Midwestern states to other U.S. regions and finds that the Midwest is second only to the South in overreach into local affairs, preventing municipalities from being able to enact strong labor protection policy, economic health support...
Tags
The City's Role in Private Sector Job Quality
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2023
Level City or Town
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Democracy & Governance
Outdated labor laws and inadequate job quality undermine the health and well-being of workers and communities. Local municipal policies and strategic community partnerships can help improve labor rights, economic development, and public health. Community leaders should advocate for...
Tags
The Promise and Limits of High-pressure Labor Markets for Narrowing the Racial Gaps
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level Other
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice
This report explores the case for continuing to run the economy "hot" in order to maintain low unemployment and high effective demand for labor as a strategy for reducing racial wage gaps and improving racial equity. This report also explores the promises and limits of a high-pressure...
Tags
Botched Policy Responses to Globalization have Decimated Manufacturing Employment with often Overlooked Costs for Black, Brown, and other Workers of Color
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level National
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice
This report examines the impact of misguided globalization policies, (including monetary policy, unfair trade agreements, failed agreements, and investment deals) and shows that the consequences of these policies have disproportionately affected workers of color....
Tags
Setting Higher Wages for Child Care and Home Health Care Workers is Long Overdue
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level Other
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice
Care work is vital to the function of society, but labor market discrimination has prevented care workers from receiving fair wages. This report focuses on the impact of discrimination on wages for workers in childcare, education, and home health care....
Tags
The impact of the Raise the Wage Act of 2025
Type Article
Year 2025
Level National
State(s) All States
Source Economic Policy Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice
The federal minimum hourly wage is just $7.25 and has not increased since 2009. The Raise the Wage Act of 2025, introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate on April 7, 2025, would incrementally raise the federal minimum wage to $17 an hour by 2030. The bill would...
Tags
Displaying 19 of 19 records.

Remove Entry

Are you sure you want to remove this?

There was an error communicating with the server.

Please try again later.

There was an error while saving your data.

Please try again later.

Error

Please try again later.

Update Page Content

You are leaving the page

Please make sure you saved all of the modules to avoid losing any data.