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

ProGov21 Policy Library

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Year
The U.S. Needs a Federal Wealth Tax
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2019
Level National
State(s) All States
Source Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights
A federal wealth tax on the richest 0.1 percent of Americans is a viable approach for Congress to raise revenue and address rising inequality. This report outlines reasons why the United States needs a federal wealth tax to achieve these goals, as opposed to federal tax policies that...
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Addressing Segregation and Unequal Access to Opportunity in California with Affordable Housing Investments: A Path Forward for a Comprehensive Approach
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level State
State(s) California
Source California Housing Partnership
Policy Areas Community Development, Economic Justice, Housing
Racial segregation has blocked access to housing and pathway to homeownership. This report argues that to address this injustice, California must make substantial efforts to distribute funding to mitigate the racial wealth gap, through policy focused on increasing housing choice and...
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Illinois’s Flat Tax Exacerbates Income Inequality and Racial Wealth Gaps
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2020
Level State
State(s) Illinois
Source Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights
Flat or graduated personal income taxes drive income inequality and racial wealth gaps. This brief compares Illinois’s flat income tax structure to the proposed Fair Tax amendment through a retrospective analysis. It shows that Illinois’s historic flat income tax in lieu of a graduated...
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The State of Black Families in Rhode Island
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2017
Level City or Town
State(s) Rhode Island
Source The Economic Progress Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights
This report investigates the state of Black families in Rhode Island. It finds that Rhode island's Black population is increasingly growing; the Black unemployment rate is high; the Black poverty rate is high; Black Rhode Islanders are less educated and receive low wages; the Black...
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State Itemized Deductions: Surveying the Landscape, Exploring Reforms
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2020
Level State
State(s) All States
Source Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights
Thirty states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) allow a broad category of tax subsidies known as itemized deductions, used to reduce taxpayers’ taxable income. Itemized deductions are regressive, offering the largest benefits to higher-income taxpayers and little or no benefits...
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Ten Solutions to Bridge the Racial Wealth Divide
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2019
Level Other Boards and Agencies
State(s) All States
Source Institute for Policy Studies
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights
The deep and persistent racial wealth divide will not close without bold, structural reform. In this report, the authors offer 10 bold solutions broken into three categories: Programs, Power and Process. These solutions are designed to strike at the structural underpinnings holding...
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Building a Thriving Main Street: Charting Success for Michigan's Immigrant Entrepreneurs
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2018
Level City or Town
State(s) Michigan
Source Michigan League for Public Policy
Policy Areas Finance & Procurement
Immigrants make significant contributions to Michigan's economy, however, immigrant entrepreneurs face barriers to success, including limited access to credit, lack of official documentation, and discrimination. This report suggests providing immigrant entrepreneurs with business...
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Racial & Ethnic Economic Inequality and the COVID-19 Pandemic
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2020
Level County
State(s) All States
Source The Democracy Collaborative
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Health
Data from states and municipalities across the country suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting people of color in the United States. This report analyzes emerging data on deaths, unemployment, failing businesses, and wealth inequality to assess the links...
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The State of Black Families in Rhode Island
Type Fact Sheet or Infographic
Year 2017
Level City or Town
State(s) Rhode Island
Source The Economic Progress Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights
This factsheet investigates the state of Black families in Rhode Island. Rhode Island's Black population is growing, but their wages remain low and their unemployment rate is high. They also find that Black Rhode Islanders have lower educational attainment and high rates of incarceration....
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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...
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State of Gentrification: Home Lending to Communities of Color in California
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2017
Level City or Town, County
State(s) California
Source The Greenlining Institute
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Housing, Public Safety
Communities of color continue to be excluded from homeownership, a crucial wealth building vehicle for families in the U.S. With concerns about gentrification and displacement rising in many areas, homeownership rates are not equally distributed along racial and ethnic lines, and...
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Recovery for All or Recovery for the Few?: Billionaire Wealth Soars in Connecticut
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level State
State(s) Connecticut
Source The Center for Popular Democracy
Policy Areas Economic Justice
While Connecticut’s working families are struggling with low wages, threats of eviction, food instability, lack of affordable health care, and high levels of unemployment amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Connecticut’s wealthiest residents have amassed unprecedented wealth. In response...
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The Case for Progressive Revenue Policies
Type Fact Sheet or Infographic
Year 2019
Level City or Town, State, National
State(s) All States
Source Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights
The United States needs to address growing inequality and raise more revenue to fund critical public investment. One way to accomplish both goals is to enact legislation that raises taxes for high-income or high-wealth households. This infographic includes figures that demonstrate...
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2013 New York City Local Law 1 Improving Access to City Procurement Conctracts
Type Act or Session Law
Year 2013
Level City or Town
State(s) New York
Source City of New York
Policy Areas Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Finance & Procurement
This law improves access to city procurement contracts for minority-owned and women-owned businesses. It grants authority to the commissioner of small business services to direct agencies to increase participation from these groups, develop standardized forms, offer assistance and...
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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...
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Data for the People _ Oregon Center for Public Policy.pdf
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year -
Level State
State(s) Oregon
Source Oregon Center for Public Policy
Policy Areas Data & Technology, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice
All Oregonians deserve economic security, but for many it remains an elusive dream. This is particularly true for marginalized groups who face steep income inequalities and an economy that does not serve low-paid people. Data for the People compiles and provides the latest publicly...
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Austerity Versus Reinvestment: A Roadmap for a Broad-Based Connecticut Economic Recovery
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2021
Level State
State(s) Connecticut
Source In the Public Interest
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Community Development, Finance & Procurement
In the face of a public health emergency, an economic recession, and widening of social inequities, Connecticut has continues to reduce its public investment in services such as education, healthcare, housing, and transportation. Downsizing the public sector and failing to adequately...
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The Road to Zero Wealth: How the Racial Wealth Divide is Hollowing Out America's Middle Class
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2017
Level Other Boards and Agencies
State(s) All States
Source Institute for Policy Studies
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights
In their 2016 report, The Ever-Growing Gap: Without Change, African American and Latino Families Won’t Match White Wealth for Centuries, the Institute for Policy Studies showed that if current trends continue, it will take 228 years for the average Black family to reach the level...
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Community Control of Land & Housing: Exploring Strategies for Combating Displacement, Expanding Ownership, and Building Community Wealth
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2018
Level City or Town
State(s) All States
Source The Democracy Collaborative
Policy Areas Civil Rights, Community Development, Housing
A historical legacy of displacement and exclusion, rooted in racism and discriminatory public policy, has restricted access and shaped ownership dynamics to land and housing, particularly for people of color and low-income communities. Today, communities across the country are facing...
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“The Forgotten Ones”—The Economic Well-Being of Early Educators During COVID-19
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2022
Level State
State(s) California
Source Center for the Study of Child Care Employment
Policy Areas Children & Families, Economic Justice, Education
This report provides a closer look at the well-being of California's early educators during the COVID-19 public health crisis, using data collected from the 2020 California Early Care and Education Workforce Study. Key findings show that educators' low wages leave them vulnerable...
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Racial Wage Gaps in Early Education Employment
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2019
Level State
State(s) All States
Source Center for the Study of Child Care Employment
Policy Areas Children & Families, Economic Justice, Education
Early educators are some of the lowest-paid workers in every state, which especially burdens African American and Hispanic women in this profession. This report analyzes the racial disparities that exist in early education employment. Findings show that African American early educators...
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The Illusion of Race-Neutral Tax Policy
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2019
Level City or Town, State, National
State(s) All States
Source Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights
Examining tax laws only in the context of class is a “colorblind” approach to tax and economic policy that ignores how tax policies affect communities based on race. Historical instances of explicitly racist tax policies, such as the slave tax, continue to impact state and local...
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Creating Inclusive High-Tech Incubators and Accelerators: Strategies to Increase Participation Rates of Women and Minority Entrepreneurs
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2016
Level County
State(s) All States
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Community Development, Education, Data & Technology
This report emphasizes the importance of inclusive business incubators and accelerators in supporting entrepreneurial ventures, especially for women and minority tech entrepreneurs who are underrepresented in these programs. The report suggests strategies like expanding recruitment...
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Racial Equity and Taxes in Southern States
Type Policy Brief or Report
Year 2020
Level State
State(s) All States
Source Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights
Generally, southern states levy taxes in a way that worsens racial and economic equity. Most southern states raise less revenue than states in other regions, leading to underinvestment in people and places. This lack of revenue contributes to staggering levels of poverty, particularly...
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Seattle Priority Hire on City Construction Projects
Type Fact Sheet or Infographic
Year 2015
Level City or Town
State(s) Washington
Source Mayors Innovation Project
Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Environment & Natural Resources, Democracy & Governance, Children & Families
Seattle's Priority Hire program aims to provide construction career opportunities for underrepresented community members. It prioritizes local workers from economically disadvantaged neighborhoods, women, and people of color, offering training and job access. The report outlines the...
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