The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of ...

non-profit A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

American, left-leaning

think tank A think tank, or policy institute, is a research institute that performs research and advocacy concerning topics such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, technology, and culture. Most think tanks are non-govern ...

based in Washington, D.C., that carries out economic research and analyzes the economic impact of policies and proposals. Affiliated with the

labor movement The labour movement or labor movement consists of two main wings: the trade union movement (British English) or labor union movement (American English) on the one hand, and the political labour movement on the other. * The trade union movement ...

the EPI is usually described as presenting a left-leaning and pro- union viewpoint on public policy issues. Since 2021, the EPI has been led by economist Heidi Shierholz, a former Chief Economist of the Department of Labor The EPI has a sister organization, the EPI Policy Center, which is a

501(c)(4) A 501(c) organization is a nonprofit organization in the federal law of the United States according to Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 501(c)) and is one of over 29 types of nonprofit organizations exempt from some federal income taxes. ...

group.

History

EPI was founded in 1986 by economists

Jeff Faux Jeff Faux (born Geoffrey Faux in New York City) is the principal founder of the Economic Policy Institute and was its first president, from 1986 to 2002. He is now the Institute's Distinguished Fellow and also serves on its board of directors. Fau ...

, Lester Thurow,

Ray Marshall Freddie Ray Marshall (born August 22, 1928) is an American economist who is the professor emeritus and Audre and Bernard Rapoport Centennial Chair in Economics and Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. Early life and education ...

, Barry Bluestone, Robert Reich, and

Robert Kuttner Robert L. Kuttner (; born April 17, 1943) is an American journalist and writer whose works present a liberal/progressive point of view. Kuttner is the co-founder and current co-editor of ''The American Prospect'', which was created in 1990 as a ...

. Since 2021, Heidi Shierholz has served as the EPI's president. Shierholz succeeded Thea Lea, who was appointed by President Joe Biden to a position in the Department of Labor.

Policy proposals

EPI supported

Bernie Sanders Bernard Sanders (born September8, 1941) is an American politician who has served as the junior United States senator from Vermont since 2007. He was the U.S. representative for the state's at-large congressional district from 1991 to 20 ...

Medicare for All Single-payer healthcare is a type of universal healthcare in which the costs of essential healthcare for all residents are covered by a single public system (hence "single-payer"). Single-payer systems may contract for healthcare services from ...

proposal. In a March 2020 policy paper, it argued that the loss of jobs in the insurance industry and in administering the current system would be small, within the normal job churn, and easily absorbed by the economy. The paper argued that this cost would be outweighed by the benefits of universal health care and in small business formation. The EPI has also released policy papers analyzing U.S. investment in early childhood education. In July 2012, EPI and the

AFL–CIO The American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL–CIO) is the largest federation of unions in the United States. It is made up of 56 national and international unions, together representing more than 12 million ac ...

Center for Community Change Community Change, formerly the Center for Community Change (CCC), is a progressive community organizing group active in the United States. It was founded in 1968 in response to civil rights concerns of the 1960s and to honor Robert F. Kennedy. The ...

Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights (The Leadership Conference), formerly called the Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, is an umbrella group of American civil rights interest groups. Organizational history The Leadership C ...

, National Council of La Raza and SEIU proposed a budget plan titled ''Prosperity Economics'', a counter to the Republican Party's '' Path to Prosperity'' budget plan. The ''Prosperity Economics'' plan suggests that major public investment in areas like infrastructure is needed to jump-start the economy. Heidi Shierholz

In response to the debate over the

United States fiscal cliff The United States fiscal cliff refers to the combined effect of several previously-enacted laws that came into effect simultaneously in January 2013, increasing taxes and decreasing spending. The Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, which had been e ...

, EPI economist Josh Bivens advocated taxing the rich and wrote, "Given this rise in ncomeinequality, it makes sense that much of the future burden of reducing budget deficits should be borne by those who have benefited the most from economic trends in recent decades."

Funding

Eight labor unions made a five-year funding pledge to EPI at its inception: AFSCME,

United Auto Workers The International Union, United Automobile, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers of America, better known as the United Auto Workers (UAW), is an American Labor unions in the United States, labor union that represents workers in the Un ...

, United Steelworkers,

United Mine Workers The United Mine Workers of America (UMW or UMWA) is a North American labor union best known for representing coal miners. Today, the Union also represents health care workers, truck drivers, manufacturing workers and public employees in the Unite ...

, International Association of Machinists,

Communications Workers of America The Communications Workers of America (CWA) is the largest communications and media labor union in the United States, representing about 700,000 members in both the private and public sectors (also in Canada and Puerto Rico). The union has 27 ...

, Service Employees International Union, and United Food and Commercial Workers Union. According to EPI, about 29% of its funding between 2005 and 2009 was supplied by labor unions and about 53% came from foundation grants. In the 1980s, EPI took money from the Tobacco Institute, a now-defunct tobacco industry trade group, to oppose excise taxes on the tobacco industry's behalf. The Tobacco Institute worked with groups like EPI "to support the release of studies, editorials, press briefings, and testimony against regressive excise taxes" that would negatively impact the tobacco industry's bottom line if passed.

References

{{Authority control Political and economic think tanks in the United States Progressive organizations in the United States Non-profit organizations based in Washington, D.C. Think tanks established in 1986 1986 establishments in Washington, D.C. 501(c)(3) organizations