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#post-137706 > div.section.section--content-section > div.section__content > div > div > div > div.es-blockmap.preemption-map[active-col="mw_year"] > div:nth-child(3) > div:nth-child(6) > div:nth-child(2), #post-137706 > div.section.section--content-section > div.section__content > div > div > div > div.es-blockmap.preemption-map[active-col="mw_year"] > div:nth-child(3) > div:nth-child(5) > div:nth-child(3){ color: #067198; background-image: linear-gradient(to bottom right, white, #d5d5d5, white, #d5d5d5, white,#d5d5d5, white,#d5d5d5, white,#d5d5d5, white,#d5d5d5, white,#d5d5d5, white,#d5d5d5, white,#d5d5d5, white,#d5d5d5, white,#d5d5d5, white,#d5d5d5, white,#d5d5d5, white,#d5d5d5, white,#d5d5d5); } /* to color AZ to show PL repeal */ #post-137706 > div.section.section--content-section > div.section__content > div > div > div > div.es-blockmap.preemption-map[active-col="pl_year"] > div:nth-child(3) > div:nth-child(6) > div:nth-child(2) { color: #ef5a43; background-image: 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</nav> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> </header> <div id="main" class="clearfix" role="main"> <div id="content"> <div class="main-top">  <article id="post-9589" class="post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry" >  <div class="post-header">  <h1 class="page-title"> Areas of research </h1> </div>  <div class="entry-content"> <div class="the-content-wrap">  <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/budget-taxes-and-public-investment/">Budget, Taxes and Public Investment</a></h2> <p>EPI’s work on federal fiscal policy analyzes revenues, spending and deficits, but always within the context of the overall economy. EPI believes that the federal budget is the embodiment of our nation’s priorities, but recognizes that the state of budget balance is simply a tool to meet larger economic goals, not an end-goal in itself.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/child-labor/">Child Labor</a></h2> <p>The Economic Policy Institute’s<s> </s>child labor research examines the role of strong labor standards in ensuring equal economic and educational opportunity for all children. Our work, including ground-breaking research, thought leadership, and advocacy, is focused on assessing the strengths or weaknesses of existing state and federal child labor policies, documenting ongoing coordinated attacks on protections for young workers, and proposing reforms to advance children’s rights to safe, age-appropriate work and fair compensation. As part of this agenda, EPI works in close coordination with partners in the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN) and in national child labor coalitions, provides expert analysis to the media and other stakeholders, and seeks to raise awareness through public events.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/economic-growth/">Economic Growth</a></h2> <p>EPI’s research on economic growth assesses how policymaking and economic institutions either help or hinder efforts to insure that the U.S. economy is operating at full employment and to generate sustainable growth in average living standards as rapidly as possible.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/education/">Education</a></h2> <p>EPI documents impacts of social and economic inequality on student achievement, and suggests policies, within school and out, to narrow outcome gaps between middle class and disadvantaged students. EPI research refutes false assumptions behind politically inspired attacks on public education, teachers, and their unions.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/green-economics/">Green Economics</a></h2> <p>EPI’s research in this arena focuses on the role that public investment, regulation, and tax policy play in making the economy more sustainable and equitable.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/health/">Health</a></h2> <p>EPI analyzes the U.S. health care system through the lens of low- and moderate-income families’ living standards, with special attention to employer-sponsored health insurance, the burden of health costs, and disparities in access and outcomes.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/immigration/">Immigration</a></h2> <p>EPI proposes reforms that would allow the immigration system to respond and adjust to the shifting needs of the U.S. labor market while improving wages and safeguarding labor standards for American and immigrant workers.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/inequality-and-poverty/">Inequality and Poverty</a></h2> <p>As the United States recovers from the Great Recession, EPI’s research in this area examines the increasing levels of economic inequality in connection with decreasing levels of economic mobility and rising levels of poverty.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/jobs-and-unemployment/">Jobs and Unemployment</a></h2> <p>EPI’s thorough research in this area is as critical as ever and focuses on understanding the intricacies and impact of the slow recovery in the U.S. labor market, including our persistent high unemployment, near-record long-term unemployment, mass underemployment, and weak labor force participation.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/minimum-wage/">Minimum Wage</a></h2> <p>The minimum wage is a critical labor standard meant to ensure a fair wage for this country’s lowest paid workers. EPI researchers have examined how the minimum wage affects workers and the economy, who benefits from the minimum wage, and how the declining value of the federal minimum wage over time has contributed to the growth in U.S. income inequality.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/race-and-ethnicity/">Race and Ethnicity</a></h2> <p>EPI’s Program on Race, Ethnicity, and the Economy works to advance policies that ensure racial and ethnic minorities participate fully and benefit equitably as workers in the American economy.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/raising-americas-pay/">Raising America’s Pay</a></h2> <p>EPI’s efforts to raise the profile of wage issues and generate ideas for stimulating wage growth are overseen by an advisory board of eminent policymakers, academics, policy experts, and civic engagement leaders. <a href="https://www.epi.org/feature/raising-americas-pay-advisory-board/"><em>See the list of board members</em>.</a></p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/regulation/">Regulation</a></h2> <p>The debate over the effect of regulatory changes on employment has intensified in the wake of the Great Recession and the still-high levels of unemployment that are its legacy. But assertions that government regulations are holding back the economy ignore the roots of our economy’s problems, namely the collapse of the housing and financial sectors and inadequate demand. EPI research debunks claims that regulations impede job creation, finding that they can create jobs and confer other critical benefits that outweigh costs. This work is critical to fighting attempts to roll back laws that protect the environment and guarantee worker protections.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/retirement/">Retirement</a></h2> <p>EPI’s retirement program examines the inequities in the current system and promotes initiatives that protect Social Security and lead to universal, secure, and adequate retirement policies.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/trade-and-globalization/">Trade and Globalization</a></h2> <p>Trade and globalization policies have major effects on the wages and incomes of American workers and on the vitality of American industries such as manufacturing. EPI research identifies the economic benefits accruing to the nation, states, and congressional districts from negotiating better trade agreements and curbing currency manipulation and other unfair trade practices.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/unions-and-labor-standards/">Unions and Labor Standards</a></h2> <p>Strong unions and employee organizing rights foster a vibrant middle class because the protections, rights, and wages that unions secure affect union and nonunion workers alike. Unfortunately, eroded labor standards, weakening unions, changing norms, guestworker policies that undercut wages, and monetary policies that prioritize controlling inflation over lowering unemployment have helped depress wages and erode living standards for all workers. EPI monitors factors that affect American work lives, including unpaid overtime, wage theft, the minimum wage, immigration laws, and collective bargaining rights.</p> <h2><a href="https://www.epi.org/research/wages-incomes-and-wealth/">Wages, Incomes, and Wealth</a></h2> <p>Ensuring that economic growth benefits hard-working Americans in the form of higher wages and rising living standards is the central economic challenge of our time. Unfortunately, wages for most workers grew exceptionally slowly between 1979 and 2012, despite productivity—which essentially measures the economy’s potential for providing rising living standards for all—rising 64%. In other words, most Americans, even those with college degrees, are treading water—despite working more productively (and being better educated) than ever. EPI research demonstrates that wage stagnation, weak income growth, and wealth disparities can be traced to policy decisions that have eroded the bargaining power of low- and middle-wage workers.</p> <h2>All topics</h2> <div class="tag-list "> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/2016/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> 2016 </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/accountability/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Accountability </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/apple/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Apple </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/carbon-tax/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Carbon tax </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/currency-manipulation/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Currency manipulation </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/currency-policies/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Currency policies </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/economic-growth/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Economic Growth </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/education/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Education </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/epa/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> EPA </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/macroeconomics-newsletter/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> EPI Macroeconomics Newsletter </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/family-structure/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Family structure </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/fiduciary-rule/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Fiduciary rule </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/financial-globalization/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Financial globalization </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/financial-markets/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Financial markets </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/first-day-fairness/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> First Day Fairness </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/great-recession/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Great Recession </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/green-economics/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Green Economics </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/guaranteed-retirement-accounts/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Guaranteed retirement accounts </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/internships/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Internships </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/janus-v-afscme-council-31/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Janus v. AFSCME Council 31 </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/occupy-wall-street/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Occupy Wall Street </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/perkins-project/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Perkins Project </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/poor-peoples-campaign/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Poor People's Campaign </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/race-and-ethnicity/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Program on Race, Ethnicity and the Economy (PREE) </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/regulation/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Regulation </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/sequestration/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Sequestration </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/state-of-working-america/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> State of Working America </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/swa-appendix/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> SWA Appendix </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/swa-income/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> SWA Income </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/swa-jobs/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> SWA Jobs </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/swa-poverty/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> SWA Poverty </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/swa-productivity/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> SWA Productivity </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/trade-and-globalization/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Trade and Globalization </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/trans-pacific-partnership/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Trans-Pacific Partnership </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/unions-and-labor-standards/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> Unions and Labor Standards </a> <a href="https://www.epi.org/research/what-we-read-today/" class="tag-list-tag post-9589 page type-page status-publish hentry"> What we read today </a> </div>  </div> </div>  </article>   <div> </div> </div> <div class="main-bottom clearfix"></div> </div> <div id="sidebar"> <div id="epi-widget-search-4" class="widget-container epiwidget epi-widget-search epiwidget clearfix"> <form role="search" method="get" id="searchform" action="/" > <div class="adv-search-epi"><label class="screen-reader-text visuallyhidden" for="s">Search for:</label> <input type="text" value="" name="s" id="s" /> <input type="submit" id="searchsubmit" value="Search" /> </div> </form> <div class="advanced-search-link"> <a href="/publications"> Advanced search </a> </div> </div><div id="epi-widget-signup-custom-4" class="widget-container epiwidget epi-widget-signup-custom epiwidget clearfix"> <h2 class="widget-title">Sign up to stay informed</h2> <p class="small">New research, insightful graphics, and event invites in your inbox every week.</p> <form id="epi-signup-widget" class="js-epi-signup-widget signup-wrapper" action="#"> <input name="signup-widget-email" id="signup-widget-email" class="js-epi-signup-widget-email" type="text" value="Email" rel="Email"> <input type="submit" id="signup-widget-submit" class="button js-epi-signup-widget-submit" value="Subscribe"> </form> </div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="clearfix"></div> <footer id="epi-footer"> <div class="width-wrap"> <div class="wide"> <svg class="epi-wordmark-horizontal" width="188" height="16"> <image xlink:href="https://www.epi.org/wp-content/themes/epi/img/logos/epi-wordmark-horizontal.svg" src="https://www.epi.org/wp-content/themes/epi/img/logos/epi-wordmark-horizontal-1200px.png" width="188" height="16"> </svg> <p>EPI is an independent, nonprofit think tank that researches the impact of economic trends and policies on working people in the United States. 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