Here are our top priorities for Oklahoma’s 2016 legislative session

Over 1,700 bills and resolutions have been introduced for the 2016 legislative session, along with an equal number of measures from last session that remain alive and could still be considered this year. Despite the  plethora of legislation, there is… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma student leaders propose a realistic minimum wage (Guest Post: Andrew T. Hocutt)

Andrew T. Hocutt is a junior at Rogers State University studying Political Science and Public Administration. He was a 2015 participant in OK Policy’s Summer Policy Institute, and he serves as Chairman for the Rogers State University delegation of the… Read more [More...]

The program known as ‘welfare’ barely exists in Oklahoma

From its creation in 1934 to the mid-1990s, the Assistance to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) program was a major component of America’s safety net, providing cash assistance to low-income families with children. In 1996, President Bill Clinton and a… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma falls to 34th in nation for financial security

Nearly half (49 percent) of Oklahoma’s households are locked into a “new normal” of perpetual financial insecurity, unable to build the savings needed to last even three months in the event of an emergency, according to a new report from… Read more [More...]

To improve Oklahoma’s health, we must reduce inequality (Guest Post: Candace Smith)

Candace Smith is an OK Policy Research Fellow and a 4th year Ph.D. student in the Department of Sociology at the University of Oklahoma’s (OU) Norman Campus. She is also a research assistant at the Oklahoma Department of Human Services’… Read more [More...]

Child care is getting less accessible for Oklahoma’s working parents

For many working Oklahoma families, child care is both an absolute requirement and a significant expense. The cost of child care can easily match or even surpass that of college tuition. Low-income families can catch a break through child care… Read more [More...]

What a difference a mile makes (Neglected Oklahoma)

Camille Landry is a writer, activist, and social justice advocate who lives in Oklahoma City.  This post is part of our “Neglected Oklahoma” series, which tells the stories of Oklahomans in situations where the basic necessities of life are hard… Read more [More...]

Upcoming Event: ‘Dream On’ Film Screening

OK Policy and the OSU Forum of Geography Graduate Students will host a screening of the new documentary Dream On at OSU-Stillwater on Tuesday, January 19th at 6:30pm. In an epic road trip, political comedian John Fugelsang retraces the journey… Read more [More...]

Is this the blueprint for ending poverty? (OK PolicyCast)

You can subscribe to our podcast on iTunes, Stitcher, or RSS. The podcast theme music is by Zébre. This October, Stanford University’s Dr. David Grusky visited Oklahoma for a talk at the University of Tulsa. Dr. Grusky’s books include Social… Read more [More...]

Fact sheet: Hunger in Oklahoma

The holiday season is a time when many of use will share feasts with our loved ones. Yet hundreds of thousands of Oklahoma still don't always know where their next meal will come from... Read more [More...]