Topic: Economic Opportunity

Inequality Matters: How growing disparities erode public structures and political community

By: David Blatt
April 28, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
David Stockmann was director of the Office of Management and Budget under President Reagan and once a leading advocate of supply-side economics. Yet In a recent New York Times op-ed, he makes a point most frequently heard from liberals and… Read more [More...]

Quick Take on the Economy: Income picks up steam, unemployment edges downward

By: Kate Richey
April 19, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
The nation continues to show signs that it is emerging from the deep and prolonged economic recession that began in late 2007.  April’s edition of Numbers You Need, our monthly bulletin of key economic and budget trends, paints a mixed… Read more [More...]

When a job is not enough: New measure looks at what’s needed for economic security

By: Gene Perry
April 6, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
As we recover from the great recession, the need to create jobs is foremost in the minds of the public and the promises of politicians. But if too many jobs don’t pay enough to cover the basic needs of a… Read more [More...]

Wealth and Worth: What’s race got to do with it?

By: Kate Richey
April 5, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend a conference hosted by the Ford Foundation and Howard University’s Center on Race and Wealth.  The three-day meeting was the first annual gathering of a diverse group of representatives supported… Read more [More...]

A tale of two closing funds, the Chinese Communist Party, and genetically modified mice

By: Gene Perry
March 31, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
As the state continues to grapple with severe budget shortfalls, Gov. Fallin’s agenda has mostly involved regulatory changes and managing additional cuts to state services. Yet the governor does have one major new program on her wish list: a deal-closing… Read more [More...]

Taking It To The Bank: Promoting Savings in Oklahoma

By: Oklahoma Policy Institute
March 23, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
Oklahoma Assets has released the first in a series of policy briefs on key issues related to expanding economic opportuntiy and financial security for Oklahomans. The brief was authored by David Blatt, Director of Oklahoma Policy Institute and Chair of… Read more [More...]

Public spending "provides the very foundation for a functioning free market economy"

By: David Blatt
March 21, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
In a blog post last summer, we took issue with the polarizing concept of “the government versus the private sector”.  We argued that you cannot have a vibrant, productive private sector without government undertaking a whole array of activities that… Read more [More...]

Promoting financial security: Matched savings account programs

By: David Blatt
February 28, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
This post is adapted from an upcoming issue brief on savings from Oklahoma Assets, a statewide coalition committed to promoting financial security. Click here for other OK Policy blog posts on assets and financial security. Most Americans recognize the value… Read more [More...]

OK Policy Roundtable: Should the state of Oklahoma be promoting marriage?

By: Gene Perry
February 21, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
OK Policy recently featured a guest blog post from Scott Stanley about the Family Expectations Program, which is part of the Oklahoma Marriage Initiative. As part of the job application process, OK Policy’s two recently hired policy analysts also created… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma should act on new opportunities to aid the long-term jobless

By: David Blatt
February 16, 2011 // Updated: May 2, 2019
“There’s no excuse for states to let 100 percent federally funded jobless support just die on the vine,” said Christine Owens, Executive Director of the National Employment Law Project. “This is a no-brainer for states to help their workers, businesses… Read more [More...]