Upcoming Event: Sleeping Giant author on how the ‘new working class’ is transforming America

There was a time when America’s working class was seen as the backbone of the economy with considerable political, economic, and moral authority. In recent decades, the working class has transformed as far more female and racially diverse workers have… Read more [More...]

How new federal rules can keep Oklahomans out of debt traps

GET CASH NOW! A neon green sign boasts a quick fix for your financial woes as you count out the few dollars you have to pay bills and buy groceries for your children. Although you are employed, this has been… Read more [More...]

An Oklahoma Agenda for Broad-Based Prosperity: Better Jobs & Opportunities

[See our companion issue agenda for a better state budget here.] [Download this fact sheet as a pdf.] Even in times when the overall economy grows, many Oklahomans are left out of economic opportunity. Oklahoma’s relatively low unemployment rate has… Read more [More...]

Confront the ‘parasite economy’ by raising the minimum wage

Every three months, the ADP Research Institute releases its Workforce Vitality Index, a measure of private sector job and wage growth.  For the past two quarters, Washington state has led the nation in growing jobs and boosting wages, far outpacing… Read more [More...]

Income inequality in Oklahoma has declined but there’s more work to be done

Kylie Thomas is an OK Policy intern and a Master’s student in economics at American University. She previously earned her Bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Tulsa. The Economic Policy Institute (EPI) recently released an updated report on… Read more [More...]

The decade Oklahoma’s ag jobs vanished (Guest Post: Brian Ted Jones)

Brian Ted Jones is director of education for Kirkpatrick Foundation. Data on farm employment is from census records accessed through the Oklahoma Department of Libraries. Since 1990, the number of agricultural jobs in Oklahoma has declined by 77 percent, according… Read more [More...]

Frozen child care subsidy thaws, but remains on thin ice

In welcome news for working families, the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) announced at the end of June that it would lift the freeze on child care subsidy enrollment by August 1. In any given month, more than 30,000… Read more [More...]

Why poverty in Oklahoma is being compared to a Third World nation

Each year, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof holds a Win-A-Trip contest for college students to accompany him on a reporting trip to the developing world. Most years, his trip explores  global poverty in far-flung places like Congo or Myanmar.… Read more [More...]

Oklahoma’s teen birth rate is near the highest in the country. We can do better.

Tara Grigson is an OK Policy intern. She is a psychology and Spanish major at the University of Tulsa and previously worked as a Mission Impact Intern at YWCA Tulsa. Oklahoma ranks 2nd among all U.S. states for the highest… Read more [More...]

A perfect storm (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...]