This study by PERI researchers Esra Ugurlu and Gerald Epstein analyses contemporary public banking initiatives in the U.S. Based on surveys and semi-structured interviews, they provide an overview of the achievements of this growing movement, describe the central socio-economic issues they organize around, and examine the challenges they face. They demonstrate that the growth in public banking is a reaction to several socio-economic and ecological issues in the U.S. They argue that public banking can be an important tool in addressing these problems and suggest how the federal government can support these initiatives.
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Air Toxics at U.S. Schools
Air Toxics at School is an interactive tool developed by PERI’s Corporate Toxics Information Project, led by Michael Ash and James Boyce. The tool tracks industrial toxic air pollution at every school in the U.S. It reports toxicity-weighted concentrations of pollutants to show individual chronic human health risk from industrial toxic air pollutants at the school location. The air pollution analyzed comes from large fixed sources, such as factories, refineries, petroleum depots, metal mining, and toxic storage and disposal facilities. They find, for example, that the average air pollution at schools in Ohio is 2.5 times the national average.
>> Go to Air Toxics at School interactive tool
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Job Creation through THRIVE Agenda: National and State-Level Impacts
PERI researchers Robert Pollin, Jeannette Wicks-Lim, Shouvik Chakraborty, Gregor Semieniuk, and Chirag Lala have produced a series of reports that estimate the job creation that would result throughout the U.S. and in 21 U.S. states if the U.S. Congress passes a national THRIVE Agenda. The agenda’s commitment is to “Transform, Heal and Renew by Investing in a Vibrant Economy”—i.e. “THRIVE”—through a range of investments to rebuild the U.S. economy. The four major investment areas include: clean renewable energy and energy efficiency, infrastructure, agriculture/land restoration, and care economy/public health/postal system.
>> Read National THRIVE Agenda Report
>> Read State-level THRIVE Reports
Interview with Léonce Ndikumana
PERI researcher Léonce Ndikumana discusses his background in Burundi and his perspectives on African development issues, including trade, capital flight, foreign aid and COVID-19. He says that “As a son of a farmer, born in one of the least developed countries in the world, development was not just an academic topic, it was about issues that I myself had experienced or witnessed since my early childhood.” He observes that policymaking in Africa “is hijacked by the interest groups that benefit from the status quo,” while “the majority who would benefit from change have no means to voice their concerns.”
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