Chicago: A fast-tracked $15 minimum wage by 2021 in the City of Chicago would increase paychecks Continue reading “REPORT: $15 Minimum Wage Would Boost Incomes for 430,000 Chicago Workers and Lift 100,000 Residents Out of Poverty”
Between one-third and one-half of the rise in income inequality in America is due to the declining real value of the minimum wage. Continue reading “Boost Worker Incomes by Raising Illinois’ Minimum Wage”
A new study by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign finds that the Chicago Minimum Wage Ordinance has had positive impacts on incomes and no effect on employment in the city.
Continue reading “Chicago Minimum Wage Increases Have Been Good for Workers”
Continue reading “STUDY: Chicago Minimum Wage Hike Has Already Helped At Least 330,000 Workers”
The Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) supports the Illinois Tollway Board’s decision to advance the proposed Route 53/120 Extension project through an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS). ILEPI recently released a project analysis which found that demographic and economic trends convincingly … Continue reading The Illinois Tollway Board Votes to Move the Route 53/120 Extension Forward
The Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) offers suggestions for the Grammy Award-winning artist’s policy platform.
Continue reading “3 Recommended Positions If Chance the Rapper Ever Becomes Chance the Candidate”
Episode 9 of the For A Living Podcast is now available on Soundcloud and on iTunes.
Professor Robert Bruno, Professor Emily E. LB Twarog, and Frank Manzo IV discuss state and local initiatives to support workers. Topics include the minimum wage, paid sick time, paid safe time, fair scheduling laws, prevailing wage laws, responsible bidder ordinances, local hire ordinances, and other policies. Continue reading “Podcast: All Policy Is Local”
Episode 8 of the For A Living Podcast is now available on SoundCloud and on iTunes.
What are the causes of high African-American unemployment, particularly in Illinois? What policies and economic phenomena make a statistical impact on reducing unemployment among African Americans? Continue reading “Podcast: Reducing African-American Unemployment”
Voters support funding police, schools, infrastructure, and municipal pension deal Continue reading “Chicagoans Willing to Pay More Taxes for Improved Services, Poll Finds”
With the end of FY2016 tomorrow, Illinois has gone over a year without a budget. With no adequate plan for spending, the lack of funding has severely impacted the capacity of many vital social, health, and educational organizations to provide … Continue reading The Stopgap Bill Helps But Does Not Solve Budget Issues
Frank Manzo IV is the Policy Director of the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI). Visit ILEPI at www.illinoisepi.org or follow ILEPI on Twitter @illinoisEPI. This post is part of the “Frankonomics” series. Physical infrastructure investment is one of the main government expenditures that conclusively enhances … Continue reading More Infrastructure Investment Would Kickstart Illinois
Frank Manzo IV is the Policy Director of the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI). Visit ILEPI at www.illinoisepi.org or follow ILEPI on Twitter @illinoisEPI. This is part of the “Frankonomics” series.
Illinois’ middle class is relatively strong in 93 of the state’s 102 counties, according to the Measure of America by the Social Science Research Council.
One of the many outcomes included in the Measure of America is the Gini coefficient for every county across America. Gini coefficients are the most commonly used measure of income inequality. The coefficient ranges from 0, which represents complete equality, to 1, which reflects complete inequality (i.e., one person has all the income).
For the United States, the national average Gini coefficient is 0.469. Fully 93 out of 102 counties in Illinois have a Gini coefficient below the national average.
Continue reading “93 Out of 102 Counties in Illinois Have Low Income Inequality”
The Illinois Update 