Governor JB Pritzker may soon sign a bill to gradually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. What would that mean for restaurants and bars in Illinois? The Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) has answers to common questions.
Continue reading “Fact Sheet: How Restaurants Would Be Impacted by a $15 Minimum Wage”
Illinois could potentially receive $10 billion in infrastructure spending over 5 years under Clinton’s proposed comprehensive infrastructure plan, which would annually create over 21,000 new jobs in the state. Continue reading “What Hillary Clinton’s Infrastructure Plan Would Mean for Illinois”
A new poll finds that Illinois’ top economics and policy professors strongly support infrastructure investment, public education, immigration, and international free trade agreements. The state’s economic and policy experts also marginally support labor unions and minimum wage laws, with most in favor of raising Illinois’ minimum wage. Finally, a significant majority do not think that politicians have a strong understanding of economic principles. Continue reading “Survey Says: The Views of Top Economics & Policy Professors in Illinois”
The Illinois Economic Policy Institute is pleased to announce the launch of The Illinois Update, an educational media project designed to report on public policies that impact Illinois and the Midwest. Continue reading “Welcome to The Illinois Update!”
The story of Illinois’ manufacturing is way less cut-and-dried than some think tanks want you to believe. While Illinois has added fewer manufacturing jobs than Indiana over recent years, manufacturing earnings have grown at a much faster pace in Illinois. … Continue reading The Illinois Manufacturing Story is More of a Mixed Bag Than Some Say
Happiness levels of Americans vary across the country. However, there are steps that all states, even those with the highest happiness levels, can take to increase the aggregate well-being of their citizens. Happiness economics is a relatively new academic field … Continue reading Ways to Improve Happiness in America
First-Of-Its-Kind Study for Illinois Finds that Inequality has Increased to Great Depression-Era Levels, Driven by a Redistribution of Wealth from Labor to Capital
Economic inequality in Illinois has increased to levels not seen in decades, according to a new study by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI).
The report, entitled The History of Economic Inequality in Illinois: 1850-2014, is the first ever historical analysis of wealth inequality, income inequality, and the labor-capital divide in Illinois.
FIRST OF ITS KIND NATIONAL STUDY EXAMINES ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND FISCAL IMPACTS OF STATE PREVAILING WAGE LAWS Report Concludes that Construction Wage Standards are Cost Neutral, Boost Economies and Public Budgets, and Promote Middle Class Career Pathways for Minorities and … Continue reading State Prevailing Wage Laws Save or Create 400,000 Jobs in America
Economists across the country have advocated for raising the minimum wage, claiming that the benefits outweigh the costs. For example, increasing the minimum wage has been found to boost consumer spending and reduce income inequality in the economy.
The federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour and has not been increased since 2009. Though the federal rate has not increased in 7 years, many states and localities have raised their own minimum wages. Chicago raised its local minimum wage to $10.00 in 2015. By 2019, the City is expected to have a minimum wage of $13.00, per an ordinance passed by the City Council. Continue reading “Illinois Needs a $10 Minimum Wage Just to Keep Up With Inflation”
Governments utilize policies to impact the efficiency of labor markets. These policies are designed to increase employment by encouraging people to look for work, make it easier for people to get to work, provide support for people who are working, … Continue reading State Policies That Support Employment
Poll: Illinois’ Top Economics and Policy Professors Support Infrastructure Investment, Anti-Discrimination Laws, Public Education, Marijuana Legalization, and Action on Climate Change Respondents more mixed on minimum wage laws and labor unions A new poll of academics from accredited university programs … Continue reading The Views of Top Economics and Policy Professors in Illinois
A new report by the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI) investigates ten examples of how unions can– and do– increase economic efficiency: Union workers earn higher wages and increase consumer demand; Unions reduce socially inefficient levels of income inequality; Union … Continue reading Ten Examples of How Unions Can Increase Efficiency
The Illinois Update 