The Economic Opportunity Index

How much opportunity do Americans have today compared to 25 years ago? How does opportunity compare across gender and racial groups? What will matter most in ensuring opportunity in America in the future?

POLICY PAPER: Ending Corporate Favoritism: Reform Corporate Taxes & Subsidies to Create a Level Playing Field

America's corporate tax code is a mess.  At 39%, our top tax rate is among the highest in the world, but loopholes mean that many companies pay nothing.   High corporate tax rates encourage cheating.   Small companies under-report their income, while large companies exploit loopholes.   As a result, mid-sized companies, which are too big to risk overt non-compliance and too small to lobby for loopholes, bear the burden.  Perhaps worse, the whole system creates a culture of corruption.   Politicians who help create loopholes raise more money than those who do not.  Companies that invest in dodging taxes have lower costs than those that do not.  Already, companies spend more than $100 billion annually to comply with taxes, and are steadily increasing spending on lobbying.

American Dreamers: 'Since Sliced Bread' and the Opportunity Economy

Since Sliced Bread was an online contest sponsored by the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) that solicited ideas from ordinary Americans on how to strengthen the economy and improve the lives of working men and women and their families. This essay looks at a sampling of the over 22,000 ideas submitted to the contest through the lens of Opportunity Economics. Hope Street Group argues that the American Dream, while alive and well in the hopes and aspirations of many Americans, is in need of retooling for the 21st Century.

POLICY PAPER: Just Compensation

America's civil justice system is broken. These proposals for reform restore fairness and efficiency by protecting victims' rights while reducing the debilitating costs of the current torts system on the economy.

POLICY PAPER: Building the Opportunity Economy

The Hope Street Group proposes that American economic politics and policies should focus on one goal above all others: creating equality of opportunity in a high-growth economy. The five powerful ideas that comprise our policy vision will expand opportunity for all Americans to participate more fully in the risks and rewards of our market system, thereby restoring the economic growth on which our future depends.