Intellectual Property Enforcement: Creating Prosperity and Growth by Protecting IP Rights Abroad

Developed and developing nations alike suffer economically by not enforcing Intellectual Property protection. In order to strengthen our economy, the U.S. needs to rally international and domestic support for IP protection in the industries where it matters most: software, media, pharmaceuticals, and retail. The U.S. also needs to use economic incentives to persuade developing countries that it is in their best interest to protect IP. This discussion paper provides an overview of the challenges and facing IP enforcement in the software, media, retail and pharmaceutical industries and highlights opportunities for win-win solutions at home and abroad.

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.

POLICY PAPER: Compete, Don't Retreat: Promoting Opportunity and Growth Through Open and Fair Trade

HSG believes that by reshaping the debate to focus on helping U.S. workers and building a more effective support system to help workers adjust to economic disruption, leaders in Washington can have the best of both worlds - politically viable policies that help individuals and firms navigate the potential challenges of free trade while fully reaping its benefits for the economy. In fact, rebuilding a consensus supporting free trade will require a comprehensive policy that 1) develops a "grand bargain" to break the current gridlock in global trade agreements; 2) dramatically modernizes and enhances the support network for American workers affected by trade or other economic disruptions; 3) invests in the American workforce; and 4) improves the business environment for U.S. firms and businesses, making it easier for them to innovate and compete.

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: The Debt Tax

The United States federal government paid $332.5 billion in interest last year on the national debt. This payment, equal to 11% of the total federal budget, does not build roads, nor does it provide education, subsidize housing, or create any other service. It merely services the $6.6 trillion (and growing) national debt. These interest costs are equivalent to a "Debt Tax" - a tax that drains income but does not produce any corresponding service benefit for today's taxpayers.

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.