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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 5d

"...These emotions of being left behind or worse off than they used to be are not just common, but politically potent, too."

In his #EGEssaySeries piece, Justin Gest from @georgemasonu.bsky.social explains nostalgic deprivation and its implications for the U.S.

equitablegrowth.org/populist-vot...

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 5d

6. Trustworthy economic data are a critical public good. Eroding trust in government statistics erodes their value, leaving the U.S. economy less informed and more vulnerable.

-END 🧵-

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 5d

5. Impaired BLS data cannot be reliably compensated for in the private sector. As @pnorlander.bsky.social writes, innovative approaches exist, but private data relies on public reports for substantiation, meaning even proprietary numbers are tied to BLS reporting.
equitablegrowth.org/federal-data...

Federal data is under attack, but data users can work together to preserve and democratize it

Reliable federal data accessible in a timely manner to inform decision-making is foundational for economic growth and equity in the United States.

equitablegrowth.org

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 5d

4/ Experts warn that real BLS funding is declining. Our analysis shows that BLS purchasing power has shrunk by well over $50 million since 2018, as inflation reduces the value of stagnant nominal funding.

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 5d

3/ The full value of reliable U.S. government data is immeasurable. The businesses that produce federal-data-related products generate more than $220 billion in annual revenue alone.

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 5d

2/ Bureau of Labor Statistics data inform spending, investment, and location decisions. Former BLS Commissioner @ericagroshen.bsky.social cautions that BLS disruptions could stall choices and raise risks for U.S. households, firms, and the wider economy.

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 5d

1. This would-be #JobsDay, but today Equitable Growth dives deeper into the uses of public labor market data, their value to the economy, and the risks associated with their potential destabilization 🧵

More from @michaelslinden.bsky.social & Chris Bangert-Drowns:
equitablegrowth.org/the-status-o...

The status of U.S. labor market data amid the government shutdown

The work of the BLS, the impact of the agency not releasing its employment situation report, and how BLS budget constraints will affect data collection.

equitablegrowth.org

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 5d

“The job market had been a source of real strength in the economy but has been slowing down ... It would be very good to know if that slowdown was continuing, accelerating, or reversing.”

@michaelslinden.bsky.social on how the shutdown affects key economic data gathering:

The federal shutdown will cut off vital economic data, including Friday's jobs report

The government shutdown will deprive policymakers and investors of economic data vital to their decision-making at a time of unusual uncertainty about the direction of the U.S. economy.

apnews.com

Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 6d

"Making reliable data accessible in a timely manner to inform decision-making is foundational for economic growth and equity in the United States."

More from #EGgrantee @pnorlander.bsky.social on what users can do to protect and improve federal data collection:

Federal data is under attack, but data users can work together to preserve and democratize it

Reliable federal data accessible in a timely manner to inform decision-making is foundational for economic growth and equity in the United States.

equitablegrowth.org

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Reposted by Washington Center for Equitable Growth

Austin Clemens @austinclemens2.bsky.social · 7d

This coming Monday, October 6th, I'm doing a 1 hour event talking about @equitablegrowth.bsky.social's inequality tracker and new gov data on inequality. Anyone can join, come check it out! (registration link in the next skeet)

A stacked bar graph showing the evolution of income for bottom 50% households over the course of the last economic expansion (2009-2019). It shows that these households saw their income growth by a bit less than 30%, compared to about 41% for top 10% households.

The stacked bars show what components of income made up this growth. About half was from wages, with most of the rest from increased transfer payments.

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 7d

A report shows Americans are spending down savings and putting more on credit cards lately.

@michaelslinden.bsky.social tells @marketplace.org this isn't sustainable: “You can only finance your consumption through credit for so long. Credit is good as a bridge.”

For third month in a row, Americans are spending more than they're making

New data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis shows as prices go up, people are continuing to spend more money than they earn and are also saving less.

www.marketplace.org

Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 7d

"It's important to understand the U.S. economy is already on a knife's edge — the labor market has softened and inflation has risen. Adding a government shutdown to the mix certainly won't help."

@michaelslinden.bsky.social on the potential government stoppage:

'I think we're headed to a shutdown': What a government stoppage could look like

A meeting in the Oval Office doesn't appear to have lessened the chances of a partial government shutdown, with both sides leaving the gathering saying no deal is in the immediate offing.

finance.yahoo.com

Reposted by Washington Center for Equitable Growth

Austin Clemens @austinclemens2.bsky.social · 8d

On MONDAY the 6th, 2pm EST, join me to talk about @equitablegrowth.bsky.social's inequality tracker. I'll be talking about the data and answering questions. It will be fun! Anyone at all is welcome to join. Link to register in the next post!

A graph of the share of wealth held by the 50th to 90th percentile of households in the wealth distribution from 2000 to 2024. It has declined from around 34% to around 30%

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 8d

For the #EGEssaySeries, @tabouchadi.bsky.social explores the connection between economic concerns and threats to social status, specifically how "changes and risks contribute to a sense of potential loss of routines that provide people with meaning."

Read more: equitablegrowth.org/threats-to-s...

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Reposted by Washington Center for Equitable Growth

UCLA Labor Center @uclalabor.bsky.social · 8d

Our Director Saba Waheed @sabawa.bsky.social and Senior Research Analyst Brian Justie were chosen as recipients of the 2025 AI RFP grant. 🔍

Thank you to @equitablegrowth.bsky.social for providing the UCLA Labor Center with an opportunity to study this emerging field and further support workers.

Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 8d

Through their project, #EGGrantee(s) Brian Justie and Saba Waheed of @uclalabor.bsky.social hope to provide policymakers and labor advocates with a clearer sense of how to "protect workers from the potentially harmful impacts of AI on economic well-being."

More: equitablegrowth.org/grants/ai-an...

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 8d

Government shutdowns are "always bad for the country, causing disruption in government services and testing economic stability," @michaelslinden.bsky.social told @nytimes.com.

However, he believes that this one could be "even worse than in the past."

Read more 🔗:

With Scant Information, Federal Workers Brace for Possible Shutdown

After a tumultuous year of staffing cuts, government employees now face the prospect of going without pay — or facing even more layoffs.

www.nytimes.com

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Reposted by Washington Center for Equitable Growth

Shayna Strom @shaynalstrom.bsky.social · 12d

Great to see two EG-affiliated scholars, @markzandi.bsky.social and @michaelslinden.bsky.social, quoted in this recent Marketplace piece. With a weakening job market, strong consumer spending by the top 10% is another clear indication of widening economic inequality.

Nearly half of U.S. retail spending comes from top 10% of earners

The spending imbalance is at the highest levels it has been since Moody’s Analytics started collecting this data.

www.marketplace.org

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 8d

Through their project, #EGGrantee(s) Brian Justie and Saba Waheed of @uclalabor.bsky.social hope to provide policymakers and labor advocates with a clearer sense of how to "protect workers from the potentially harmful impacts of AI on economic well-being."

More: equitablegrowth.org/grants/ai-an...

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 12d

3/ Finally, Rivera argues how New Mexico could spend more funds allocated to support TANF programs:

"...Research shows, when given to families with children living on low incomes, [direct cash assistance] meaningfully reduces the rate of childhood poverty."
www.santafenewmexican.com/opinion/my_v...

Target discretional dollars at low-income families

The realities of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act are starting to hit the wallets of low-income New Mexicans. Soon, new work reporting requirements will go into effect

www.santafenewmexican.com

Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 12d

2/ In a Governing Magazine op-ed, Rivera elaborates more on how fairly allocating TANF funds could help those who need it most. "The return on investment for programs that support the development of young children could be $15 or higher for every dollar spent."

🔗: www.governing.com/policy/the-c...

The Cash-Assistance Lifeline That Could Help Millions More

States are spending a lot of their federal TANF money on things that don’t help families that need it the most, and work reporting requirements keep too many families from accessing benefits.

www.governing.com

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 12d

As state policymakers determine how to meet the needs of their constituents, they should optimize existing support sources to help the lowest-income families meet their needs.

Megan Rivera on how TANF funds can help states support children and their economies:

equitablegrowth.org/research-pap...

States can support children and their economies using direct cash assistance from the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grant program

The Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program provides critically needed support to some of the lowest-income families with children.

equitablegrowth.org

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Reposted by Washington Center for Equitable Growth

MIT Institute for Work and Employment Research (IWER) @mitiwer.bsky.social · 12d

Congratulations to Tom Kochan @mitiwer.bsky.social @mitsloan.bsky.social & Adam Seth Litwin and Ariel Avgar, both of @cornellilr.bsky.social! They have won an @equitablegrowth.bsky.social grant to study the effects of worker input on #AI strategies at @KaiserPermanente: tinyurl.com/mrybem8x

Bringing Worker Voice into the Development, Design, and Use of AI: A Case Study of the Labor Management Partnership at Kaiser Permanente

As AI transforms health care, workers must have a say in its development, design, and implementation to ensure fair outcomes for both employees and patients. The proposed study examines the Labor Mana...

tinyurl.com

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Reposted by Washington Center for Equitable Growth

Austin Clemens @austinclemens2.bsky.social · 12d

On Monday, October 6th, I'll be doing an event with @equitablegrowth.bsky.social to debut the U.S. Inequality Tracker, give an intro to the data that goes into it, and talk a bit about inequality in the U.S. Anyone can come, please join us!

Personal Information - Introducing Equitable Growth’s U.S. Inequality Tracker

web.cvent.com

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 12d

Building on our #EGEssaySeries and an event earlier this year, we've partnered with @columbiaigp.bsky.social to organize a high-profile discussion on the rise of populism and the future of economic policy.

🗓️ Nov 10 | ⏰ 5:30-7:30pm EST

RSVP for the live stream:
www.eventbrite.com/e/livestream....

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Washington Center for Equitable Growth @equitablegrowth.bsky.social · 13d

For their project, #EGgrantee(s) Adam Seth Litwin & Ariel Avgar of @cornellilr.bsky.social sky.social, along with Thomas Kochan of @mitiwer.bsky.social will use a case study to assess whether jointly negotiated AI strategies improve job quality and patient care.

equitablegrowth.org/grants/bring...

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