Economic Policy Institute

Economic Policy Institute
Economic Policy Institute · Public domain · source
Name	Economic Policy Institute
Formation	1986
Type	Think tank
Headquarters	Washington, D.C.
Leader title	President
Leader name	Heather Boushey

Economic Policy Institute is an American think tank founded in 1986 that focuses on issues affecting low- and middle-income workers and households in the United States. The institute conducts research on labor unions, wages, public policy, taxation, and economic inequality, aiming to influence debates in the United States Congress, White House, and among state governments. Its work has been cited by policymakers, journalists, and advocacy groups including AFL–CIO, Service Employees International Union, and Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

History

The organization was established in 1986 by former staffers associated with the AFL–CIO, former officials from the Office of Management and Budget, and economists linked to progressive institutions such as the Brookings Institution and the Roosevelt Institute. Early leadership included economists who had worked with figures from the administrations of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Lyndon B. Johnson on social policy, and the institute grew during debates around the Tax Reform Act of 1986, the Economic Recovery Tax Act of 1981, and the transition to the Clinton administration. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s its output intersected with controversies around NAFTA, the 2008 United States financial crisis, and legislative fights involving the Affordable Care Act.

Mission and Organization

The stated mission emphasizes research to improve the living standards of workers and families and to shape policy deliberations in forums including the United States Congress, the Supreme Court of the United States indirectly through amici analyses, and state legislatures such as those in California and New York (state). Governance structures reflect a board model similar to those at the Brookings Institution and Heritage Foundation, with an executive team that interacts with labor leaders from SEIU, scholars from the London School of Economics and the University of California, Berkeley, and policy advisors who have served in the Department of Labor and the Treasury Department. Offices in Washington, D.C. host events with visiting academics from institutions like Harvard University, Princeton University, and Columbia University.

Research and Publications

EPI produces working papers, briefs, and books addressing topics such as minimum wage proposals, income distribution, collective bargaining, and unemployment insurance. Its publications have appeared alongside research from the National Bureau of Economic Research, citations in reports from the International Monetary Fund, and in testimony delivered to committees such as the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions and the House Committee on Ways and Means. Regular series examine trends reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, demographic analyses related to the U.S. Census Bureau, and policy modeling drawing on methods familiar to scholars at the University of Chicago and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. EPI-led books and reports have been discussed in outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and referenced by advocacy groups like Center for American Progress.

Policy Positions and Impact

EPI has advocated for increases in the federal minimum wage, expansion of unemployment insurance programs, strengthened protections for collective bargaining, and progressive tax policy reforms. Its policy briefs and testimony have influenced debates over federal legislation such as proposals to raise the federal minimum wage in the Congress of the United States and state initiatives like ballot measures in California and Florida. Analysts from the institute have engaged with officials from the Department of Commerce, collaborated with litigators in cases before the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, and provided data that shaped proposals debated during administrations from George H. W. Bush to Joe Biden.

Funding and Governance

Funding sources include philanthropic foundations, labor unions, individual donors, and grants that parallel models used by organizations such as the Ford Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Carnegie Corporation of New York. Governance is overseen by a board with members drawn from labor leadership, academia, and advocacy networks, mirroring boards at institutions like the Economic Club of Washington; executives often have prior roles at the Department of Labor or affiliations with universities including Georgetown University and New York University. Financial transparency and donor disclosures have been compared against standards practiced by the Open Society Foundations and Nonprofit Organizations that publish annual reports for audit review.

Criticism and Controversies

Critics have questioned EPI’s funding relationships with labor unions and foundations, drawing comparisons to disputes faced by the Center for Responsible Lending and think tanks engaged in partisan advocacy during elections such as the 2004 United States presidential election and the 2016 United States presidential election. Commentators in outlets like National Review, The Atlantic, and The Wall Street Journal have debated the institute’s methodology on topics ranging from wage stagnation to projections tied to trade policy and automation. Internal critiques from some academics at the American Enterprise Institute and the Cato Institute have challenged EPI’s modeling choices, while labor allies and policy scholars at institutions including The Century Foundation have defended its empirical approach.

Category:Think tanks based in Washington, D.C.