Episode 10: Ten Ways Unions Benefit the EconomyIn a solo podcast, Frank discusses the following 10 examples of how unions can-- and do-- improve the economy:1. Union workers earn higher wages;2. Unions reduce income inequality;3. Union wo

All Policy Is Local

Feb 15th, 2017 44m 7s

Episode 9: All Policy Is LocalBob, Emily, and Frank discuss state and local initiatives to support workers. Topics include the minimum wage, paid sick time, paid safe time, fair scheduling laws, prevailing wage laws, responsible bidder ordina

Reducing African-American Unemployment

Feb 6th, 2017 41m 31s

Episode 8: Reducing African-American UnemploymentWhat are the causes of high African-American unemployment, particularly in Illinois? What policies and economic phenomena make a statistical impact on reducing unemployment among African Ameri

What If?

Jan 31st, 2017 1h 18m

Episode 7: What If?This episode asks the question, “What If?”What if American labor unions had been less membership-driven and more active on broader social and economic issues? Would the United States have a workers' party? What public pol

Class and the 2016 Elections

Jan 16th, 2017 51m 41s

Episode 6: Class and the 2016 ElectionsThis episode continues last week’s conversation about class, discussing class and the 2016 elections and trends affecting the working class. Professor Stephanie Farmer of Roosevelt University once again

What is Class?

Jan 9th, 2017 48m 28s

Episode 5: What is Class?What is class? How do we think about class? What is the working class in the United States? Did U.S. workers ever have a “class consciousness?”Stephanie Farmer, PhD joins Bob, Emily, and Frank to discuss these quest

Costs and Benefits of International Trade

Dec 12th, 2016 30m 2s

What impact does international free trade have on workers? Is it mostly good, mostly bad, or somewhere in between? How can states capitalize on the economic benefits of trade while mitigating the losses?ILEPI Policy Director Frank Manzo IV, M

Right-to-Work Regulations and Unions

Dec 5th, 2016 1h 4m

Episode 3: Right-to-Work Regulations and Unions.What are so-called "right-to-work" laws? What is the historical background of these laws? What are their policy implications for the working class? Where are current political and legal battles

Policies that Work for Workers

Nov 28th, 2016 31m 52s

Episode 2: Policies that Work for Workers.This episode is a continuation of Episode 1: "What Work Is." Hosts Frank Manzo IV, MPP, Robert Bruno, PhD, and Emily E. LB. Twarog, PhD have a general conversation about public policies that support w

What Work Is

Nov 21st, 2016 41m 53s

Episode 1: What Work Is.Frank Manzo IV, MPP is the Policy Director of the Illinois Economic Policy Institute (ILEPI). He earned a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, a Bachelor of Arts in Eco

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