Etsy is now forging new ground by lobbying for the economic security of its sellers. In a new report, the company points out the striking growth of the gig economy and calls for reforms to our current benefits system stating, “It’s time to start thinking bigger and reimagine a world that guarantees a social safety net to everyone who works, regardless of how they work.”
Resource Category: Economics (General)
Freelancing in America 2016
2016 is the third year we have conducted “Freelancing in America” – the most comprehensive measure of the U.S. independent workforce available. Going into this year’s survey, we already knew that millions of Americans today are choosing to be part of the independent workforce, driven by freedom and flexibility. Moreover, technology is making it easier to find freelance work, making freelancing an increasingly popular way to work and live.
Amazon and Empty Storefronts
Civic Economics new report – Amazon and Empty Storefronts – looks at two broad classes of impact: Fiscal (relating to public revenue) and Land Use (relating to development patterns at the local level).
Monopoly Power and Small Business
The Institute for Local Self-Reliance issued a new report that suggests a troubling explanation for the dwindling ranks of small businesses. “Drawing on examples in pharmacy, banking, telecommunications, and retail, it finds that big companies routinely use their size and their economic and political power to undermine their smaller rivals and exclude them from markets.”
Fast Facts on the California Economy
Check out the Fast Facts on California Economy published by the Assembly Committee on Jobs, Economic Development and the Economy (JEDE). The state has the 6th largest economy in the world with a $2.45 trillion GDP, July 2016.
The Declining Cost of Distance
For centuries, the cost of distance has determined where businesses produce and sell, where employers locate jobs and where families choose to live, work, shop, and play. What if this cost fell dramatically, thanks to new technologies? How would the global economy change if manufacturers could produce locally in small batches, without incurring excess cost? Would existing business models and supply chains, for instance, suddenly become uncompetitive? If people could work from anywhere, would crowded neighborhoods start to thin out?
That change already has begun in the world’s advanced economies and is gathering momentum. Over the next two decades, the cost of distance will decline sharply, according to Bain research, altering the way we live and work—faster than most people expect and more broadly than many imagine.
Income of Veteran Business Owners
This study examines the financial success, measured by income and net worth, of households headed by military veterans. The study focuses on comparisons of income and net worth for three groups: (1) veterans and non-veteran households; (2) veterans households with and without small business, and (3) veteran and non-veteran small business households.
Best Cities for Minorities
Best Cities for Minorities: Gauging the Economics of Opportunity By Joel Kotkin and Wendell Cox for the Center for Opportunity Urbanism First published May 2015 This study provides an initial analysis of African-American, Latino and Asian economic and social conditions in 52 metropolitan regions currently and over the period that extends from 2000 to 2013.
Build Market-Relevant Microlenders
Joyce Klein of Aspen Institute’s FIELD program writes how impact investments can be used to scale microlending. The essay appears in a larger publication – Bottom Line – that addresses how impact investment can improve economic mobility in the U.S.
Investing on Economic Mobility
The Bottom Line: Investing for Impact on Economic Mobility in the U.S. draws on the lessons from market-based approaches to identify tools and strategies that can help move the needle on family economic security.