New Economy Washington: A Path Forward
By Deric Gruen, Marcy Bowers, Misha Werschkul Despite important policy changes like a higher minimum wage and universal paid family leave , the economic rules continue to divide us, privileging…
Leaders in Community Capital Convene
In pursuit of an economy that puts people and places first and the need to give communities more control over capital, People’s Economy Lab convened 21 local leaders to workshop…
Ventures Policy Agenda: Increasing Access, Reducing Barriers
Will von Geldern is Director of Advocacy and Communications at Ventures and is a People’s Economy Lab Leader Earlier this year, we wrote about our work to build an economy that is truly…
Worker Cooperatives Get Boost From Congress
The first federal level bipartisan legislation that highlights worker cooperatives, the Main Street Employee Ownership Act was signed into law in August 2018.
Redefining The Economy to Meet Our True Needs
An economic system should provide a social foundation of well-being, and that no one should fall below that baseline. It also sets a ceiling of ecological damage to our planet that we should not cross. Between the two lies the doughnut itself, a safe and just space for all.
Lessons Learned from Community Sourced Capital
Locally based financing helps local economies thrive by keeping dollars flowing in the local economy and maintaining aligned incentives for community value creation. Community Sourced Capital, a crowd-sourced zero-interest lending platform, developed a system of financing loans under $50,000 for neighborhood businesses
Meet Mo!, Organizer at Got Green
People's Economy Lab leader Mo! from Got Green smiling
Mo! grew up in a community of social justice organizers in Chicago. Her first experience with a People’s Economy came when she moved out of her Mom’s house at age eighteen and into the Stone Soup Cooperative. Living at Stone Soup she witnessed a highly effective, democratically run organization that provided affordable, communal places to live. She began to learn about other cooperative enterprises like worker cooperatives and consumer cooperatives, and has pursued that interest ever since.
Ventures: Equity in Entrepreneurship
Beto Yarce of Ventures giving a speech to a crowd of people
To build an economy that is truly inclusive, we have to look at all aspects of economic development. This is particularly true in the Puget Sound region, where the recent influx of wealth has not resulted in economic prosperity for everyone.
How To Talk People’s Economy – New Report
Framing the Economy graphic
A new report shows that people largely don’t understand the economy and believe its a force of nature rather than something we created and can change. But all hope is not lost, tapping into key concerns can like inequality, power, and fulfillment and using promising frames like reprogramming or laying new tracks can open up space for reframing the economy as a human creation that we can make better.
People’s Economy Project Launch
The Local Economy Leaders Lab invites you to join fellow local economy advocates, advisors, civic leaders, and candidates for a briefing and conversation about how we can transform Seattle’s current economy—with its growing and destructive inequities—to one that is more equitable, democratic, diverse, and resilient. For the last nine months, we’ve been drafting a values-based framework and researching compelling economic development initiatives that could improve the lives of thousands.
