iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 02/10/2026

Even retirement doesn't guarantee rest anymore. Americans over 65 have seen their daily leisure time shrink from almost 180 minutes a day in 1995 to about 120 minutes by 2020, even as they've traded a working life for one that's supposed to be their own.

The image is a graph titled "Leisure time is becoming scarcer, even for people over 65," with a subtitle "Older Americans have less time for leisure than they did in past decades." It displays a declining trend from 1995 to 2021 in average minutes per day spent on leisure and sports activities for people over 65. The line graph shows a downward trend starting at approximately 170 minutes in 1995 to around 125 minutes in 2021. The data source is credited to SJ Glynn and others, with the Roosevelt Institute and The Good Life logos at the top.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 01/10/2026

Today, NYC's first-in-the-nation click-to-cancel rule goes live. A basic rule with big implications: sign up with one click, cancel with one click. Here’s @hellodcwp.bsky.social Commissioner @saalevine.bsky.social citing our research: it'll save New Yorkers up to $160M and 600,000 hours a year 👇

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 30/09/2026

In a panel conversation moderated by @edwardongwesojr.com, @ainowinstitute.bsky.social Co-Director @ambakak.bsky.social and @saalevine.bsky.social explain why the past few decades of tech regulation prove that "self-regulation" for AI must be a non-starter.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 30/09/2026

News: At a @nycpolicyforum.bsky.social event, DCWP Commissioner @saalevine.bsky.social announces the city’s intent to protect working New Yorkers from the threat of AI to their economic security. “As technology reshapes our economy, workers need to be front and center at the decision-making table.”

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 30/09/2026

New @wsj.com polling shows broad support for proactive government action to lower health and child care costs, take on corporate price-gouging, and ask more of the wealthiest earners to fund programs for the working majority. The days of rampant neoliberalism are over. www.wsj.com/politics/pol...

Bar chart displaying approval of various policies to aid Americans with cost of living and tax laws. Leading with 90% approval is banning surprise medical bills, followed by requiring health insurance companies to report reasons for denying claims at 87%. Capping prices of drugs negotiated by Medicare shows 87% support, and government negotiation of drug prices is at 84%. Raising taxes on large, profitable companies is favored by 76%. The least supported policy, reducing Social Security benefits if Congress can't agree, has 23% approval. Data source: Wall Street Journal poll, September 2026.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 24/09/2026

The common thread: affordability paired with workforce investment. Because without enough providers, universal care can't be delivered. But even the leaders aren't there yet. Only New Mexico offers universal eligibility, and it still requires parents to be working or in school.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 22/09/2026

The result is 18-year-olds betting on almost anything, without the disclosures, odds information, or problem-gambling protections required for most other forms of gambling. That’s why prediction markets should be subject to state gambling rules, alongside reforms to make those rules stronger.

The image features a statement overlay: "The most logical outcome may be to apply the state rules around traditional gambling to prediction markets while simultaneously improving those rules." The background includes various screens and logos, such as the Roosevelt Institute and Fanatics, with a table and chairs in the foreground.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 22/09/2026

The leading platforms like Kalshi and Polymarket argue that their contracts are financial products subject to federal oversight, not gambling subject to state laws. That distinction gives them much more latitude over what they can offer, who can participate, and what rules do and don’t apply.

The image features a darkened background with several blurred screens displaying logos and text, including the Roosevelt Institute. Overlaid text reads: "The issue of problem gambling reveals the shortcomings of Kalshi's insistence that its product be regulated like a sophisticated financial instrument available to anyone who is 18 or older." The image also includes highlighted sections with arrows.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 16/09/2026

Higher rates can cool inflation, but they also mean less hiring and investment. @mikemadowitz.bsky.social explains why that makes rate hikes a costly way to tackle today’s inflation:

"This means less hiring and reduced investment pushes up future cost pressure. It’s hard to look at roughly 4% unemployment and a core PCE forecast of 3.5% and say the Fed shouldn’t be focused on inflation. But monetary policy looks like a really costly way to solve this problem right now."

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 16/09/2026

The decision is in: The Fed raised interest rates by 0.25%, its first hike in three years. So what comes next? Our Principal Economist @mikemadowitz.bsky.social on why this likely isn’t the Fed’s last hike, and how higher rates could ripple through the economy.

Mike Madowitz, Roosevelt Institute:

"This is unlikely to be the end of Fed rate hikes. Now that we’ve locked in tax cuts for $2 trillion a year in borrowing, and AI labs aren’t backing off because of another 0.25% in interest costs, rate hikes are going to eventually slow inflation because we’ll build fewer houses, invest less in factories, and sell fewer cars."

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 16/09/2026

The Fed is widely expected to raise interest rates this afternoon for the first time in three years. In the lead-up, our Principal Economist @mikemadowitz.bsky.social explains why a hike makes sense today, and equally, why treating inflation in the long-run will require more targeted policy tools.

Mike Madowitz, principal economist at the Roosevelt Institute:

Ironically, the dovish July inflation prints probably put more pressure on the FOMC to hike rates this meeting. Broad-based inflation, upward revisions to PPI and surging bond rates all point to a Fed that risks falling behind the curve and letting inflation become entrenched. It’s hard to see a lot of good options for the Fed in this environment; tighter policy is the clear answer today, but falling real wages are a clear sign this is borrowing-driven, not labor market-driven inflation. We’d be better off using more surgical policy tools than the interest rate sledgehammer to address these imbalances.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 15/09/2026

“Optimism is the rare resource that grows as you dispense it.” @kenlburns.bsky.social and Geoffrey Ward explore how FDR restored Americans’ faith in our economy and democracy amid the depths of the Great Depression. Read via @inpursuitusa.bsky.social: inpursuit.substack.com/p/franklin-d...

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 15/09/2026

A reminder from @zorkamilin.bsky.social: The US already taxes corporations at lower rates than many of its peers. At some point, cutting corporate taxes means giving up the public investments that help make American businesses competitive in the first place. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 14/09/2026

By doubling the number of brackets from 7 to 14, @samarthgupta.bsky.social’s proposal gives policymakers more room to respond to rising inequality without relying on a single top rate. For more, read the exclusive coverage on the report in @politico.com! www.politico.com/newsletters/...

"HERE’S AN IDEA: The liberal Roosevelt Institute is tossing a new idea into the tax-the-rich mix — increasing the number of brackets.

The federal income tax code has seven brackets, starting at 10 percent and climbing to 37 percent. Proposals to simplify the tax system have called for collapsing that down to two or even a single bracket.

But Samarth Gupta of the Roosevelt Institute argues in a new paper this morning that the number of brackets has done little to contribute to the complexity spread through the tax code."

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 14/09/2026

With our national debt hitting historic highs, the austerity hawks are again circling with talks of cutting social programs and public investment. This proposal is far fairer and more fiscally sound: Rebuild the tax code so policymakers have more flexibility to raise revenue as conditions change.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 14/09/2026

Reagan-era tax cuts dramatically reduced the number of tax brackets, especially at the top. Today, the 37% rate applies to everyone making above roughly $600,000. That means the tax code largely treats someone earning $1 million the same as someone earning $100 million.

Graph titled "Postwar Top Tax Bracket and Rate" from Roosevelt Institute, displaying two lines from 1940 to 2025. The green line represents "Top Marginal Rate" with percentages from 0% to 100%, while the purple line shows "Top Income Bracket (2025 dollars)" with values from 0M to 5M. The graph indicates a decline in the top marginal rate over time and relatively stable income brackets in recent decades. Source: Tax Foundation and Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis' "Inflation Calculator".

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 11/09/2026

As we round out our week on the state of US labor, consider one way technology is reshaping work: businesses are using algorithms to set wages, allocate shifts, and manage workers. Corporations are using the latest tech to strip away the protections that once came with a job. 🧵

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 10/09/2026

We’ve made this mistake before with free trade: policymakers told displaced workers that because consumers saw lower prices, their unemployment worked out on balance. With AI, we should instead prepare our social safety net for the worst-case scenario.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 09/09/2026

When FDR took office, nearly 1/4th of the workforce was unemployed and the economy was in free fall. His response was not to choose between recovery and workers. He recognized that empowering workers was essential to rebuilding the economy. 🧵

Franklin Delano Roosevelt holds up his hat while speaking into multiple microphones labeled NBC, WSBC, and BLU.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 09/09/2026

But how to close the financing gap is not the only question. Reform should preserve the benefit guarantee that has made Social Security so stable for decades while expanding its protection for workers and families as the economy changes. Read the collection: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

Sure, here is a suitable alt text: "Graphic featuring a quote about Social Security reform, emphasizing preserving guarantees and expanding protections for workers and families. Includes a photo of a person with the name Reynaldo Fuentes, Director, Strategic Initiatives, displayed at the bottom right."

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 09/09/2026

The way people report income matters too. @lenasimet.bsky.social shows how worker misclassification and pass-through business structures can treat economically similar income differently for Social Security purposes, and what closing those gaps would require. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 09/09/2026

But eliminating the cap doesn't solve the problem by itself. Jonathan Schwabish explores what it could mean to draw more revenue from capital income, wealth, inheritances, and business income, and the trade-offs with each approach. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 09/09/2026

The highest earners pay no Social Security tax on wages above $184,500. Eliminating this cap could close up to 67% of the program’s 75-year shortfall: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

The image features a quote discussing Social Security and its role in providing societal protection. The background is green with an abstract pattern. The top right corner displays "Good Life Residents." On the right, there is a portrait of a person labeled as Tyler Bond, identified as a Social Security Good Life Resident.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 08/09/2026

The federal minimum wage has been stuck at $7.25 for 17 years. Patrick Oakford shows how to restore it as a meaningful floor and put workers within reach of the living wages they deserve: raise it to two-thirds of median wages and index it to wage growth, reaching $20/hour by 2030 or $25 by 2038:

Here's a succinct alternative text description: Chart titled "A federal minimum wage that is two-thirds of median hourly wages would be:" shows four ranges of percentages of the median living wage threshold. Greater or equal to 100% in 6 states, 90%-100% in 16 states, 80%-90% in 10 states, 70%-80% in 13 states, and less than 70% in 6 states. Source: Author’s analysis based on Economic Policy Institute data.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 08/09/2026

New data shows that workers are getting the smallest share of the economic pie on record. On the heels of Labor Day, this decline makes the case for rebuilding worker power all the more urgent. One obvious place to start is raising the federal minimum wage. 🧵 www.nbcnews.com/business/eco...

Graph showing the decline of labor share from 62% in 1947 to a record low of 52.8% in 2023. The graph indicates worker compensation compared to business earnings, sourced from the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 07/09/2026

Organized labor has delivered for workers—both union and nonunion—higher wages, better healthcare, retirement benefits, and health and safety standards on the job. Unions also won the 8-hour workweek. It’s no coincidence that, amid their decline, leisure time has become more scarce.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 07/09/2026

Organized labor was once able to wield serious power and shape how the economy worked for all workers. But decades of corporate union-busting, so-called “right-to-work” laws, and weakened labor laws have gutted workers’ bargaining power.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 07/09/2026

Today is Labor Day—a day to celebrate the contributions of workers to our country. But it’s also a moment to reflect on how policymakers have failed workers. This week, we’ll be showing what an economy that works for working people requires, starting with unions:

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 04/09/2026

And when childcare falls through, mothers are more likely to pay the price at work. Mothers are 9.3% more likely than fathers to experience childcare-related work disruptions.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 04/09/2026

School is back. The childcare scramble isn’t over. For working parents, this often means figuring out who covers the hours school doesn’t: before school, after school, and all the days school is closed.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 03/09/2026

NYC’s new click-to-cancel rule takes effect October 1, making it easier for New Yorkers to end unwanted subscriptions. Our @bradlipton.bsky.social broke down what the new rule could mean for consumers in a new segment for @scrippsnews.bsky.social. Watch 📺⬇️ www.scrippsnews.com/life/money/n...

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 03/09/2026

Government equity stakes can be a powerful tool for industrial policy, but only when they’re structured to advance the public interest. A new @politico.com piece cites our research on how public ownership done right can help advance climate, energy, and labor goals. www.politico.com/news/2026/09...

A July report from the Roosevelt Institute, a think tank run by Elizabeth Wilkins, former chief of staff to Biden antitrust chief Lina Khan, argued that by taking government stakes in companies and securing seats with voting rights on corporate boards, the government could ensure that those companies actually deliver on the climate, energy and labor goals a Democratic president might pursue. And they could do so at far less government expense, more quickly than in the traditional federal grant and loan process, and with more political and economic upside than they got from the IRA.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 03/09/2026

Tune in now! Our CEO @elizabethwwilkins.bsky.social is live on @publiccitizen.bsky.social’s Informed Resistance podcast to discuss how our Good Life Agenda is an antidote to the growing concentration of corporate power and oligarchy. 🎧⬇️ fightcorporatepower.substack.com/live-stream/...

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 03/09/2026

This is not necessary for competitiveness. US companies already face lower effective corporate tax rates than firms in Canada, France, Germany, Japan, and South Korea. Tax is just one factor in a business’s investment decisions, and it’s far from the most important.

A table showing effective corporate tax rates across key US trading partners from 2019 to 2021. Countries listed are Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Korea, United Kingdom, United States, and China. The data includes effective average tax rate and effective marginal tax rate for each year. The table indicates that the United States generally has lower tax rates compared to other countries listed. Data sourced from the Roosevelt Institute and OECD, created with Datawrapper.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 03/09/2026

The US has steadily reduced how much it taxes corporate profits. Corporate tax revenue has fallen from nearly one-third of federal revenue in the 1950s to just 6% today. That means less revenue to invest in the public goods that make the economy competitive in the first place.

Graph showing corporate tax revenue as a percentage of GDP from 1965 to 2020. The graph compares OECD average (green line) and US (pink line). US percentages generally decrease over time, with fluctuations. OECD line shows slight decline with some variation. Roosevelt Institute and OECD are credited.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 02/09/2026

The growing misuse of prediction markets is about more than individual cases of insider trading, though there’s plenty of that to worry about. It’s also about a broader culture of financializing everything, and how deeply that culture is taking root across institutions. thehill.com/opinion/fina...

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 01/09/2026

Path dependence theory shows that once industries become embedded in existing institutions, changing course gets harder. We’ve seen this with private health insurance. With prediction markets, every new partnership gives more companies a stake in keeping the industry growing.

The image features a quote from Shahrzad Shams, discussing the influence of prediction markets on the U.S. economy, particularly in the financial sector. The background includes a Google search bar and text mentioning "Year in Search 2025," "FIFA Club World Cup," "Roosevelt Institute," and other search trends. The design is overlaid with a green and pink color scheme.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 28/08/2026

6 months ago today, the war in Iran began. Beyond the lives lost and diplomatic ruptures, the conflict has shown how quickly a geopolitical crisis can become an inflation crisis when supply chain disruptions cascade globally. The usual policy response comes after the shock. But it doesn’t have to.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 27/08/2026

And this gap isn’t simply attributable to differences between families. Even after accounting for other factors, gender remained the strongest demographic predictor of childcare-related work disruptions. Parents with irregular work schedules were also significantly more likely to experience them.

Bar chart titled "Share of Parents with Children Under 15 Reporting Childcare-Related Work Disruptions" by Roosevelt Institute. It shows three categories: "Experienced a childcare-related work disruption," "Did not work," and "Worked part-time." Each category compares three groups with color-coded bars: All Parents (blue), Moms (green), and Dads (pink). The chart notes that columns may not sum to total because parents can report more than one type of disruption. Data source: 2023 Survey of Income and Program Participation.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 26/08/2026

Payments are also changing who sits inside the financial system. As more nonbanks take on roles traditionally played by banks, the Fed will have to think about what happens if something goes wrong. Oversight and safeguards will need to keep pace, says Roosevelt resident @estruby.bsky.social:

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 26/08/2026

Warsh wants the Fed to say less about where monetary policy is headed. But less communication makes it harder for outsiders to understand (and improve) the Fed’s thinking. That could mean more uncertainty, volatility, and pressure for the Fed to follow markets, warns @erinkaylockwood.bsky.social:

Here's an alternative text description for the image: "A person is standing outdoors, smiling, with a scenic background of trees and mountains. Next to the person, there is a green and blue-themed graphic featuring a quote about the Federal Reserve and market expectations from the Roosevelt Institute’s economic symposium. The text mentions Erin Lockwood as a resident on the Federal Reserve."

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 26/08/2026

This year’s symposium is centered on financial innovation and the future of payments. But faster isn’t enough. Chastity Murphy argues the goal should be lower fees, broader access, better privacy, and a payment system that works for working households.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 26/08/2026

Jackson Hole starts tomorrow, with new Fed Chair Kevin Warsh set to deliver his first major speech at the annual economic symposium on Friday. But for @mikemadowitz.bsky.social, this moment raises a bigger question: how does the Fed protect its independence & introspection? 🧵

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 25/08/2026

Time is already a scarce commodity. The average middle-class couple with children works 600 more paid hours a year than in 1975. Policy should help people reclaim that time, through paid leave, shorter workweeks, predictable schedules and less hassle. rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

A line graph illustrates the decline in leisure time for people over 65 from 1995 to 2025, measured in average minutes per day. The y-axis represents leisure and physical activity time, ranging from 60 to 180 minutes, and the x-axis shows years. The title reads, "Leisure time is becoming scarcer, even for people over 65," with a subtitle stating "Older Americans have less time for leisure than they did in past decades." A decrease is visible from 1995, with fluctuations, leading to below 120 minutes in 2025. "Roosevelt Institute" and "The Good Life" are included at the top.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 25/08/2026

3 failures are putting the US on a low-road path: 💰 Capital markets that undervalue long-term productive investment 🛠️ Labor markets that erode skill mastery and suppress wages 🏛️ Government institutions that struggle to coordinate policy and build capacity These weaken our “industrial commons.”

Structured text on a gradient background reads: "Structural inequality perpetuated by a low-road equilibrium threatens to derail the promise of industrial policy. The recommendations here are about rebuilding a foundation for long-term industrial competitiveness and economic resilience." Below the text, it notes the Roosevelt Institute and attributes the quote to Betony Jones from "The Three Failures Threatening America’s Clean Energy Industrial Strategy and How to Fix Them."

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 24/08/2026

Today’s Wash Post ed board says there’s “no realistic path” to fiscal solvency without changing the retirement state. But on Social Security, that gets the problem backward. Rising inequality, weak wage growth, and lower labor force participation have all weakened its finances.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 21/08/2026

Let’s start with the facts: Protecting Social Security benefits and raising revenue are not fringe positions. Polling shows that 85 percent of Americans support maintaining or increasing benefits, even if that requires higher taxes. www.nasi.org/wp-content/u...

Horizontal stacked bar chart titled “Figure 5. Americans Overwhelmingly Support Raising Revenues Over Reducing Benefits,” showing preferences on Social Security policy by education, household income, political affiliation, and age. Overall, 55% favor preserving benefits even if taxes rise, 30% favor increasing benefits even if taxes rise, and 15% favor no tax increases even if benefits are reduced. The chart shows similar patterns across demographic groups, with Democrats and adults age 65 and older among the strongest supporters of raising revenues. Source: National Academy of Social Insurance.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 20/08/2026

AI was supposed to be an “equalizing force.” But new evidence suggests it may be doing the opposite. AI is spreading fastest in richer cities, while the wealthiest households reap the stock gains and spend more, while the bottom 80% fall further behind: www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2...

Line chart showing U.S. household consumer spending from the early 1990s to 2025, with the top 20% rising to $12.5T versus $8.5T for the bottom 80%, widening the spending gap.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 20/08/2026

The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and Inflation Reduction Act took a novel approach to energy insecurity, investing nearly $48 billion in everything from whole-home retrofits and heat pumps to solar, weatherization, and upgrades to affordable housing.

Table titled “Programs Under BIL and IRA Related to Energy Efficiency and Clean Energy Upgrades,” listing 10 federal programs with their budgets, purposes, eligibility requirements, and administering agencies. Programs range from large clean-energy investment funds and community grants to home electrification rebates, weatherization assistance, energy-efficiency tax credits, and the solar investment tax credit.

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Roosevelt Institute @rooseveltinstitute.org · 19/08/2026

Affordable healthcare should not be out of reach because of corporate consolidation, perverse incentives, or profit-seeking middlemen. Bringing costs down is possible, but will require stronger competition and public options: rooseveltinstitute.org/publications...

"Over a third of adults say they skipped or postponed needed healthcare because of the cost," Roosevelt Institute.

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