REIMAGINE OUR ECONOMY
When we reimagine our economy…
We imagine an economy where working people -- particularly those in frontline and essential service sectors -- are treated with dignity in the workplace and are paid enough to sustain their families. We imagine an economy where workers have structural power in our government and the right to organize on their job sites. We believe that workers are the experts and that centering their voices is critical in decision-making and workplace policy. We imagine a regenerative economy, instead of an extractive one, where locally produced wealth circulates within our communities. We imagine an economy where assets are leveraged to serve the broader public good, and not for corporate profit. We imagine that investments made to increase economic growth will benefit the working people in the communities in which they occur. We imagine robust national programs that guarantee economic security and financial stability and robust economic institutions that democratize wealth, such as public banking and land cooperatives.
Local governments are working across the country to protect workers from exploitation and abuse, ensure community benefits are part of infrastructure investments, and boost the capacity of women and minority-owned businesses to thrive and grow in communities. As wages remain flat and costs rise, local leaders are supporting new economic structures to discourage commodification such as community land trusts and worker cooperatives, or building local circular economies through urban agriculture. Some are piloting economic stability programs like guaranteed income, while others are investing in programs to increase the power of tenants and preserve affordable housing stock. These efforts are preserving ownership and resources from corporate and capital exploitation, and investing in worker health and safety in an economy that works primarily to benefit the one-percent.
Here are ten examples of the work already being done, laying the foundation for a more just and equitable future:
the work continues.
As we continue this work, we must constantly ask ourselves what we can do, and we must ask and engage with our constituents and communities to meet the needs they have.
Our framework seeks to answer these questions and pushes us to continue asking ourselves about what we want our future to look like:
How can we protect essential workers in the midst of a global health crisis and prevent greater corporate consolidation as the pandemic threatens to reshape our local and global economies?
How do we create policies that more fully center and protect immigrant workers, LGTBQ workers, public sector workers, domestic workers, farm workers, and the formerly incarcerated?
How can we rebalance power away from corporations and towards workers, small businesses, and communities?
How can we increase worker power and democratic participation in our economy including unions, worker-led cooperatives?
How can we support democratic and locally owned business models that more equitably distribute wealth and keep it circulating locally?
additional resources
Public policy can be a tool for advancing equity and justice. Here are additional resources from the Local Progress policy book that address a range of ideas and issues that are essential for creating thriving communities:
KEEP EXPLORING
Dare to Reimagine showcases more than 50 policy wins and organizing efforts across 22 states and DC that are moving us towards a more just and equitable future.