Reports and Issue Briefs
How Much is Inflation Costing You? It Depends on Where You Live
Americans this past year have faced the highest—and fastest climbing— inflation rates in four decades. Rapidly rising prices are harming American families, eroding the value of their paychecks, and increasing the financial strain of buying everyday goods like groceries and gasoline. Inflation is als...
To Combat Rising Energy Prices, Unleash American Production
In December 2021, the inflation rate as measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) reached 7.0 percent—a 40 year high—about 21 percent of which was due to rising energy prices. Energy prices are most visible in the price that Americans pay at the pump—the average price for a gallon of gas rose by 50...
State Employment Reports Update
To help track state-level changes, Joint Economic Committee Republicans generate monthly summary reports for every state, based on BLS data. Each state report compiles survey data on payroll jobs and payroll changes by sector, as well as household survey data that includes the unemployment rate, the...
How to Fix Broken Supply Chains and Lower Inflation
American consumers and producers have faced nearly a year of sustained inflation that continues to accelerate. The overall inflation rate in November was 6.8 percent, its highest level in nearly 40 years. High inflation has been caused by elevated consumer demand for goods—partly driven by governme...
Is Instagram Causing Poorer Mental Health Among Teen Girls?
In September, the Wall Street Journal released an exposé about Facebook, claiming the social media company had internal evidence showing Instagram use is linked with poorer mental health, particularly among young women (Instagram is owned by Facebook).
How Inflation is Weakening the Recovery and Harming Low-Income Americans the Most
Inflation has become a defining characteristic of the COVID-19 economic recovery. As the labor market recovery loses steam and economic growth slows, two common inflation indicators—the Core Consumer Price Index and the Core Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index—are increasing faster than th...
Examining the Relationship Between Higher Education and Family Formation
As educational attainment continues rising, the presumed price of admission to the middle class increasingly seems to require a college degree. In the United States, more young adults than ever attend college, and more young adults than ever rely on student loans.
Child Tax Credits Should Promote Work, Not Undermine It
President Biden and Congressional Democrats’ plan to increase taxes and expand federal spending includes a list of changes that would affect most sectors of the economy and discourage a return to work for many of America’s most needy families.
Reconnecting Americans to the Benefits of Work
Why are fewer prime-age Americans in the workforce? Many popular explanations attribute Americans’ declining labor force participation to declining wages, technological change, and international trade.
The Economics of Inflation and the Risks of Ballooning Government Spending
Prices today are rising at their fastest pace in decades and American concern about inflation is growing. While some amount of inflation can be the result of a healthy and growing economy, rapid, sustained inflation harms American families by wiping out their wage gains and eroding savings.
