The Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) at the University of Massachusetts Amherst has launched Game Changers: Economic Policies for a Working America, a national initiative focused on developing policy proposals to improve economic security, support workers, families and communities, and address persistent inequalities in the U.S.

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The project brings together some 40 experts, including economists, legal scholars, political scientists and sociologists, who have developed 30 policy proposals across nine areas: the care economy; environment and climate change; finance and financial regulation; healthcare; housing; immigration; macroeconomics and fiscal and monetary policy; work and jobs; and workers and international trade. 

The initiative is directed by Gerald Epstein, PERI co-director and professor of economics at UMass Amherst. Epstein says the project was initially conceived as a response to the policies of the Trump administration but developed into a broader effort to offer constructive alternatives. 

“The basic idea was to come up with a set of transformational but practical policies that could really make working people’s lives better,” he explains. 

The initiative includes a weekly webinar series beginning Sept. 10. The virtual events will examine individual policy areas and feature experts from UMass Amherst and other universities and policy organizations.
 

The first webinar, “Changing the Game for Labor,” will take place from 4 to 5 p.m. EDT on Thursday, Sept. 10. Labor scholars Juliet Schor, Paul Sonn and David Weil will discuss proposals related to worker protections, wages and the four-day workweek. Epstein will moderate the discussion. 

The series will continue Thursdays through October with webinars including:

• Sept. 17: “Oh Canada: Trump vs. North American Workers,” on U.S.-Canada trade and tariffs
• Sept. 24: “The U.S. Needs a Care Package,” on childcare, elder care, paid family leave and income support for children
• Oct. 1: “Cutting the Military Budget While Improving Real Security”
• Oct. 8: “Crypto and AI Dreams: Stopping the Power Grab”
• Oct. 15: “Immigration: The Wealth of Welcome”
• Oct. 22: “Environmental Policies that Work for Working Americans” 
• Oct. 29: “‘Medicare for All’ in New York State”

The webinars are open to all and will use a discussion format with speakers making brief presentations followed by questions and answers. 

In addition to the webinars, Game Changers provides policy briefs, background papers and videos explaining the work of the project’s expert teams. More information about the initiative is available online at GameChangersPolicy.org.