With an Economy that Worked for All, Mike Brown Would Still Be Alive
“Our full humanity is expressed only when we have the capacity and the opportunity to be productive, to do for ourselves, meeting our needs in our communities.”
YES! Article archive
Economy
Want to Build an Economy that Works for Everybody? Next Week, We’re All About It
Next Monday, YES! and the New Economy Coalition kick off New Economy Week—five days of national conversation about the ideas, strategies, and projects that make up the movement.
West Virginia Cattle Farmers Build the Local Food Economy They Need to Thrive
The farmers working to build West Virginia’s local meat economy know that their fate relies on the success of the entire local meat ecosystem.
Workers in Maine Buy Out Their Jobs, Set an Example for the Nation
For the new worker-owners of the Island Employee Cooperative, the transformation into a co-op will create profound changes in their lives.
Occupy Offshoot Cancels $4 Million in Predatory Student Loans—and Starts a Debtors Union
First, they started buying up—and canceling—individuals’ medical debt. Now the people behind Rolling Jubilee are taking on student loans from a for-profit university that exploits the poor—and the whole debt system could be next.
Kentucky Town Beats High Gas Prices—By Opening a Public Gas Station
Gas stations aren’t great for the climate, but the move is a step toward local control over economic decisions—a model that holds great potential for developing renewable energy in the long term.
Why Germany Is Backing Away From a Trade Deal that Lets Corporations Sue the Government
A new round of international trade agreements threatens to increase corporate power over national governments. But news out of Germany suggests the deals aren't inevitable.
Why Banking at the Post Office Could Be a Better Option Than Payday Loans—and Wall Street
USPS used to offer financial services. Proponents say that bringing them back could buffer us from financial meltdowns and alleviate poverty.
Breaking the Grip of the Fossil Fuel Economy: If It Can Happen in Appalachia, It Can Happen Anywhere
Coal production is gradually leaving Appalachia—having already extracted much of the region's natural wealth. Local people are figuring out how to build a new economy based on shared vision and community knowledge. If transition can happen here, it can change the debate everywhere.
These Young People Are Pioneering Appalachia’s Post-Coal Economy
The Appalachian Transition Fellows are young people who will spend this year building diverse job opportunities in the coal-country counties that need them most.
Welcome to the Spanish Town Where People Come Before Profit
The town of Marinaleda, often called Spain's "communist utopia," is proof that an economy built on mutual aid is possible.
These Women-Run Co-ops Push Back Against the “Feminization of Poverty”
Two-thirds of the country’s low-wage workers are women. That’s why they stand to benefit the most from greater equity in and control of the workplace.
Worker-Owned Co-ops Get $1 Million in NYC Spending
New York City's newly approved budget allocates $1.2 million for developing and supporting worker-owned cooperative businesses.
What’s the Role of Race in the New Economy Movement?
For the movement to succeed, it must be led by the dispossessed—those for whom the mainstream economy has never worked.
“Black Women’s Blueprint” Helps Low-Income Women Get By—Through Bartering
Farah Tanis learned that, of the women in poverty she worked with, 9 out of 10 had experienced violence—so she started a bartering network to help them survive.
That Book About Inequality That’s Sold Out of Bookstores? Here’s What It Means for 2016
The popularity of a new book by French economist Thomas Piketty should be a wake-up call for politicians. If inequality sells in the stores, it will sell at the polls as well.
Our Economy Wants You to Be In Debt—5 Things You Can Do to Take Charge
We pored through a debt-resistance manual created by former Occupiers to bring you these practical tips.
Europe Leads U.S. in Effort to Tax Financial “Speed Demons”
The European Commission expects a tiny tax on financial transactions to raise an estimated $42 billion per year while discouraging purely speculative short-term trading.
Portland Is First U.S. City to Divest Funds from Walmart
The initiative also prohibits the city from purchasing Walmart bonds in the future.
Fans Move to Buy LA Clippers After Owner Is Banned From NBA
The fans hope to buy the team and make it into a nonprofit organization like the Green Bay Packers.
Dear Paul Krugman: Is GDP Growth Making Us Richer or Poorer? (Please Clarify.)
Is Paul Krugman just advocating temporary growth up to some level of optimality, or a truly ever-growing economy?
In Rural Kansas, an Experiment Makes Hitchhiking Safe Again
The people behind the project borrowed some tricks from ride-sharing apps like Lyft, but tweaked the details so the rides are free.
Think You Know What a Farmer Looks Like? Think Again
Preliminary results from the 2012 Census of Agriculture show the increasing role of women in U.S. agriculture—especially on organic and small-scale farms.
Don’t Leave BitCoin to the Libertarians! (Or, Why Your Movement Needs Open Source Money)
Movements for economic justice and equality are rarely flush with cash. But "cryptocurrencies" like Bitcoin might stand to change the rules in their favor.
A New Source of Jobs for India’s Rural Women? (Hint: It’s in Your Shampoo)
The business in chemicals extracted from seaweed—predicted to be worth $7 billion by 2018—is emerging as a source of employment for rural women.
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