Economy Archives - Page 31 of 44 - YES! Magazine Solutions Journalism

After Decades in a Food Desert, These Neighbors Are Building a $2 Million Co-op—And They Own It

For nearly 20 years, the residents of this mostly African American Greensboro community had nowhere to shop for food. They tried to attract a big-box grocery store; when that didn’t work, they started their own.

Liz Pleasant | Nov 12, 2015

Renewable energy

Energy Democracy: Inside Californians’ Game-Changing Plan for Community-Owned Power

Large utility companies control about 75 percent of the electricity market in California. A hybrid between a public agency and private utility, the new Community Choice program is a model for communities that want greener, cheaper energy.

Al Weinrub | Nov 12, 2015

New Economy Week Starts Here

This week, we bring you five pressing challenges blocking our way to a better economy—and a dose of solutions.

Nov 12, 2015

Sustainable food and farming

Borrow, Save, Share: 3 Ways Seeds Can Democratize Our Food System

Just six companies control 63 percent of the commercial seed market. But seed libraries offer us an opportunity to reclaim the seed commons and create our own community food systems.

Neil Thapar | Nov 11, 2015

Cooperatives | Wealth and inequality

What If We Owned the Internet Together? It’s Time to Bring the Co-op Revolution to the Web

The flourishing of farmers markets and credit unions demonstrates a longing for business that serves the common good. Can it infiltrate the Amazon-dominated, Uberized Internet?

Nathan Schneider, Trebor Scholz | Nov 9, 2015

Wealth and inequality

We Asked Our Favorite Illustrators What Debt Means to Them

Here's what they gave us, from comics to collage.

Nov 5, 2015

Will the New Economy Be Capitalism, or Something Else? Join Us for a Discussion on November 9

To debate this crucial issue in the new economy, we’re co-hosting a panel on November 9 with experts in the field. Please RSVP and join us!

Oct 30, 2015

Cooperatives | Wealth and inequality

How Creative Finance Launched Worker-Owned Co-ops In Post-Sandy New York

Half of small businesses don’t make it past the first five years, and owners lose everything trying to pay off the loans. The Working World lets co-ops stabilize before repayment even begins.

Araz Hachadourian | Oct 29, 2015

Patient finance illustration by Jennifer Luxton.

Jobs | Local economies

Why Slower Money Is the Key to a Real Economic Recovery

An exciting crop of organizations are financing businesses in a way that creates real wealth. Here are a few ways to scale them up so that they can truly challenge Wall Street.

Keith Harrington | Oct 23, 2015

Wealth and inequality | Citizens United

The Interest-Free Lending Circles That Help Friends and Families Do DIY Loans

Who needs banks when you have communities? And organizations like Mission Asset Fund have even figured out how to use the system to raise credit scores.

Liz Pleasant | Oct 21, 2015

Wealth and inequality

When Energy Bills Skyrocketed, These Neighbors Banded Together to Keep the Lights On—And Won

For nearly 20 years, utility company Central Hudson has operated more or less unchallenged—until Nobody Leaves Mid-Hudson came along.

Laura Gottesdiener | Oct 19, 2015

Chinese boys laughing in Guizhou province. Photo by Grigvovan / Shutterstock.com.

Can Local Economies Revolutionize the US? This Adviser to China Thinks So

Laurence Brahm advises the Chinese government on economic and environmental policy. Here’s what he thinks the United States can learn from China.

Marcus Harrison Green | Oct 15, 2015

Cooperatives

Three Years Ago, These Chicago Workers Took Over a Window Factory. Today, They’re Thriving

When Republic Windows and Doors closed down without giving workers notice, the issue drew national attention. Since then, they’ve turned the factory into a worker-owned co-op—where they hold the power.

Sarah van Gelder | Oct 9, 2015

The Crunch illustration by Jennifer Luxton.

Wealth and inequality

California Challenges Gender Discrimination With Equal Pay Law (and Other News to Chew On)

A Louisiana university helps solve the national shortage of black doctors, Uber drivers are left with car payments after a raise in fees, and Mother Jones explores whether mammograms do more harm than good.

Oct 7, 2015

Cooperatives | Jobs

Dangerous History: What the Story of Black Economic Cooperation Means for Us Today

African Americans have been pioneering co-ops as an economic strategy since the days of slavery. Author Jessica Gordon Nembhard on how centuries-old models can guide our economy today.

Keane Bhatt | Oct 7, 2015

Businessman Reading Newspaper photo from Shutterstock

Even The Wall Street Journal Is Asking Questions About How Ownership Should Work in a Democracy

The question of how the ownership of capital should be structured in a democratic society was raised by none other than Margaret Thatcher's authorized biographer.

Gar Alperovitz | Oct 2, 2015

Wealth and inequality | Cooperatives

NYC’s Credit Unions Give Mom-and-Pop Stores a Chance, Despite Gentrification

They're a lifeline to business owners. So why do these credit unions have trouble growing?

Abigail Savitch-Lew | Oct 2, 2015

Holacracy illustration by Jennifer Luxton.

Cooperatives | Jobs

A Techy Management Fad Gives Workers More Power—Up to a Point

Holacracy aims to liberate workers from micromanagement by replacing bosses with code-like rules modeled on computer programming.

Nathan Schneider | Oct 1, 2015

Local economies | Wealth and inequality | Citizens United

1.5 Million American Families Live on $2 a Day—These Authors Spent Years Finding Out Why

For their new book, H. Luke Shaefer and Kathryn J. Edin followed the lives of America’s poorest families to find out what they need to break out of poverty, and how to make it happen.

Marcus Harrison Green | Sep 24, 2015

Wealth and inequality

Think Students Can’t Declare Bankruptcy? Think Again

Bankruptcy is supposed to give debtors a fresh start—unless they’re struggling with student loans. But a little-known provision is helping these borrowers take their creditors to court.

Araz Hachadourian | Sep 23, 2015