Democracy

Tight labor markets and increased investment in manufacturing represent economic tailwinds favoring the growth of high-quality middle-wage jobs across the United States.

In a new report yesterday on Alabama’s prison crisis, AL.com gave voice to the often-ignored perspectives of families who have lost loved ones to Alabama’s violent and dangerous prisons and asked what many Alabamians are wondering—-why has not much changed? Reporter Ivana Hrynkiw obtained letters that family members wrote to Alabama’s Joint Prison Oversight Committee to plead for help and information about what happened to their loved ones. “All share stories of loved ones dying in Alabama’s prison system,” she wrote, “and all come from families demanding help and change.” Through the lens of personal stories from Alabamians whose loved ones have died in our state prisons, the report traces the problems in Alabama’s prisons and the State’s failure to make even the “easy fixes.” “The state prisons are overcrowded and understaffed, while some of the buildings are falling apart. Too many inmates are raped and killed, drugs are readily available, and life expectancy falls at the entrance,” AL.com reported. “And the federal government, under multiple presidents, said all of this makes Alabama prisons unconstitutional in their cruelty.” Following its extensive investigation into Alabama’s prisons for men, the U.S. Justice Department in 2019 and 2020 made recommendations to improve conditions, including a number of doable, affordable solutions that could have been implemented immediately—things like fixing broken locks. But federal prosecutors reported at the end of 2020 that Alabama “has not made this easy fix,” leading the Justice Department to file a lawsuit that is set for trial next spring. “There’s a cancer in the system” Instead of implementing solutions to these problems, Alabama has committed more than $1 billion to build just one new prison, AL.com reported. But federal prosecutors have made clear that “new facilities alone will not resolve the contributing factors to the overall unconstitutional condition of ADOC…

A federal judge granted a temporary restraining order in the case, one of many contesting the Trump administration’s crackdown on international students.

“What started out as a natural disaster became a man-made disaster.” This is how President Obama described Hurricane Katrina, referring to both the disparate and devastating impacts on New Orleans’ Black community, and the historical and structural inequity that created the conditions for…

At Earth “Night” celebrations, you can dance, vibe, and get involved with local climate action.

Uncover insights into RCTs and their role in effective policymaking. Improve your understanding of evaluation design and reporting.

The bipartisan infrastructure law increased funding for some state and local railroad crossing safety improvements, but federal guidance needs to be updated.

Benister Nephitaly and Modupe (Mo) Olateju discuss current barriers to achieving SDG 4 (quality education for all) in sub-Saharan Africa and pathways for overcoming these.

The move will restore $112 million for 3-K, the city’s free preschool program for 3-year-olds, and $55 million to help address a chronic shortage of seats for preschool children with disabilities.

A resource for academics to sharpen their research questions on how the Inflation Reduction Act is shaping distributional economic outcomes on inequality and growth.

Policy recommendations to support improved economic outcomes for single mothers and their children across the United States.

BALTIMORE, Maryland, Apr 16 (IPS) – Last year, 343 million people were experiencing acute food insecurity, according to the World Food Programme (WFP). That’s 10 percent higher than in 2023.