By Rachel Goldfarb, originally published on Next New Deal
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Students to Analyze Yale’s Impact on New Haven (Yale Daily News)
Nicole Ng reports on the launch of the Roosevelt Institute | Campus Network's Rethinking Communities initiative at Yale University. Students will examine how Yale influences local economic development in New Haven and be able to compare Yale to other institutions across the country.
- Roosevelt Take: Roosevelt Institute Associate Director of Networked Initiatives Alan Smith explains the ideas behind the Rethinking Communities initiative.
Why the Rich Don't Think They're Rich. And Why It Matters (PolicyShop)
David Callahan looks at polls and surveys that show that wealthy Americans don't consider themselves to be wealthy. He suggests that most rich people compare themselves to even richer peers, but this perception is a problem when trying to implement policies that reduce inequality.
Janet Yellen Should Ignore the Unemployment Rate (Slate)
Matt Yglesias writes that the new Federal Reserve chair should recognize that the unemployment rate is not actually a useful measure of the health of the economy. The unemployment rate has been dropping recently, but that's because of the decline in labor force participation.
Want to Help the Middle Class? Don’t Kill Corporate Taxes (WaPo)
Juan Carlos Suárez Serrato and Owen Zidar write that cutting or eliminating a state's corporate income taxes won't bring in new business, and will help shareholders rather than average workers. They call for increased infrastructure spending as a better method of attracting businesses.
Four Years After ‘Citizens United,’ There Is Real Movement to Remove Big Money From Politics (The Nation)
John Nichols reports on the growing movement to support a constitutional amendment that would declare money to be property rather than speech and reverse the Citizens United decision. Sixteen states have already passed resolutions supporting the proposed amendment.
New on Next New Deal
Citizens United for Real Civic Engagement
Roosevelt Institute | Campus Network National Field Strategist Joelle Gamble uses the fourth anniversary of Citizens United v. FEC to call for more diverse forms of civic engagement. She argues that practices like participatory budgeting strengthen citizens' voices beyond the voting booth.
Rethinking Diplomacy: Why Iran Should Have a Seat at the Table on Syria
Roosevelt Institute | Campus Network Senior Fellow for Defense and Diplomacy Jacqueline Van de Velde writes that without bringing more of the major players, including Iran, to the Geneva II talks that are meant to solve the crisis in Syria, it's unclear if any resulting plan can be seen as legitimate.