Roosevelt Network Celebrates 14 Years, Looking Beyond 2020, and Our Upcoming Release with EPI

1. The Roosevelt Network Celebrates 14 Years

On Wednesday, the Roosevelt Network celebrated 14 years of supporting young leaders, rewriting the rules, and building collective power. In the last year alone, their work has helped reinstate the right to vote for 1.4 million formerly incarcerated Floridians, successfully fought against the privatization of campus jobs, provided menstrual hygiene products to students free of charge, and lowered the cost of campus health care. Network Director Katie Kirchner asked current and former Roosevelters to share what it means to be part of such an incredible movement. “The future is now. It’s smart, it’s driven, and it’s progressive,” said Roosevelt President and CEO Felicia Wong.

2. Looking Beyond 2020

For Time, Roosevelt Research Director and Fellow Marshall Steinbaum and Fellow Todd N. Tucker call on progressives to look beyond the 2020 election: “While the next U.S. presidential election is a crucial stepping stone, an even bigger year rests on the horizon: 2022. By that time, the major European countries will have had their national elections, and there is a non-trivial chance that progressives could make a clean sweep.” In order to enact bold change in the coming years, both domestically and abroad, we must start by mapping out the road ahead.

3. Upcoming Release with EPI

In a forthcoming report with the Economic Policy Institute, Roosevelt’s Marshall Steinbaum will explore the proposed merger of telecommunications companies Sprint and T-Mobile—a move that will significantly increase corporate concentration in the wireless industry. As explored in Powerless, the economic threat of market power goes far beyond prices. On Monday, December 17 at 12:30 p.m. ET, Steinbaum will be part of a panel discussion on the groundbreaking new research, which quantifies the impact of the Sprint/T-Mobile merger on the wages of retail workers in the wireless industry. Learn more and RSVP here.

4. Going Head to Head on Buybacks

Financial Times asks, “Should the U.S. rein in share buybacks?” Going head to head with London Business School and Gresham College Professor Alex Edmans, Roosevelt Senior Economist and Policy Counsel Lenore Palladino argues yes. “U.S. corporations are on a spending spree: They’re on track to shell out more than $1 trillion on stock buybacks this year,” she says. “This practice is holding companies, workers, and our economy back, and it is time for the Securities and Exchange Commission to adopt new policies to curb buybacks.”

5. New Rules for Big Tech: A Conversation for Change

During a time when Google is manipulating search results to promote its own products, it is critical for academics and advocates to explain why Big Tech is problematic and hurts us all. It’s even more important to talk about policy solutions to these problems, which is what the Roosevelt Institute and the George Washington Institute of Public Policy did in November, by hosting a three-panel discussion in Washington D.C. In “New Rules for Big Tech: A Conversation for Change,” Roosevelt Program Associate Kristina Karlsson provides an in-depth recap of the day.

Event

On Tuesday, December 18, we are hosting a conversation and cocktail reception to celebrate current Roosevelt Fellow Darrick Hamilton and former Roosevelt Fellow K. Sabeel Rahman as they take on leadership of two of the most important and dynamic organizations in today’s progressive infrastructure. We’ll hear from Hamilton and Rahman about what’s ahead for their organizations and the broader movement for social change. We hope to see you at our office at 570 Lexington Avenue next week! RSVP here.