Georgia Budget and Policy Institute

The Georgia Budget and Policy Institute (GBPI) is working to build a more inclusive economy. We believe Georgia can be a state where everyone has a chance at a decent job so they can raise a family, can go to a doctor when they get sick and attend great public schools.

We examine the state’s budget, taxes and public policies to provide thoughtful analysis and responsible solutions. We educate the public about complex issues confronting Georgia. Our aim is to inspire informed debate and decision-making, advancing our vision of a state in which economic opportunity and well-being are widely shared among all Georgians.

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Publications

From Barriers to Bridges: Expanding Access to Child Care and Improving Upward Mobility for Georgia’s Child Care Workers
- May 21, 2024
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Ife Finch Floyd
Care Economy EARN in the South Wages, Labor Standards, and Job Quality
GBDI submits comment on the 2024-2027 Combined Strategic Workforce Development Plan
- March 5, 2024
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Ray Khalfani
EARN in the South Public Services, Budgets, and Economic Development
Overview: 2025 Fiscal Year Budget for the Georgia Department of Labor
- February 23, 2024
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Ray Khalfani
EARN in the South Public Services, Budgets, and Economic Development Unemployment Insurance Wages, Labor Standards, and Job Quality
2023 State of Working Georgia: Short-Lived Recovery Reflects Long-Term Barriers
- October 23, 2023
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Ray Khalfani
Ongoing reliance on state-level, race-neutral job market measures provide an incomplete picture of the health of Georgia’s workforce. On the surface, Georgia has maintained a robust job market with a […]

State of Working X
2024 Fiscal Year Budget for the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning
- April 5, 2023
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Ife Finch Floyd
The Department of Early Care and Learning (DECAL) administers the Pre-Kindergarten Program, Child Care Services, Nutrition Services and Quality Initiatives. State resources only support the pre-K program and Child Care […]

EARN in the South
Overview: 2024 Fiscal Year Budget for the Georgia Department of Labor
- April 5, 2023
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Ray Khalfani
The governor’s proposed budget for the current amended fiscal year (AFY), AFY 2023, was flat for the Department of Labor (DOL). Spending proposals for fiscal year (FY) 2024 were nearly […]

EARN in the South
As Medicaid Unwinding Draws Near, Legislators Should Invest in DFCS Staff to Help Keep Eligible Georgians from Losing Health Coverage
- April 5, 2023
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Ife Finch Floyd
The Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) eligibility workers, some of whom process Medicaid cases and who continue to have high turnover, experienced a drop in their pay a […]

EARN in the South
Why Scaling Back Unemployment Insurance Could Harm Recovery
- June 24, 2021
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Ray Khalfani
Key Takeaways: Georgia is three days away from prematurely cutting pandemic unemployment insurance (UI). The changes will harm an estimated 347,000 Georgians and sever all UI safety net protections for […]

Unemployment Insurance
State of Working Georgia: Pandemic Job Numbers are Improving, but Inequitably
- April 20, 2021
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Ray Khalfani
Key Takeaways: Nearly 60 percent of Georgia’s pre-pandemic labor force have turned to the unemployment safety net at some point during the last year. In February 2021, unemployment claims for […]

COVID19 EARN in the South State of Working X
Worker Power Key to a Better Balance in Georgia
- September 3, 2020
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Alex Camardelle
Key Takeaways: This Labor Day, we are reminded that there are still anti-labor policies on the books in Georgia that diminish worker power and economic opportunity for all. Unions play […]

COVID19 EARN in the South So-Called "Right-to-Work" State of Working X Unions and Worker Power Worker, Racial, and Gender Justice
Education in Georgia’s Black Belt: Policy Solutions to Help Overcome a History of Exclusion
- October 10, 2019
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Stephen Owens
Georgia has a constitutional responsibility to provide an adequate and equitable education for all its citizens. The state’s history has seen this obligation selectively applied based on a student’s race, […]

Education Worker, Racial, and Gender Justice
People-Powered Prosperity
- January 25, 2018
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Wesley Tharpe
The most prosperous states are anchored by an educated and healthy workforce and offer opportunities for people to innovate and contribute. Moving into the 2018 statewide elections and subsequent governor’s administration, […]

Budges and Taxes Care Economy EARN in the South Economic Development Education Healthcare Job Training & Apprenticeships State of Working X
Adding Citizens a Powerful Way to Boost Georgia Communities
- September 15, 2017
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Wesley Tharpe
States and cities nationwide are discovering they can strengthen their local economies and boost tax revenues by encouraging immigrants legally in the country on a permanent basis to become citizens. […]

Budges and Taxes Immigration Income Inequality Wages
Career Pathways Can Strengthen Georgia Families
- June 15, 2017
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Melissa Johnson
Georgia parents work hard every day to put food on the table and provide a brighter future for their children. Yet more than one in three of the state’s working […]

Job Training & Apprenticeships Jobs
Support Adult English Language Education to Invest in Future
- May 4, 2017
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Melissa Johnson
One in five Georgia children lives with at least one immigrant parent and nearly half of immigrants in Georgia struggle to speak English. When parents struggle to speak English, it […]

Education Immigration
Young Immigrants Vital to Georgia’s Workforce, Healthy Economy
- February 1, 2017
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Wesley Tharpe
Potential harsher federal immigration policies under the new presidential administration pose special concern for young Georgians whose parents brought them to the United States as children. A new federal crackdown […]

Immigration
Georgia Work Credit an Ambitious Yet Affordable Investment
- September 20, 2016
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Wesley Tharpe
Georgia is missing out on a time-tested tool that helps hardworking families, boosts small businesses and strengthens local economies. Twenty-six states and the District of Columbia give a critical boost […]

Budges and Taxes
Better Pay for Honest Work Brief
- February 9, 2016
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Wesley Tharpe
Georgia’s economy is increasingly tilted toward the types of jobs that don’t pay workers enough to make ends meet or keep their families out of poverty. They are food servers […]

Jobs Minimum Wage Wages
The Time is Ripe for Criminal Justice Reform
- January 5, 2012
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Alan Essig
Criminal justice reform is long overdue in Georgia. Last fall the Governor, Lt. Governor, and Speaker of the House created a Special Council on Criminal Justice Reform. In November the […]

Criminal Legal System
Tough On Crime and The Budget
- January 11, 2008
- Georgia Budget and Policy Institute
- Jessica Hood
This report provides recommendations to reform the criminal justice system in Georgia. This system has experienced rapid budget growth due, in part, to Georgia’s tough on crime policies and the […]

Criminal Legal System

Georgia Budget and Policy Institute

Publications

From Barriers to Bridges: Expanding Access to Child Care and Improving Upward Mobility for Georgia’s Child Care Workers

GBDI submits comment on the 2024-2027 Combined Strategic Workforce Development Plan

Overview: 2025 Fiscal Year Budget for the Georgia Department of Labor

2023 State of Working Georgia: Short-Lived Recovery Reflects Long-Term Barriers

2024 Fiscal Year Budget for the Georgia Department of Early Care and Learning

Overview: 2024 Fiscal Year Budget for the Georgia Department of Labor

As Medicaid Unwinding Draws Near, Legislators Should Invest in DFCS Staff to Help Keep Eligible Georgians from Losing Health Coverage

Why Scaling Back Unemployment Insurance Could Harm Recovery

State of Working Georgia: Pandemic Job Numbers are Improving, but Inequitably

Worker Power Key to a Better Balance in Georgia

Education in Georgia’s Black Belt: Policy Solutions to Help Overcome a History of Exclusion

People-Powered Prosperity

Adding Citizens a Powerful Way to Boost Georgia Communities

Career Pathways Can Strengthen Georgia Families

Support Adult English Language Education to Invest in Future

Young Immigrants Vital to Georgia’s Workforce, Healthy Economy

Georgia Work Credit an Ambitious Yet Affordable Investment

Better Pay for Honest Work Brief

The Time is Ripe for Criminal Justice Reform

Tough On Crime and The Budget

EARNCon 2024

September 11-13