EARN in the South

EARN in the South, launched in 2017, was created in collaboration with southern members of EARN and grassroots organizations that expressed a desire for closer partnerships, greater information and strategy sharing among states in the region, and a shared economic narrative and strategy for policy change that is grounded in, and responsive to, the unique historical and political climate of the South. The collaboration between EARN members and grassroots organizations aims to advance pro-worker economic, racial, and gender justice policies throughout the region through deep cross-state collaboration between EARN members and grassroots organizations led by, representing, and building power with, directly affected communities – particularly women and Black and Brown people. The EARN in the South cohort is made up of the EARN organizations and their grassroots partners in thirteen Southern states: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, and West Virginia.

Read about the Agenda for a Thriving South: A shared vision statement by Southern members of the Economic Analysis and Research Network (EARN). 

Alabama Arise, Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, Florida Policy Institute, Georgia Budget and Policy Institute, Kentucky Center for Economic Policy, Louisiana Budget Project, OneVoice Mississippi, North Carolina Budget and Tax Center, North Carolina Justice Center, Oklahoma Policy Institute, Every Texan, The Commonwealth Institute, Think Tennessee, West Virginia Center on Budget and Policy.

Arkansas Public Policy Panel, Advocates for Women’s and Kids’ Equality (AWAKE Tennessee), Barred Business, Greater Birmingham Ministries, Power Coalition for Equity and Justice, Mississippi NAACP, Fight for $15, National Domestic Worker’s Alliance- NC, New Virginia Majority, RaceMatters, and UE Research.

EARN in the South Partnership Fund

Publications

Enhanced child care funding makes life better for Alabama’s children and families

Maintenance of federal CCDBG funding at the 2018 level is critical for continued progress in the provision of child care for low- and moderate-income children in Alabama. Increased funding would allow Alabama to expand the number of children who receive assistance by increasing income eligibility to 85% of median family income. It also would allow Alabama to increase per-child subsidies to programs. And that would improve the incomes of child care teachers and the retention of well-qualified and educated teachers.

People-Powered Prosperity

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, Georgia leaders can seize a golden opportunity to chart a better economic course. People-Powered Prosperity details a new vision for how state lawmakers can pursue that strategy and ways they can responsibly pay for it. The report outlines a public investment plan aimed at four strategic goals, which include eight specific policy recommendations such as targeted funding hikes for public schools and an ambitious ramp-up of assistance to help families afford child care. We also present a case to show how Georgia can afford to raise $1 billion in new annual revenues as a meaningful down payment on the strategy, a shared investment of reasonable scope.

Laying the Foundation: A Wealth-building Agenda for Georgia Women

  • October 19, 2017
  • Melissa Johnson

Building and growing the wealth of women is a necessary concern for Georgia lawmakers striving to keep the state growing and prospering. Women are a majority of Georgia’s adult population and are the primary or co-breadwinners in more than half of Georgia households with children. Women help shoulder the weight of well-being for Georgia’s families, businesses and the economy as a whole now more than ever. This report offers three strategic policy solutions Georgia can pursue to strengthen the financial foundation for the state’s women: paid family leave, support for homeownership and increased entrepreneurship.