Economic Opportunity Institute

The Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI) is an independent, nonpartisan, non-profit public policy center using research, education and advocacy to shape public debate and advance new policy ideas that help build an economy that works – for everyone.

Working in concert with grassroots organizations, community coalitions and elected officials, we publish research, shape public debate and catalyze policy initiatives that make Washington state a better place to live, work, raise a family and do business. We focus primarily on promoting high-quality education, high-road economic development, modern work-life standards, retirement security, and shared investments in our common future.

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Publications

Time Is Money, Unless You’re Salaried
- October 26, 2018
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- Marilyn Watkins
Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries has launched a long overdue process to establish an updated salary threshold and other rules that determine who is exempt from basic legal protections. […]

Overtime Paid Leave Paid Sick Days
Growing Jobs, Stagnant Wages, Increasing Inequality and Rising Prices
- October 24, 2018
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- Aaron Keating
By many measures, Washington’s economy has soared since the Great Recession. The state has added over 400,000 jobs since 2008 – more than making up for previous losses – and […]

Economic Development Income State of Working X Wages
The Gay Pay Gap in Washington and Impacts of Misogyny on LGBT Wages
- June 12, 2018
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- Matthew Caruchet
Data show that men in same-sex marriages make less money than men in opposite-sex marriages, and women in same-sex marriages make more than women in opposite-sex marriages. This is consistent […]

Gender Wage Gap Income Jobs Wages
Details Matter: Paid Family and Medical Leave that Works for Working Families
- May 3, 2018
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- Marilyn Watkins
Paid family and medical leave has become a top-tier policy issue. Over the past several years, a number of high-profile corporations have announced new and expanded paid parental leave programs. […]

Paid Leave
Seattle taxes ranked most unfair in Washington — a state among the harshest on the poor nationwide
- April 13, 2018
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- The Seattle Times
A new report finds that even in Washington — a state whose tax system has been called the nation’s most unfair to the poor — Seattle manages to stand out from […]

Economic Development Taxes
Who Really Pays: An analysis of the tax structures in 15 cities throughout Washington State
- April 4, 2018
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- Matthew Caruchet
Many Washingtonians feel they are heavily taxed. They are – if they’re working class or middle class. Wealthy residents pay a tax rate many times lower than the rates other […]

Economic Development Income Infrastructure Taxes
Washington State Legislature Passes Equal Pay Opportunity Act
- March 7, 2018
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- KXLY Spokane
On Wednesday, the Washington Legislature officially passed the Equal Pay Opportunity Act (HB 1506), the first update to the state’s equal pay law since 1943. This historic measure requires any […]

Gender Wage Gap
Lawmakers Agree On Paid Family Leave, But Not The Details
- February 28, 2018
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- National Public Radio
“The only way to make these programs universal, the only way to be sure that the waitress or the retail clerk has access to these programs, that every child gets […]

Paid Leave
The Road to Winning Paid Family and Medical Leave in Washington
- November 30, 2017
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- Marilyn Watkins
In this era of hyper-partisanship, how did we pass a major new program through Washington State’s sharply divided Legislature? There was no secret formula: For nearly two decades, we prepared, […]

Paid Leave
The Popular, Affordable Path for Paid Family and Medical Leave in Washington
- November 23, 2016
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- Marilyn Watkins
A just-released study funded by a U.S. Department of Labor grant to the State of Washington shows strong public support for a paid family and medical leave program – and […]

Paid Leave Paid Sick Days
Time for a Raise: Statewide economic growth and Washington’s minimum wage
- October 20, 2016
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- Marilyn Watkins
Seattle’s job boom may be making headlines, but new data show the economy is growing across Washington state. Employment markets from Spokane to Longview have experienced several years of job […]

Jobs
Every Job a Path to Opportunity
- August 3, 2016
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- Marilyn Watkins
Washington state has gained jobs at a faster rate than most other states since the Great Recession, but the majority of working families are not benefitting from the economic boom. […]

Jobs
Equal Pay and Opportunity: A step toward fair wages for women and better workplaces for all
- April 12, 2016
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- Marilyn Watkins, Sam Hatzenbeler
From high-profile CEOs and movie stars to healthcare and retail workers, men consistently make more than women. Social scientists and economists have found clear evidence that gender-based discrimination persists – […]

Gender Wage Gap Wages
Uneven Ground: How Race and Origin Impact Economic Opportunity in Washington
- December 23, 2015
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- Kelli Smith
Founded as a nation of immigrants, the United States has remained so throughout its expansion and development, and today, immigration continues to shape and reshape the country and its states. […]

Jobs Racial Justice
Employee Experience with Seattle Paid Sick and Safe Leave
- September 2, 2015
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- Marilyn Watkins
In September 2012, Seattle became the third U.S. city to implement a paid sick leave ordinance. By early 2015, more than 20 cities and four states had paid sick leave […]

Paid Leave Paid Sick Days
The State of Working Washington 2011
- March 29, 2011
- Economic Opportunity Institute
- Marilyn Watkins
The 2000 to 2010 decade was a hard one for America’s and Washington’s working families. While the top fifth gained wealth despite two recessions and sharp stock market swings, for […]

Jobs State of Working X