Kentucky Center for Economic Policy

The Kentucky Center for Economic Policy (KyPolicy) launched in 2011 and has since grown into an influential voice on the Kentucky policy landscape. KyPolicy’s research is cited frequently in the media and in policy debates on wide-ranging issues. The organization produces timely analysis of key issues and policy options; promotes public conversation about solutions through media and communications; and advocates to decision makers on the need for policies that improve the quality of life for all Kentuckians.

KyPolicy is a member of the State Priorities Partnership, a national network of more than 40 independent, non-partisan research and policy organizations that address fiscal and economic policy in their states, and is also a member of the Economic Analysis and Research Network. KyPolicy is affiliated with the Mountain Association.

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Publications

Final State Budget Should Do More for Child Care to Protect Families and Jobs
- March 20, 2024
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Dustin Pugel
Care Economy EARN in the South Family Economic Security Public Services and Employment
The Right to a Break Is Just One of the Worker Freedoms on the Line
- March 7, 2024
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Jason Bailey
EARN in the South Wages, Labor Standards, and Job Quality Worker Hours and Fair Scheduling
Kentucky’s Kids Don’t Need Us to Drag Child Labor Laws Back to the 19th Century
- March 7, 2024
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Adam K. Raymond
EARN in the South Wages, Labor Standards, and Job Quality
HB 465 Will Further Undermine Worker Protections and Job Quality
- February 16, 2024
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Jason Bailey
EARN in the South Wages, Labor Standards, and Job Quality
Kentucky Average Teacher Pay Fails to Keep Up with Inflation in Most Districts, Remains Far Behind 2008 Levels
- December 15, 2023
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Dustin Pugel
EARN in the South Wages
When Higher Ed Is a Lower Priority: Kentucky Campus Workers Sound the Alarm
- December 13, 2023
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
EARN in the South Education Wages, Labor Standards, and Job Quality
Union Victories Could Spark New Blue Collar Power in the Bluegrass
- November 28, 2023
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Jason Bailey
EARN in the South Unions and Worker Power
Tracking the Economic Recovery from COVID-19 in Kentucky
- April 3, 2023
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Dustin Pugel
As more Kentuckians are vaccinated, and as consumer demand remains strong, people are returning to work in greater numbers and Kentucky’s economy is beginning to improve. While the Delta and […]
The State of Working Kentucky 2022
- September 1, 2022
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Dustin Pugel
The COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing economic downturn reshaped Kentucky’s economy in ways that are still revealing themselves thirty months after the virus arrived in the commonwealth. Part of the story […]

State of Working X
Expanded Unemployment Benefits are a Crucial Bridge for Kentuckians and Our Economy
- June 7, 2021
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
This column ran in the Kentucky New Era and the Northern Kentucky Tribune on June 4, and the Courier-Journal on June 7, 2021. Signed: Advocacy Action Network Ashland Area Labor Council Forward Kentucky Greater Louisville Central […]
Kentucky’s Changing Labor Force Participation, Explained
- August 27, 2019
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Dustin Pugel
With the economy now experiencing the longest recovery on record, there is a temptation among some to overstate the strength of the labor market and even cast blame on workers […]

State of Working X
Lopsided Recovery Continues to Leave Out Eastern Part of State
- August 13, 2019
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Jason Bailey
A recovering economy since the Great Recession has bypassed much of rural Kentucky and especially the eastern and northeastern regions of the state. Those conditions magnify the harm from current […]
Average Kentucky Worker’s Paycheck Not Yet Benefitting from Growing Economy
- July 1, 2019
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Ashley Spalding
With all of the claims about how great the economy is right now, the data shows that the average Kentuckian’s wages remained flat in 2018, continuing the trend of nearly […]

Wages
Manufacturing Job Growth Has Slowed in Kentucky Since Passage of “Right-To-Work”
- June 27, 2019
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Anna Baumann
Manufacturing job losses in recent decades have hurt Kentucky communities. Two recessions and trade policies that have encouraged outsourcing and made American goods more expensive relative to other countries’ have […]

So-Called "Right-to-Work"
Manufacturing Job Growth Has Slowed in Kentucky Since Passage of “Right-To-Work”
- June 27, 2019
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Anna Baumann
Manufacturing job losses in recent decades have hurt Kentucky communities. Despite the claims of proponents of “Right-To-Work” (RTW), which was enacted in Kentucky in 2017, employment data suggests the policy […]

Jobs Manufacturing So-Called "Right-to-Work"
Record-Breaking Failure to Raise the Minimum Wage Is Holding Back Kentucky
- June 20, 2019
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Jason Bailey
This week marks the longest period in history the federal government has failed to increase the minimum wage, which has been stuck at $7.25 an hour since 2009. Because Kentucky […]

Minimum Wage
Systemic Barriers Continue to Hold Back Wages and Employment for Kentuckians of Color
- June 19, 2019
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Dustin Pugel
On the 154th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, barriers to thriving for black Kentuckians are still deeply entrenched. Data on wages and unemployment in Kentucky show that discrimination and […]

Worker, Racial, and Gender Justice
Systemic Barriers Continue to Hold Back Wages and Employment for Kentuckians of Color
- June 19, 2019
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Dustin Pugel
On the 154th anniversary of the abolition of slavery, barriers to thriving for black Kentuckians are still deeply entrenched. Data on wages and unemployment in Kentucky show that discrimination and […]

State of Working X Worker, Racial, and Gender Justice
Op-Ed: The Problem is Bad Jobs, Not Bad Workers
- September 21, 2018
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Ashley Spalding
A full 30 percent of Kentuckians are working jobs that pay less than $12.50 an hour; fewer than half working in the private sector have an employer-sponsored retirement plan and […]

Jobs Wages
State of Working Kentucky 2018
- August 28, 2018
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Jason Bailey
In this report, we provide a snapshot of the economy today by looking at the conditions facing Kentucky workers. What matters for them is not how much wealth is being […]

EARN in the South Jobs State of Working X
Economic Agenda for a Thriving Commonwealth: Improve Job Quality
- August 22, 2018
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Anna Baumann
Improving job quality and economic security is one of the five key strategies in KCEP’s “Economic Agenda for a Thriving Commonwealth.” Kentucky can make real progress in these areas by […]

Jobs Minimum Wage Paid Sick, Family, and Medical Leave Wages Worker Hours and Fair Scheduling Worker, Racial, and Gender Justice
Jobs Myth at Root of Policies Harming the Unemployed
- March 5, 2018
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Jason Bailey
Op-Ed from KCEP Executive Director Jason Bailey identifies the myth underlying a number of policies moving through the 2018 Kentucky General Assembly and the new Medicaid work requirements: that good-quality […]

Healthcare Jobs
Workforce Development in Kentucky Should Encourage High-Road Jobs
- February 12, 2018
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Ashley Spalding
Kentucky’s workforce development conversations focus almost exclusively on employers’ needs and perspectives and ask how public dollars can improve perceived deficiencies in the workforce. Such an approach ignores the increasingly […]

Economic Development Job Training & Apprenticeships Jobs Wages
Bill Would Limit Unemployment Insurance Benefits and Cut them Off Much Sooner
- February 3, 2018
- Kentucky Center for Economic Policy
- Dustin Pugel
Unemployment Insurance (UI) is a form of income-replacement coverage that keeps workers who lose their jobs out of poverty, boosts the economy in communities that experience downturns and helps to […]

Jobs Unemployment Insurance

Kentucky Center for Economic Policy

Publications

Final State Budget Should Do More for Child Care to Protect Families and Jobs

The Right to a Break Is Just One of the Worker Freedoms on the Line

Kentucky’s Kids Don’t Need Us to Drag Child Labor Laws Back to the 19th Century

HB 465 Will Further Undermine Worker Protections and Job Quality

Kentucky Average Teacher Pay Fails to Keep Up with Inflation in Most Districts, Remains Far Behind 2008 Levels

When Higher Ed Is a Lower Priority: Kentucky Campus Workers Sound the Alarm

Union Victories Could Spark New Blue Collar Power in the Bluegrass

Tracking the Economic Recovery from COVID-19 in Kentucky

The State of Working Kentucky 2022

Expanded Unemployment Benefits are a Crucial Bridge for Kentuckians and Our Economy

Kentucky’s Changing Labor Force Participation, Explained

Lopsided Recovery Continues to Leave Out Eastern Part of State

Average Kentucky Worker’s Paycheck Not Yet Benefitting from Growing Economy

Manufacturing Job Growth Has Slowed in Kentucky Since Passage of “Right-To-Work”

Manufacturing Job Growth Has Slowed in Kentucky Since Passage of “Right-To-Work”

Record-Breaking Failure to Raise the Minimum Wage Is Holding Back Kentucky

Systemic Barriers Continue to Hold Back Wages and Employment for Kentuckians of Color

Systemic Barriers Continue to Hold Back Wages and Employment for Kentuckians of Color

Op-Ed: The Problem is Bad Jobs, Not Bad Workers

State of Working Kentucky 2018

Economic Agenda for a Thriving Commonwealth: Improve Job Quality

Jobs Myth at Root of Policies Harming the Unemployed

Workforce Development in Kentucky Should Encourage High-Road Jobs

Bill Would Limit Unemployment Insurance Benefits and Cut them Off Much Sooner

EARNCon 2024

September 11-13