Oklahoma Policy Institute (OK Policy) is a non-partisan independent policy think-tank. It was launched in early 2008, growing out of work that had previously been conducted by the public policy department of Community Action Project of Tulsa County. OK Policy promotes adequate, fair, and fiscally responsible funding of public services and expanded opportunity for all Oklahomans by providing timely and credible information, analysis, and ideas.
Visit WebsiteUnemployment insurance became a lifeline to many Oklahomans during the pandemic. In a period of widespread job loss, the transfer payments that this program provided working people with the means […]
By gavelling in for a special legislative session to address inflation relief, lawmakers have the opportunity to enact real and positive tax reform. The slate of bills introduced by House leadership offer […]
Since March 15, more than 450,000 people have filed new unemployment claims in Oklahoma. These unemployment claims make up nearly 10 percent of our civilian labor force, and it means that a lot of […]
The federal minimum wage was established in 1938 at 25¢ an hour (about $4.26 in today’s dollars). Since then it’s been adjusted 29 times to keep up with inflation and […]
Tens of thousands of Oklahomans enter the justice system each year and come out with thousands of dollars in debt to the court. For low-income Oklahomans, paying this debt can […]
Repeated cuts to the state income tax made since the mid-2000s are one of the most significant reasons for an ongoing financial crisis that is eroding important public services and […]
Every three months, the ADP Research Institute releases its Workforce Vitality Index, a measure of private sector job and wage growth. For the past two quarters, Washington state has led […]
By most standards of economic growth, the Oklahoma economy has been doing very well. Gross State Product (GSP) – a measure of the value of all goods and services produced […]
We hope you will join us in New Orleans at the Loews New Orleans hotel from Wednesday, November 12 – Friday, November 14, 2025. Details to come!