Economic Opportunities Program Monthly Digest — March 2026

The Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program (EOP) advances strategies, policies, and ideas to help low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.

We are pleased to present a selection of our work from the past month.

If a colleague shared this newsletter with you, consider subscribing to our mailing list or connecting on social media. To learn more about our work, visit aspeninstitute.org/eop.

Publications

• Investing in People, Investing in Success: How Internal Job Quality Can Strengthen Community Development Financial Institutions by Bryn Morgan

Click here to view more publications.

Commentary

• Rethinking Learning and Opportunity: Insights from the Century Summit VI by Chelsea Miller, UpSkill America
• Apprenticeships and Internships Are Not the Same by Annelies Goger, UpSkill America
• Turning Internships Into Strategic Investments: Lessons From Employers by Haley Glover, UpSkill America

Click here to view more commentary.

Videos

The New Era of Small Business Finance: Access, AI, and Accountability, hosted by the Aspen Institute’s Business Ownership Initiative and the Responsible Business Lending Coalition.

• The Changing Role of Small Business Ownership, featuring Ryan Decker (Federal Reserve Board of Governors), Rebecca Melsky (Princess Awesome), Tim Ogden (Financial Access Initiative, NYU), and moderator Joyce Klein (The Aspen Institute).
• Innovations Driving Small Business Lending Forward: It’s Not All About AI, featuring Malika Anand (Community Investment Management), Jay Long (Parlay), Elizabeth Ross-Ronchi (Accion Opportunity Fund), Samir Shergill (Highbeam), and moderator Peter Renton (Renton & Co, LLC).
• Main Street Challenges and Policy Solutions, featuring Karida Collins (Neighborhood Fiber Co.), Ashley Urisman (American Fintech Council), Jesse Van Tol (National Community Reinvestment Coalition), and moderator Louis Caditz-Peck (Responsible Business Lending Coalition).

Building New Narratives on Work and Opportunity in the US South, featuring Job Quality Fellows Shuh-Marraka Johnson (Deep South Strategies, LLC), Dom Kelly (New Disabled South), Rachel Merfalen (Tennessee State Center of Employee Ownership/Good Future), Alexis Tsoukalas (Florida Policy Institute), and moderator Matt Helmer (The Aspen Institute).

• The South Has Plenty of Growth — But Not Shared Prosperity — Rachel Merfalen
• Economic Justice in the South Is Dignity, Not Charity — Shuh-Marraka Johnson
• Misinformation Fueled the Bill — Facts and Organizing Beat It — Alexis Tsoukalas
• “Best for Business” Isn’t Best for Workers in Georgia — Dom Kelly

Maximizing the Value of Internships for Employers, hosted by Strada Education Foundation and UpSkill America, featuring Devina Fernandez (Endress+Hauser), Bradley Leon (BlueCross BlueShield of TN), Kevin Grubb (Strada Education Foundation), and Haley Glover (UpSkill America at the Aspen Institute).

Worker- and Community-Led Strategies for a Fairer Economy, featuring Cecilia Behgam (Texas Climate Jobs Project), Kelly Brooks (Civic Works), Maya Ragsdale (Beyond the Bars), Ben Wilkins (Union of Southern Service Workers), and moderator Amanda Fins (The Aspen Institute).

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Podcasts

• The Changing Role of Small Business Ownership, featuring Ryan Decker (Federal Reserve Board of Governors), Rebecca Melsky (Princess Awesome), Tim Ogden (Financial Access Initiative, NYU), and moderator Joyce Klein (The Aspen Institute).
• Innovations Driving Small Business Lending Forward: It’s Not All About AI, featuring Malika Anand (Community Investment Management), Jay Long (Parlay), Elizabeth Ross-Ronchi (Accion Opportunity Fund), Samir Shergill (Highbeam), and moderator Peter Renton (Renton & Co, LLC).
• Main Street Challenges and Policy Solutions, featuring Karida Collins (Neighborhood Fiber Co.), Ashley Urisman (American Fintech Council), Jesse Van Tol (National Community Reinvestment Coalition), and moderator Louis Caditz-Peck (Responsible Business Lending Coalition).
• Maximizing the Value of Internships for Employers, hosted by Strada Education Foundation and UpSkill America, featuring Devina Fernandez (Endress+Hauser), Bradley Leon (BlueCross BlueShield of TN), Kevin Grubb (Strada Education Foundation), and Haley Glover (UpSkill America at the Aspen Institute).

Click here to view more podcasts. Click here to subscribe.

In the News

• For Gig Workers, Portable Benefits Are Only Half the Solution. Writing for Tech Policy Press, author Nakul Nagaraj cites our 2019 report, “Designing Portable Benefits: A Resource Guide for Policymakers,” published by the Future of Work Initiative.
• When and where is the next mass layoff? Use our tracker. Writing for USA Today, Dian Zhang and Yoonserk Pyun Wang quote UpSkill America Research Director Annelies Goger, who shares her insights on companies’ misunderstandings about AI and its consequences for reshaping work.

Newsletters

• Resource Roundup — The Head and Heart of Economic Policy by Maxwell Johnson
• Upcoming Events — March 2026 by Economic Opportunities Program staff
• Monthly Digest — February 2026 by Economic Opportunities Program staff

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Upcoming Events

• April 1 — Reimagining Workforce and Economic Development in the South (free, online).
• April 16 — Leading Change for Skills: Champions Across the Workforce Ecosystem (free, online).
• April 21 — Coming of Age at Work: Good Jobs for Teens (free, online).
• June 2-3, 2026 — Employee Ownership Ideas Forum ($100 in person, free online). Registration will open soon. Click here to save the date.

Click here to view more events.