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

We recognize that race, gender, and place intersect with and intensify the challenge of economic inequality and we address these dynamics by advancing an inclusive vision of economic justice. For over 25 years, EOP has focused on expanding individuals’ opportunities to connect to quality work, start businesses, and build economic stability that provides the freedom to pursue opportunity.

We collaborate with national and local leaders across the United States – nonprofit leaders, policymakers, labor leaders, business leaders, educators, academics, and more – and we actively seek input and ideas from individuals and communities affected by proposed approaches to address economic opportunity challenges. Through our leadership and fellowship programs; applied research and evaluation; data and analysis; and dialogue with diverse stakeholders, we work at both local and national levels to build understanding and galvanize action to address the challenge of economic opportunity in America.

Join our mailing list and follow us on social media for regular updates on our work.

A woman in a red sleeveless top stands in from of a wall of mathematical equations. Photo credit: Jordan Stead / Amazon.
Blog Posts

Investing in education, training, and development for workers

In a tight labor market, if employers can’t buy talent (through hiring), they have to build it (through upskilling).

A woman stands at the front of a classroom as she speaks to around a dozen individuals who are seated across the room. Photo credit: Jordan Stead / Amazon
Blog Posts

Amazon Pledges $700 Million to Upskill 100,000 Workers

Amazon is focused on creating pathways to careers in areas that will continue growing in years to come.

College graduates at commencement ceremony
Blog Posts

Aramark Offers to Cover Employees’ College Tuition

The Aramark Frontline Education Program is part of a $90 million investment in wages, benefits, training, and development.

Panelists speak at "How Do We Create More Quality Jobs?" (Left to right: E.J. Dionne, Demetra Nightingale, Caryn York, Amanda Blondeau, Rick Plympton)
Blog Posts

What’s new at the Economic Opportunities Program, June 2019

Learn how we’re helping low- and moderate-income people thrive in a changing economy.

Caryn York
Blog Posts

How Do We Create More Quality Jobs?

What will it take to make sure everyone in America has a high-quality job?

What’s in a New Name? Introducing the Business Ownership Initiative
Blog Posts

What’s in a New Name? Introducing the Business Ownership Initiative

Over the last two decades, we’ve worked to promote business ownership as a path to boosting income and wealth.

Smiling JetBlue crewmember at airport terminal
Blog Posts

JetBlue Adds Master’s Degrees to ‘JetBlue Scholars’ Education Program

How JetBlue is helping employees take their education to the skies.

High school student working on laptop
Blog Posts

Walmart Expands Its Upskilling Selection

Walmart is adding new degrees and certificates for $1 a day and giving high school students a bridge into the workforce.

UpSkill America Director Jaime Fall
Blog Posts

What’s new at the Economic Opportunities Program, May 2019

Learn how the Economic Opportunities Program is helping people connect to and thrive in a changing economy.

Sharing profits and ownership with workers not only make them happier, it benefits the bottom line too
Blog Posts

Sharing profits and ownership with workers not only make them happier, it benefits the bottom line too

Sharing the fruits of a company’s success is not only good for workers. It’s also good for the bottom line.

Amanda Blondeau, Job Quality Fellow
Blog Posts Longform

Amanda Blondeau, Job Quality Fellow

Businesses of every size can benefit by advancing job quality.

Alison Lingane, Job Quality Fellow
Blog Posts Longform

Alison Lingane, Job Quality Fellow

Employee ownership can strengthen job quality and build wealth in the community.

About the Economic Opportunities Program

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

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More from the Economic Opportunities Program

Foundational Skills: National Survey Findings
Publications

Foundational Skills: National Survey Findings

This publication examines how fragmented skills, credentialing, and workforce data systems limit the potential of skills-based hiring and advancement, and outlines a shared vision for building the interoperable infrastructure needed to create a connected skills ecosystem that benefits workers, employers, educators, and governments.

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Podcasts Videos

What Employee Ownership Means to Workers

This conversation is part of our Opportunity in America series, where we take a look at the economy, what’s working, what’s broken, and really how we fix it to make sure that everyone can succeed in today’s economy.

Resource Roundup: Wages and Affordability
Blog Posts
Room for Growth: A Survey of Upskilling Approaches — 2026 Analysis
Publications

Room for Growth: A Survey of Upskilling Approaches — 2026 Analysis

This publication examines how fragmented skills, credentialing, and workforce data systems limit the potential of skills-based hiring and advancement, and outlines a shared vision for building the interoperable infrastructure needed to create a connected skills ecosystem that benefits workers, employers, educators, and governments.

Building Economic Security: A Book Talk with Arindrajit Dube and Carrie Joy Grimes
Podcasts Videos

Building Economic Security: A Book Talk with Arindrajit Dube and Carrie Joy Grimes

Economic security shouldn’t be a lottery. Yet for millions of working families, stagnant wages and precarious jobs collide with the daily grind of managing money on shaky ground — leaving stability feeling less like a plan and more like a gamble. Fixing that takes more than one lever. It takes structural reform and the tools people need to take control of their financial lives, working together.

What Employee Ownership Means to Workers
Publications

What Employee Ownership Means to Workers

Insights from Focus Groups with Employee Owners