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.

Investing in Entry-Level Talent: Retention Strategies that Work
Blog Posts

Investing in Entry-Level Talent: Retention Strategies that Work

While many companies accept high entry-level turnover as a cost of doing business, some companies are changing that reality by investing in the retention and advancement of their entry-level talent.

Four Reasons America Should Be Investing in Infrastructure
Blog Posts

Four Reasons America Should Be Investing in Infrastructure

Panelists at “Building Good Jobs into America’s Infrastructure Investments” had good ideas for workers, companies, and communities.

How to Increase Access to and Availability of Good Jobs
Blog Posts

How to Increase Access to and Availability of Good Jobs

A Q&A with MIT Professor Paul Osterman.

A Degree Built For You
Blog Posts

A Degree Built For You

The program offers classes that fit into a busy restaurant schedule and is designed to help workers grow their career.

Replicating the Tennessee Promise
Blog Posts

Replicating the Tennessee Promise

As Tennessee’s Promise program expands to include adult students, other community college scholarship programs are figuring out how to replicate its success.

Economic Opportunities Program – March 2017 Newsletter
Blog Posts

Economic Opportunities Program – March 2017 Newsletter

The latest news & announcements from the Aspen Institute Economic Opportunities Program.

Tablet on a stack of books in a classroom
Blog Posts

How to Design Education for Adults

Simply retrofitting college classes for adult learners may fail to meet adults’ unique goals.

We Need Good Companies to Create Good Jobs
Blog Posts

We Need Good Companies to Create Good Jobs

High-quality jobs and growing businesses aren’t mutually exclusive.

The Racial Gap in Business Ownership Explained in Four Charts
Blog Posts

The Racial Gap in Business Ownership Explained in Four Charts

Entrepreneurial success will be one valuable outcome from addressing wealth and educational disparities faced by African-Americans and Latinos. Universal policies to narrow the racial wealth gap will help to realize the promise that business ownership holds for addressing inequalities.

The Key to Surviving in the Age of Automation
Blog Posts

The Key to Surviving in the Age of Automation

What can the launch of Good Companies/Good Jobs teach us about preparing workers for the future?

Student wearing graduation cap
Blog Posts

Walmart Expands Partnership with Cengage to Offer Free High School Diploma & Career Training to Family Members of Associates

Walmart’s partnership with Cengage will offer associates and family members the opportunity to earn high school diplomas and career certificates.

WorkLife Partnership & W.K. Kellogg Foundation Launch Upskill Program for Low-Income Workers
Blog Posts

WorkLife Partnership & W.K. Kellogg Foundation Launch Upskill Program for Low-Income Workers

WorkLife Partnership is expanding to help low-income, underemployed workers develop professionally and access resources to improve the lives of their families.

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