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.

US Microenterprise Census Highlights, Fiscal Year 2012
Publications

US Microenterprise Census Highlights, Fiscal Year 2012

Released in 2014, the US Microenterprise Census Highlights of 2012 include data from 217 microenterprise organizations across the country.

MicroTracker Client Outcomes Highlights 2012
Publications

MicroTracker Client Outcomes Highlights 2012

Each year FIELD’s Client Outcomes process works with microenterprise organizations to collect data on clients served.

Fact Sheet on Paid Sick and Family Medical Leave in the United States
Publications

Fact Sheet on Paid Sick and Family Medical Leave in the United States

Today, the United States lacks federal legislation to guarantee paid leave for personal or family illness or the birth of a new child, which forces millions of working Americans to choose between earning a paycheck or caring for themselves and their loved ones.

Connecting People to Work: Workforce Intermediaries and Sector Strategies
Publications

Connecting People to Work: Workforce Intermediaries and Sector Strategies

This book was co-edited by Maureen Conway, Vice President at the Aspen Institute, and Robert P. Giloth, Vice President, Center for Community and Economic Opportunity at the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Building Assets through Microbusiness
Publications

Building Assets through Microbusiness

Owning a business is one key means through which individuals and families build assets.

Apprenticeship: Completion and Cancellation in the Building Trades
Publications

Apprenticeship: Completion and Cancellation in the Building Trades

As one of our nation’s strongest training models, apprenticeship provides individuals the unique opportunity to work and develop their skills at the same time through a mix of paid on-the-job training and classroom instruction.

Sustaining the Delivery of Business Development Services
Publications

Sustaining the Delivery of Business Development Services

This brief publication offers strategies and practices for mobilizing funding for microenterprise training services.

Scaling through Distance Learning
Publications

Scaling through Distance Learning

Compelled by the drive to serve larger numbers of aspiring entrepreneurs amid a tighter funding environment, many microenterprise development organizations are, not surprisingly, looking more closely at distance learning.

Profiles of the Restaurant Workforce and Restaurant Opportunities Center-United
Publications

Profiles of the Restaurant Workforce and Restaurant Opportunities Center-United

This report details the dynamics and challenges of the residential construction industry and provides a profile of the Workers Defense Project, a non-profit and membership-based organization based in Austin, Texas that seeks to provide low-wage workers, particularly those in the construction industry, with resources to improve their working and living conditions.

Profiles of the Residential Construction Workforce and the Workers Defense Project
Publications

Profiles of the Residential Construction Workforce and the Workers Defense Project

This report details the dynamics and challenges of the residential construction industry and provides a profile of the Workers Defense Project, a non-profit and membership-based organization based in Austin, Texas that seeks to provide low-wage workers, particularly those in the construction industry, with resources to improve their working and living conditions.

Profiles of the Direct-Care Workforce and PHI
Publications

Profiles of the Direct-Care Workforce and PHI

This report provides an overview of work in the direct-care industry and profiles PHI (Paraprofessional Healthcare Institute), an organization dedicated to improving employment for direct-care workers in the U.S.

Fact Sheet on Worker Cooperatives, ESOPs, and B Corporations
Publications

Fact Sheet on Worker Cooperatives, ESOPs, and B Corporations

Learn more about the alternative business models, including worker cooperatives, ESOPs, and B corporations with this fact sheet, produced in late 2013.

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.

Join Our Mailing List

To receive occasional emails about our work — including new publications, commentary, events, fellowships, and more — join our mailing list.

Connect on Social Media

For news and updates every day, connect with us on the social media platform of your choice.

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.

Placeholder
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