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.

Informal Economy Literature Review 
Publications

Informal Economy Literature Review 

Some preliminary issues confronting microenterprise programs which plan to offer services to informal economy entrepreneurs.

Research Report No. 2 – Microenterprise as a Welfare to Work Strategy: One-Year Findings
Publications

Research Report No. 2 – Microenterprise as a Welfare to Work Strategy: One-Year Findings

This paper presents the findings at the mid-point of FIELD’s Welfare to Work Learning Assessment one year after TANF clients enrolled in microenterprise programs.

2002 FIELD MIS Software Review
Publications

2002 FIELD MIS Software Review

Detailed reviews and comparisons of 11 major commercial software products designed for use in the microenterprise field.

MIS for Microenterprise: A Practical Approach to Managing Information Successfully
Publications

MIS for Microenterprise: A Practical Approach to Managing Information Successfully

This 190-page manual is a step-by-step guide to help microenterprise development practitioners develop an effective management information system.

Training for Microenterprise Development: A Guide to Curricula
Publications

Training for Microenterprise Development: A Guide to Curricula

This Guide briefly addresses some of the issues microenterprise programs should consider when buying a new training curriculum, and offers detailed information about 13 curricula available commercially.

Keeping It Personalized: Consulting, Coaching & Mentoring for Microentrepreneurs
Publications

Keeping It Personalized: Consulting, Coaching & Mentoring for Microentrepreneurs

This module explores how business consulting, coaching and mentoring can enhance the mix of services offered to entrepreneurs.

For Good Measure: Performance of the U.S. Microenterprise Industry
Publications

For Good Measure: Performance of the U.S. Microenterprise Industry

This report provides: an in-depth look at the performance of the microenterprise development field; insight into what “best” performance looks like; a sense of trends in the field drawing on multi-year MicroTest program data; and data programs can use to compare their microenterprise program’s performance to their peers.

Building Skills for Self-Employment: Basic Training for Microentrepreneurs
Publications

Building Skills for Self-Employment: Basic Training for Microentrepreneurs

This publication focuses on best practices in core training and its implications for improving training services.

Entering the Relationship: Finding and Assessing Microenterprise Training Clients
Publications

Entering the Relationship: Finding and Assessing Microenterprise Training Clients

This training module explores how program practitioners can conduct market research, develop effective marking strategies and appropriately screen and assess incoming clients.

Connectors and Conduits: Reaching Competitive Markets from the Ground Up
Publications

Connectors and Conduits: Reaching Competitive Markets from the Ground Up

This 45-page report presents findings from the multi-year Access to Markets demonstration project, which explored innovative ways for microenterprise programs to help entrepreneurs place their products in more lucrative markets.

Scaling up Microenterprise Services
Publications

Scaling up Microenterprise Services

This 125-page volume summarizes the experience of eight organizations that spent two-years exploring ways to expand the scale of their services and their client base.

Mid-Project Review: The Department of Labor Sectoral Employment Development Demonstration
Publications

Mid-Project Review: The Department of Labor Sectoral Employment Development Demonstration

This report, a collaborative effort between the National Network of Sector Partners and WSI, reviews the progress made by 32 of the Workforce Investment Boards (WIBS) participating in the U.S. Department of Labor Sectoral Employment Development Demonstration project.

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