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Economic Justice

People know the economy isn’t working, but not how it should work, or what we need to do to get there. Effective framing can turn passive unease into active support for economic justice.

In the 1980s, the conservative case for lower taxes was framed with a memorable metaphor: “trickle-down” economics. Four decades later, this frame is still with us.

The frames that are in play influence not just how people understand the economy, but the kinds of economic policies they support. If the economy is a pie, we have to slice it up. The topic quickly turns to who gets how much and who loses out. If it’s an invisible hand, best to leave it alone. But, FrameWorks research has found, if it’s a software program—we can see why and how we might reprogram it.

Language and ideas matter for major economic sectors, like housing, or contributors to economic wellbeing, like good neighborhoods and healthy, affordable food.

Explore how to frame a range of economic issues.

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Report

The State of American Culture: 2023–2024—Research Evidence and Methods

This research report is a companion to The State of American Culture: 2023–2024, which reviews seven key findings emerging from the FrameWorks Institute’s Culture Change Project. This...

Framing Resource

The State of American Culture: 2023-2024

For the past four years, the FrameWorks Institute has been tracking how American thinking is changing in light of the social, economic, and political turmoil of 2020 and beyond. This year, the...

Article

3 Things to Know about Labor this Labor Day

As we mark a national holiday to celebrate workers, we’re asking: how are Americans thinking about work? Through our WorkShift project, we’ve been conducting in-depth interviews and large,...

Report

Producing the Future: Cultural Mindsets of Manufacturing in the United States

The manufacturing sector in the United States is undergoing a pivotal transformation, driven by the need for sustainable practices and equitable labor conditions. As federal policies and...

Report

Five Trends in Public Thinking about Manufacturing

The manufacturing sector is at a crucial turning point, facing both big challenges and new opportunities. With the urgent need to tackle environmental crises, recent federal actions have made...

Report

WorkShift Methods Supplement

This supplement provides detailed information on the research that informs the first release of FrameWorks’ WorkShift! project on reframing work and labor in the United States. Below, we...

Publication

Self-Made Individuals and Just Labor Systems: Public Thinking about Work in the United States

Workers in the United States face enormous challenges within the economy as it is currently structured. If we are to achieve a fundamental shift in power in favor of workers, rather than...

Report

Six Trends in Public Thinking about Work in the United States

Is the current system of work in the United States—which many experience as insecure, unequal, and disempowering—amenable to a fundamental power shift in favor of workers, away from...

Article

The Future of Care

Four years ago, the COVID-19 pandemic shined a light on care work and the many ways that care infrastructure—or the lack thereof—plays an important role in all of our lives. From greater...

Publication

Moving Toward Collective Health and Prosperity Means Putting Hunger and Poverty in the Rearview Mirror

The terrain of public thinking about hunger and poverty is fraught with unhelpful assumptions and associations—including harmful, dehumanizing stereotypes. Fortunately, certain helpful public...

Framing Resource

Talking about homes: what we can learn from homelessness and poverty research

How we talk about homes matters. We all have power as communicators to tell a story about homes that will build understanding and support for solutions to make our housing system better.

Report

Public Thinking About Care Work: Encouraging Trends, Critical Challenges

Has the salience of care and the respect for frontline workers seen during the pandemic stayed high or dwindled? What we find is both encouraging and a call to action.