Taylor Jo Isenberg

It is interesting to me how often in policy debates we have to “achieve” some clear metric (increase women’s labor force participation, increase fertility, etc) and how “it’ll just make things less bad for people” isn’t taken as an acceptable goal more often

Very excited to launch a project I've been helping out with the last couple months.* The Center for Shared AI Prosperity is an attempt by an, other than me, very impressive team (so far including @davidshor, @katz_morris, @StefFeldman, @maidinoff, Lindsay Lamont, Jesse Stinebring, @joshhendler, @goldman, and Lilah Penner Brown) to force DC policy elites to take the impending economic impacts of advanced AI more seriously. We do not think this is a normal economic shock, though we are deeply uncertain about what kind of economic shock it will be. We could be left with a world of extreme power and wealth concentration, increasing political instability arising from that growing inequality, and deep questions about how to fund governments that have for a century-plus relied on income and payroll taxes. Our main purpose as an organization is to surface tractable ideas to reform and grow the safety net to meet the moment; to restructure the labor market so workers are still valued and fairly paid; to remake the tax code so that the gains from AI are shared widely; and to experiment with ways of giving average Americans concrete shares in the AI surplus. To that end, we're running a Request for Ideas, and we're offering $3,000 for the best proposals. Top ideas will get rigorous polling from Blue Rose Research to see how Americans feel about them. We are trying to solicit submissions from a wide pool, and purposefully don't want to just ask the usual think tanks, economists, academics, etc. (Though we want them too!) If you have ideas that you think could be useful, please don't hesitate to apply. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about the program. Read more here: csaip.org *Obligatory disclaimer: I'm doing this on my personal time, not in my capacity at Coefficient Giving. Nothing I or CSAIP say necessarily reflects CG's views.

Today, the COMPETE Act (AB 1776) passed out of suspense in Sacramento,  moving California one step closer to updating its 119-year-old antitrust statute. The legislation would curb the abuse of monopoly power by dominant corporations that have driven up what Californians pay for groceries, healthcare, housing, and everyday essentials. Here’s our statement from ESCAA Legislative Advocate Loyal Terry: economicsecurity.us/news/californi…

To me, this is the key chart from the new @PplPolicyProj report on Nordic child care: when you have a system with adequate public funding, you can provide parents with *real* choices so they can raise their kids the way they want. This way lies parental freedom.

15/ So, what should policy do? Don't try to lower the overall price level. Target the goods where people feel affordability most keenly — housing, childcare, healthcare, energy, and groceries.

This paper covers literally everything. Differences in childcare worker pay. Differences in benefit structure, spending. History. It's very very good. peoplespolicyproject.org/projects/us-no…

Skyrocketing health costs, hospitals and clinics closing down, and millions of families losing their healthcare: these are the consequences of H.R.1 unfolding in real time, nationwide. H.R.1 gutted over $1 trillion from Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act. The bill also gave over $1 trillion in tax cuts that mostly benefit billionaires and big corporations. We need better, affordable healthcare for all. Instead, working families are getting stuck with higher costs and coverage losses. As the healthcare crisis continues to escalate, it's time to speak out against the #healthcareheist. Learn more here: economicsecurityproject.org/resource/may-h…

More of our thinking on the way forward in "Ideas for Shared Economic Prosperity in the AI Transition", our brief authored by the brilliant @chao_becky economicsecurityproject.org/resource/ai-tr…

The next big question? How do we build a playbook that taps into the shifting politics on AI to make a real go at comprehensive tax reform, which will be foundational to achieving economic freedom and dignity for all.

Exciting to see Alex Bores put pen to paper on an AI Dividend. We spent a lot of time studying the pros and cons of the Alaska Dividend early at @EconomicSecProj and what I think is most promising is the advancement of a politics of shared ownership and shared benefit.

Last night, the Senate blocked Scott Wiener’s SB 1074, a bill that would have stopped Big Tech from rigging the system in their favor. SB 1074 would have banned self-preferencing, an anticompetitive practice where dominant platforms unfairly boost their own products over competitors—stifling competition, raising prices, and further concentrating corporate power. We are grateful to @Scott_Wiener for his leadership and to our partners @ycombinator. This fight isn’t over. We’ll keep pushing to rein in monopoly power and build an economy that works for everyone. ✊🏽 Read our full statement: economicsecurity.us/news/big-tech-…

1933 + 1940, Fiorello La Guardia.

“When Trump regained power, his IRS shut (Direct File) down - calling it too expensive when in reality it was one of the most cost-efficient innovations in modern government. Why eliminate a cost-effective, well-liked new technology that makes life easier for Americans?…

It’s tax day! In addition to the loss of truly free tax filing with Direct File, many taxpayers are facing additional fees when filing. Forced upgrades to save your data. Upsells for state filing. Processing fees to actually pay your bill. I paid a $29.30 fee just to file in NE

Owning the marketplace shouldn’t mean you get to rig it. Last night, the BASED Act (SB 1074) was heard in the Senate Judiciary Committee for the first time and it passed 8–1. Authored by @Scott_Wiener and co-sponsored by Economic Security California Action and @ycombinator, the bill targets a practice many people experience but few can name: self-preferencing. Take a simple example: a music subscription. On Tidal’s website, it’s $9.99. Through your iPhone, it’s $12.99. That difference reflects Apple’s 30% commission, passed directly to you. Multiply that across apps, subscriptions, and digital services used by millions. That’s self-preferencing. Dominant platforms both run the marketplace and compete in it, prioritizing their own products to the top, using data from competitors, and restricting user choice. The BASED Act would ban these practices for the largest platforms.  Startups, small businesses, and consumers deserve a market where the best product wins—not the one that owns the platform. Read our full statement  economicsecurity.us/news/statement…

BREAKING: Zohran Mamdani is fulfilling his campaign promise to open 5 city-run grocery stores across NYC. @NYCMayor told us the stores will: - Offer staple goods at a reduced price, subsidized by the city. - Contract a private vendor to run the stores who will be required to pay workers union wages. La Marqueta in East Harlem, first opened as a public market by Mayor LaGuardia in 1936, will house one of the stores.

Government can do things again.

For too many families, the moment a child is born is also the moment financial pressure peaks. Income drops. Costs rise. And what should be a time of bonding with their newborn becomes a time of stress and uncertainty. Research shows that when families receive direct, flexible cash support during pregnancy and early infancy, outcomes improve. Birth outcomes strengthen. Maternal mental health improves. Housing instability declines. The momentum for cash-based solutions is growing, including in Illinois, where a proposed Newborn Equity Support Transfer (NEST) program would provide $1,500 during pregnancy and $500 per month in a baby’s first six months—delivering support at the exact moment families need it most. This approach could reach nearly 40% of births in the state. When families have stability at the start, babies are healthier and parents are better able to care, recover, and stay afloat.

"Getting to a place where the public thinks child care should be a universal right that’s free at the point of service...is going to happen b/c we make the case, name the vision, [and] challenge the opponents day by day." Must-read from @ehaspel: familyfrontier.substack.com/p/when-do-we-l…