Student-Led Think Tank Advances Progressive Policy Reforms, Many of Which Can Be Implemented by State Legislatures and Local Gov

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Joel Barkin
Executive Director
Progressive States Network

The Roosevelt Institution, founded in 2004, is a national network of student-run progressive think tanks. Their more than 70 campus chapters serve as a forum for research and discussion of policy issues, and are linked into the policy process through the help of the national organization. Given their distributed structure and young membership, the Roosevelt Institute is uniquely situated in the think tank arena. Many of their innovative policy ideas can be implemented by state legislatures and local governments.

Every summer the organization meets to select three current policy challenges as the focus for the coming year. Throughout the following year chapters research the year's policy challenges, meet with legislators and experts, and write policy proposals. Regional policy conferences meet, where students present their proposals and are judged by a panel of experts.

The year's best proposals are then collected and published as briefing memos in the Institute's three 25 Ideas volumes and released at the yearly Roosevelt Policy Expo. The 25 Ideas series is then distributed to legislators, members of Congress, advocacy groups, and local organizations. This year's policy challenges were:

• Working Families in America
• Increasing Socioeconomic Diversity in Higher Education
• Solving the Energy Crisis

In addition to their 25 Ideas series, the Roosevelt Institution publishes the Roosevelt Review, an annual journal of the best student policy research from around the country.

25 Ideas for Working Families in America

From stagnant wages to the soaring price of health care and housing, working families in America are being left behind despite recent economic growth. Although the minimum wage recently rose and states are forwarding bold health care reform strategies, much still needs to be done to return the promise of America to the millions who have been left behind. As the editors of 25 Ideas for Working Families in America note:

"Historically, work was the pillar upon which family life rested. However, with more single parent or two breadwinner households, longer hours, job insecurity, and limited health and retirement benefits, we believe that work has become an impediment to family life."