Infrastructure projects put people to work today for a better tomorrow
The return on investment for infrastructure spending is always high. However, during economic downturns the economic benefits are magnified.
Stimulus strategies: which policies can best kickstart the economy
Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Hawaiʻi can learn a lot from evaluating various initiatives the federal government used to pull the United States out of the Great Recession.
Keeping families afloat will keep our economy alive
Hawaiʻi is stronger when we invest in our people so they can better contribute to our economy and community.
Using Hawaiʻi emergency funds to weather COVID-19
Now is the time to use Hawaiʻi’s emergency funds to stabilize the economy and the working families that power it.
COVID-19: what policymakers can do now to buoy Hawaiʻi’s economy
By learning the lessons for the Great Recession, policymakers can save both lives and economies in communities across the state.
Community partnership will serve free meals to keiki during school closure
Five sites will be open on Prince Kūhiō Day when Department of Education sites will be closed.
Appleseed COVID-19 response will focus on assisting state in managing social safety net programs
During this crisis, Appleseed’s concern lies with the working families and children of Hawaiʻi.
State research confirms economic benefit of minimum wage hikes
The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism’s latest report demonstrates that a living wage is not only possible, it is economically desirable.
Making the Earned Income Tax Credit a cornerstone of Hawaiʻi antipoverty policy
Lawmakers should strengthen the signature working families tax credit to better help those who need it most.
Hawaiʻi’s racial pay gap has gotten worse since 2000
For decades, white Hawaiʻi residents have seen higher median wages than people of color. When racial and ethnic categories are broken down, the disparities are even more pronounced.
Trump’s Public Charge rule could cost Hawaiʻi tens of millions in revenue
The financial cost of the rule change is in addition to the harm done to the health and resilience of immigrant families through the “chilling” effect on benefits-use that has already been documented in Hawaiʻi.
Automatic voter registration boosts participation, especially among minorities
States that have adopted automatic voter registration have seen their voter rolls increase dramatically, as well as become more diverse.
Too many Hawaiʻi seniors are still going hungry
Although Hawaiʻi has made strides to address hunger in recent years, thousands of seniors are still at risk of experiencing hunger across the islands.
No cause for panic: Hawaiʻi’s economy is OK
A quarter of slow growth is no reason for lawmakers to forgo important economic justice measures like raising the minimum wage.
How well do our elected legislative bodies reflect the general public?
Diversity in legislative bodies helps promote ideas that, by their nature, are more representative of the common good.
Hawaiʻi workers need four more work weeks a year to cover rent since 1985
Many of the cities with the highest rents also pay the highest average salaries, but Honolulu is not among them.
Despite rising incomes, housing is still out of reach for many in Hawaiʻi
Even for those who have lived here their entire lives—whose community ties go back generations—Hawaiʻi offers no easy path to affordable home ownership.
Adjusted for cost of living, Hawaiʻi’s wages are the lowest in the country
Hawaiʻi is almost a fifth more expensive than the rest of the country overall and more than twice as expensive in rents alone, which means our wages don’t really go that far.
To empower indigenous peoples, decolonize data
Too often, indigenous populations have no control over the data that describes them, creating a disconnect between on-the-ground needs and top-down policy proposals.
Whole Foods Market’s 5% Community Giving Day will expand access to meals for children
For keiki who rely on free and reduced-price school meals to get a healthy start, Whole Foods Market’s donation to Hawaiʻi Appleseed’s school meal expansion efforts will have life-altering implications.