Project out of the Projects helps aspiring Chicago musicians, event producers find their way by mixing practical job skills, performance experience and advice.

The Illinois Policy Institute’s Center for Poverty Solutions received national backing for a job co-op that will target Chicago’s most beleaguered neighborhoods. The effort will help communities liberate themselves from government dependence.

Disproportionate and low voter turnout presents challenges for municipal democracy nationwide. However, a straightforward reform acknowledged by scholars and policymakers – aligning the timing of municipal elections to coincide with general elections – offers a clear solution to enhance voter participation significantly. Research shows the timing of local elections influences voter turnout, which subsequently impacts...

They call it “inclusionary zoning,” but in reality the government mandate for a portion of developments to be “affordable” limits supply and drives up costs. Chicago should pull back from this form of rent control.

Published Sept. 26, 2024 Illinois is in the midst of a housing affordability crisis. Over a third of residents are considered “burdened” by housing costs, meaning they pay over 30% of their income on costs related to housing. That is a greater portion of residents burdened by housing than any other state in the Midwest....

Published July 9, 2024 America is facing a housing affordability crisis. According to a 2022 survey, 73% of Americans said the average person could not afford a home in their area, and 69% were worried about their children and grandchildren being able to afford a home. That’s unfair. Everyone deserves a good roof over their...

Published Jan. 25, 2024

Chicago has one of the highest poverty rates among the nation’s biggest cities, including San Francisco and Los Angeles.

Published Sept. 26, 2023 America’s War on Poverty has been an abject failure. Nearly $12 trillion and 60 years later, official poverty rates remain basically unchanged. While the nation waged a well-intentioned assault on poverty, it inadvertently launched a far more sinister war: on dignity. While attempting to eradicate poverty, America created countless government welfare...