Mike Konczal

Mike Konczal is a Research Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute.

Op-Ed

Could We Redirect Tax Subsidies to Pay for Free College?

Want a way to pay for free higher education? Take a look at all the tax breaks that ease the burden of student debt.

By: Mike Konczal ,; NextNewDeal

May 19, 2013

News Analysis

Are Student Loans Becoming a Macroeconomic Issue?

New report brings into question the long term affects of student loans on the future of the economy.

By: Mike Konczal ,; NextNewDeal

April 26, 2013

News Analysis

Why the Republican CFPB Arguments Are Wrong

It's been almost two years, and the GOP still refuses to approve a Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) director without a significant overhaul of the agency.

By: Mike Konczal ,; NextNewDeal

February 9, 2013

The Crushing Burden of Student Debt

One of my favorite moments of Occupy Wall Street was the second or third night.... There’s this guy, he’s playing a carnival barker, and he says, “Step right up! …

By: David Graeber ,; Mike Konczal ,; Sarah Jaffe ,; Brian Kalkbrenner ,; n+1

May 4, 2012

News Analysis

Welcome to the One Percent Recovery

There was a brief debate focused on the following question: would the gains of the economy continue to accrue to the top 1% once the recovery started, or would …

By: Mike Konczal ,; NewDeal2.0

March 10, 2012

Interview

An Interview with Occupy the SEC About Their Volcker Rule Comment Letter

February 13 was an important deadline for comment letters relating to the implementation of the Volcker Rule. One group that submitted a comment letter was Occupy the SEC, an …

By: Mike Konczal ,; NewDeal2.0

February 16, 2012

Op-Ed

How Government Decides Which Workers Deserve Rights

Malcolm Harris has a New Inquiry essay on the movie Sleeping Beauty (2011) and the feminization of precarious labor. A lot has been written on precarious labor recently, including both John Schmitt’s book review in Dissent and Bhaskar …

By: Mike Konczal ,; NewDeal2.0

February 6, 2012

News Analysis

How Credit Collectors Have Reinvented the Debtors’ Prison

NPR just ran a story called “Unpaid Bills Land Some Debtors Behind Bars.” As they report, ”Here’s how it happens: A company will often sell off its debt to …

By: Mike Konczal ,; NewDeal2.0

December 15, 2011

Op-Ed

Eight Reasons Why Extending Unemployment Benefits Will Boost the Economy

In the aftermath of the super committee’s collapse, Democrats are going to have to fight to get unemployment insurance benefits extended. This is one of many “orphan programs” left …