Tax & Macroeconomics Credit & Debt
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Topic Credit & Debt

Credit and debt play a critical role in U.S. economic fluctuations, and changes in inequality drive changes in both the demand and supply of credit in the economy. Equitable Growth examines the role of credit and debt in the economy and seeks to understand these intersections and understand how best to ensure that the financial sector serves the public interest.

Featured work

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Risks escalate for U.S. retirement plans due to unregulated private credit funds and new rules opening them up to retirement savings accounts

By Lenore Palladino,

October 29, 2025

October 29, 2025

Lenore Palladino,
Tax & Macroeconomics
TOPICS: 1
Credit & Debt
TOPICS: Credit & Debt
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Americans informed about the distributional effects of Republicans’ tax and budget bill overwhelmingly oppose it

By Jacob Hacker, Patrick Sullivan,

July 3, 2025

July 3, 2025

Jacob Hacker, Patrick Sullivan,
Inequality & MobilityFamiliesTax & Macroeconomics
TOPICS: 5
Economic Inequality, Economic Wellbeing, Fiscal Policy, Health, Taxes, Inequality & Growth
TOPICS: Economic Inequality, Economic Wellbeing, Fiscal Policy, Health, Taxes, Inequality & Growth
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Testimony by Michael Linden on “The Big Beautiful Betrayal—Working Folks Pay While The Mega Rich Profit”

By Michael Linden,

June 17, 2025

June 17, 2025

Michael Linden,
Tax & Macroeconomics
TOPICS: 5
Business Taxation, Credit & Debt, Fiscal Policy, Individual Taxation, Taxes, Inequality & Growth
TOPICS: Business Taxation, Credit & Debt, Fiscal Policy, Individual Taxation, Taxes, Inequality & Growth
working paper

A Goldilocks Theory of Fiscal Deficits

By Atif Mian, Ludwig Straub, Amir Sufi,

June 30, 2022

June 30, 2022

Atif Mian, Ludwig Straub, Amir Sufi,
Tax & Macroeconomics
TOPICS: 3
Credit & Debt, Fiscal Policy, Monetary Policy
TOPICS: Credit & Debt, Fiscal Policy, Monetary Policy
Vision 2020

Promote economic and racial justice: Eliminate student loan debt and establish a right to higher education across the United States

By Darrick Hamilton, Naomi Zewde,

February 18, 2020

February 18, 2020

Darrick Hamilton, Naomi Zewde,
Inequality & MobilityFamiliesLabor
TOPICS: 10
Economic Inequality, Economic Mobility, Economic Wellbeing, Economics of Place, Gender, Job Mobility, Post-secondary Education, Poverty, Race & Ethnicity, Wage Stagnation
TOPICS: Economic Inequality, Economic Mobility, Economic Wellbeing, Economics of Place, Gender, Job Mobility, Post-secondary Education, Poverty, Race & Ethnicity, Wage Stagnation
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Issue Brief: Household insecurity matters for U.S. macroeconomic stability

By Nisha Chikhale,

May 16, 2018

May 16, 2018

Nisha Chikhale,
Tax & MacroeconomicsInequality & MobilityFamilies
TOPICS: 3
Credit & Debt, Economic Inequality, Economic Wellbeing
TOPICS: Credit & Debt, Economic Inequality, Economic Wellbeing

Explore Content in Credit & Debt162

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Giving credit to the unemployed

By Nick Bunker,

February 11, 2016

February 11, 2016

Nick Bunker,
Tax & MacroeconomicsLabor
TOPICS: 2
Credit & Debt, Job Mobility
TOPICS: Credit & Debt, Job Mobility
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What the Fed’s method of raising interest rates reveals about the state of the global economy

By Nick Bunker,

December 17, 2015

December 17, 2015

Nick Bunker,
Tax & Macroeconomics
TOPICS: 2
Credit & Debt, Monetary Policy
TOPICS: Credit & Debt, Monetary Policy
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The Earned Income Tax Credit

By Jesse Rothstein,

December 15, 2015

December 15, 2015

Jesse Rothstein,
Tax & MacroeconomicsFamilies
TOPICS: 3
Credit & Debt, Economic Wellbeing, Individual Taxation
TOPICS: Credit & Debt, Economic Wellbeing, Individual Taxation
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An introduction to the geography of student debt

By Kavya Vaghul, Marshall Steinbaum,

December 1, 2015

December 1, 2015

Kavya Vaghul, Marshall Steinbaum,
Tax & MacroeconomicsFamilies
TOPICS: 2
Credit & Debt, Post-secondary Education
TOPICS: Credit & Debt, Post-secondary Education
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Corporate surpluses, savings, and economic growth

By Nick Bunker,

November 19, 2015

November 19, 2015

Nick Bunker,
Tax & Macroeconomics
TOPICS: 1
Credit & Debt
TOPICS: Credit & Debt
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What problem does crowdfunding venture capital solve?

By Nick Bunker,

November 10, 2015

November 10, 2015

Nick Bunker,
Tax & Macroeconomics
TOPICS: 1
Credit & Debt
TOPICS: Credit & Debt
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What’s the price of free-flowing capital?

By Nick Bunker,

October 29, 2015

October 29, 2015

Nick Bunker,
Tax & Macroeconomics
TOPICS: 1
Credit & Debt
TOPICS: Credit & Debt
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How delayed foreclosures can actually lead to higher wages

By Nick Bunker,

October 8, 2015

October 8, 2015

Nick Bunker,
Tax & MacroeconomicsLabor
TOPICS: 1
Credit & Debt
TOPICS: Credit & Debt
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Here’s how high levels of household debt affect economic growth

By Nick Bunker,

September 29, 2015

September 29, 2015

Nick Bunker,
Tax & Macroeconomics
TOPICS: 1
Credit & Debt
TOPICS: Credit & Debt
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Why just expanding credit might not be enough for U.S. monetary policy

September 23, 2015

September 23, 2015

Tax & Macroeconomics
TOPICS: 2
Credit & Debt, Monetary Policy
TOPICS: Credit & Debt, Monetary Policy
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The pernicious effects of growing student debt on the economic security of young workers

By Kavya Vaghul,

September 17, 2015

September 17, 2015

Kavya Vaghul,
Tax & MacroeconomicsFamilies
TOPICS: 3
Credit & Debt, Economic Wellbeing, Post-secondary Education
TOPICS: Credit & Debt, Economic Wellbeing, Post-secondary Education
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Finance and competition in the U.S. economy

September 8, 2015

September 8, 2015

CompetitionTax & Macroeconomics
TOPICS: 1
Credit & Debt
TOPICS: Credit & Debt
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