In recent years, local and state governments have disclosed more information to the public about tax breaks, grants, and other subsidies they give corporations. But Alabama remains an exception. Unlike most states, it still fails to meaningfully track what the public is getting for the billions it gives to businesses to open or expand operations. We talked to former state Rep. Patricia Todd about what must be done to change that.

My colleagues were digging into the state of economic development subsides in Ohio – as we here at Good Jobs First do – when they came across Cincinnati resident Michelle Dillingham. She's part of a group working hard to reign in tax abatements that divert significant pools of money from schools.

Happy nearly summer, Good Jobs First friends. This is Arlene, with a much overdue update on what we at Good Jobs First have been up to this very busy spring.
Let’s start with some huge news out of Texas, where a massive corporate subsidy program is now on track to expire next year. The program is called Chapter 313, and an explosive Houston Chronicle series (paywalled!) found how little Texans get from a program over $1 billion per year.

Good Jobs First is a 23-year-old non-profit research center based in Washington, DC. GJF focuses on government and corporate accountability and now seeks a research analyst to work on its Covid Stimulus Watch project.

In 2004, Joel Bakan wrote a book about the dangerous grip corporations hold over people and institutions, and how government has aided and abetted their dominance. “The Corporation: The Pathological Pursuit of Profit and Power” was published in over 20 languages and inspired the acclaimed film, “The Corporation."
Now he’s back with a new book, “The New Corporation: How ‘Good’ Corporations are Bad for Democracy.”