The Political Economy Research Institute

The Political Economy Research Institute (PERI) addresses basic issues of human and ecological well-being through research written for the general public, policy makers, and academic audiences. PERI researchers are currently involved in several broad and interrelated areas: clean energy economics and employment; globalization and macroeconomics; labor markets and living wages; development, peacebuilding, and the environment; and financial reform and regulation. Students and faculty from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and visiting scholars, including postdoctoral fellows, come to PERI to pursue research in the defined areas. Among the specific current research topics are increasing income and wealth inequality, problems facing low-wage workers both in the U.S. and in developing countries, underemployment and informalization, environmental deterioration, financial market instability, and the relationship between inflation and unemployment. PERI is located in Gordon Hall, 418 N. Pleasant St., Amherst, MA 01002. Co-Directors: Robert Pollin, Professor of Economics, tel. (413) 577-0819, email: pollin@econs.umass.edu; Gerald Epstein, Professor of Economics, tel. (413) 577-0822, email: gepstein@econs.umass.edu.