The Project for Middle Class Renewal provides comprehensive, independent, and effective analysis on employment practices and policies in Illinois.

PMCR has generated numerous applied reports utilized in the Illinois General Assembly support of employment-related statutes across industries. Report authors have provided expert testimony at state assembly hearings and before the Chicago City Council. Research has been cited in many local, state, and national print, radio, and television media outlets. PMCR continues to be highly engaged in research advancing contemporary public policies and practices influencing labor and workplace issues.

The report provides empirical evidence from a demonstration pilot in Chicago on a companion policy, the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC). The Chicago EITC Periodic Payment Pilot (CEPPP) was a large-scale demonstration project that provided low- and moderate-income parents up to half of their EITC via four periodic payments during the 2014 tax year. The CEPPP began with the premise that families need tax relief and economic support throughout the year. The report addresses the impact of individual CEPPP recipients compared to a control group receiving a lump sum and examines the administrative feasibility of periodic payments.

Learn more about the Labor Education Program here.