The Fiction Of Flexibility: How The Gig Economy Is Exploiting Workers

Up to 36% of American workers have participated in gig or independent work, a figure that continues to rise. Many platforms like Uber and DoorDash use claims of “flexibility” to classify workers as independent contractors, denying them minimum wage protections, benefits, and organizing rights, while often engaging in legal violations such as price fixing. This brief examines the unsustainable nature of the gig economy and explores legislative and legal reforms to promote fair opportunity for all Americans.

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Christian Do

December 12, 2025

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Inquiry-driven, this project may reflect personal views, aiming to enrich problem-related discourse.

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Other Fellowship Capstones

America’s Financial Literacy Problem: Why it Needs to Be Taught Early and Everywhere

Capstones Summer 2025

Luke Meggers

Despite living in one of the world’s largest existing economies, millions of students all over America graduate from high school without understanding the basics of financial literacy. This unbelievable fact contributes to real consequences such as life long financial insecurity and long term debt. Although there exists some recognition of the importance of financial literacy, strong and consistent instruction is still not present in most middle schools and high schools. This brief discusses current gaps in financial literacy education, explains why early and comprehensive instruction is critical, and outlines crucial policy options to integrate financial literacy requirements and curriculum into schools across the United States.

Behind Closed Polls: The Quiet Crisis of Voter Suppression

Emily Kohler

This policy brief takes a deep dive into the issue of voter suppression and disenfranchisement. There is a long history of voter disenfranchisement in the United States.

Gun Smuggling Routes: Intelligent Toll Point Scanning for Gun Smuggling in California

Capstones Summer 2025

Anna Grigorev

The brief will cover the history of gun smuggling, the routes that gun smugglers use to transport firearms to the state of California, and how these can be combated with policy implementations.

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Other Fellowship Capstones

America’s Financial Literacy Problem: Why it Needs to Be Taught Early and Everywhere

Behind Closed Polls: The Quiet Crisis of Voter Suppression

Gun Smuggling Routes: Intelligent Toll Point Scanning for Gun Smuggling in California