Promoting Competition and Supporting Workers in the AI Era

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth invites proposals for research focusing on promoting competition and supporting workers amid the growing influence of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. This initiative seeks to explore how AI can be utilized to benefit workers, enhance job quality, and ensure robust competition while leveraging innovation to drive productivity and economic growth. The program supports multidisciplinary research that addresses macroeconomic or micro-level outcomes, historical analysis with policy applications, and qualitative or quantitative methodologies.

Research priorities are concentrated in two primary areas: workers and workplace organization, and market structure and competition. Topics of interest include the effects of AI on wages, worker well-being, task organization, and job mobility. It also examines how workforce training can mitigate disruptions and leverage AI benefits. On market structure, the focus extends to trends in AI market integration, market power within the tech stack, and barriers to competition or innovation. The goal is to generate actionable insights for policymakers to craft effective and equitable AI policies.

Eligible applicants must be affiliated with a U.S. college or university, including graduate students in the dissertation phase. International researchers may collaborate, provided the principal investigator is U.S.-affiliated. Researchers currently holding open Equitable Growth grants with end dates beyond July 1, 2025, are ineligible to apply as principal investigators. Grants range from $25,000 to $80,000 and can be used for salaries, research assistance, data acquisition, experiments, or related travel. Overhead costs are excluded, and summer salaries for principal investigators are capped at $20,000 annually.

Applications require a six-page research proposal, a two-page CV, and a preliminary budget using the provided template. Proposals must address research questions, literature contributions, methodology, data access, timelines, and policy implications. Engagement with nonacademic audiences is encouraged. Submissions are evaluated on their alignment with funding priorities, methodological rigor, potential to advance the literature, and applicability to policy design.

The submission deadline is February 10, 2025, with funding decisions announced in June 2025 to allow disbursement at the start of the 2025–2026 academic year. Prospective applicants can request guidance from Equitable Growth staff regarding eligibility, budget guidelines, and project alignment. Applications must be submitted through the online portal, and queries can be directed to the organization’s contact points.