The Topos Partnership aims to transform public understanding of job quality. Their mission is to create an environment where improving job quality seems like common sense. Their methods include analyzing media and conducting interviews to understand obstacles and perspectives. They seek to develop a new narrative that taps into values of work and fair pay, and provides "permission, confidence and clarity" to view improving job quality as beneficial to workers, businesses, and the overall economy.

1. Supported by the Ford Foundation
Changing the Job Quality Narrative
www.ToposPartnership.com
@ TeamTopos ToposPartnership

2. Topos Mission
To explore and
ultimately transform
the landscape of
public understanding

3. Success means more than “agreement.”

4. 4
Success means aSuccess means a
new perspectivenew perspective
4

5. Success means ideas that can spread,
cultural common sense.

6. Organizing Ideas

8. Project Overview
Create an environment in which the
job quality agenda seems like simple
common sense solutions; the obvious
path forward.

9. Methods
• Meta-analysis of public opinion
• Qualitative media content analysis
• Advocate interviews
• Ethnography
• Virtual community forum
• Interviews with public officials and business
executives
• Talkback testing

10. ObstaclesObstacles

11. Individual Perspective

12. Wages and benefits are a cost/burden
Business is “The Authority” on jobs
Etc.
Business Perspective

13. “Employer-Employee Bubble”

14. Bottom line …
Even if people are inclined to take the “right”
stance, it can be trumped:
Small business can’t afford to pay more.
Workers can negotiate or leave for a better job; nothing I can do.
Education is the answer.
What rationale overcomes those hurdles?

15. What People
Need
What Business
Needs
What We & Our
Economy Need

16. More Productive Focus
If jobs don’t pay enough for people to afford
the basics, the economy slows down.
Profitable companies could compensate
better but choose not to.

17. [animation]

18. Economists sometimes talk about what they call
economy-boosting jobs. These are jobs where
people make enough money to maintain the
basic spending levels that keep the economy
going. If profitable companies can get away with
paying so low that people can’t afford to spend
on basics like food, repairs, and so on, the
economy slows down.

19. [before/after video]

21. A new mental picture … of
how the economy works
Tapping into values …
about work, fair pay, etc.
“Permission,” confidence,
clarity