ProGov21 Policy Library

Race in the Heartland: Wisconsin’s Extreme Racial Disparity

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town, County, State

State(s) Wisconsin

Source High Road Strategy Center

Policy Areas Civil Rights

Wisconsin ranks among the worst states in the nation for racial inequality. This report finds Wisconsin's racial disparities rank as one of the worst for infant mortality, bachelor's degrees, incarceration, and unemployment. It recommends training a diverse teaching workforce, raising...

Illinois’s Flat Tax Exacerbates Income Inequality and Racial Wealth Gaps

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level State

State(s) Illinois

Source Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

Flat or graduated personal income taxes drive income inequality and racial wealth gaps. This brief compares Illinois’s flat income tax structure to the proposed Fair Tax amendment through a retrospective analysis. It shows that Illinois’s historic flat income tax in lieu of a graduated...

The State of Black Families in Rhode Island

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level City or Town

State(s) Rhode Island

Source The Economic Progress Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

This report investigates the state of Black families in Rhode Island. It finds that Rhode island's Black population is increasingly growing; the Black unemployment rate is high; the Black poverty rate is high; Black Rhode Islanders are less educated and receive low wages; the Black...

State Itemized Deductions: Surveying the Landscape, Exploring Reforms

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level State

State(s) All States

Source Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

Thirty states and the District of Columbia (D.C.) allow a broad category of tax subsidies known as itemized deductions, used to reduce taxpayers’ taxable income. Itemized deductions are regressive, offering the largest benefits to higher-income taxpayers and little or no benefits...

Ten Solutions to Bridge the Racial Wealth Divide

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level Other Boards and Agencies

State(s) All States

Source Institute for Policy Studies

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

The deep and persistent racial wealth divide will not close without bold, structural reform. In this report, the authors offer 10 bold solutions broken into three categories: Programs, Power and Process. These solutions are designed to strike at the structural underpinnings holding...

Building a Thriving Main Street: Charting Success for Michigan's Immigrant Entrepreneurs

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town

State(s) Michigan

Source Michigan League for Public Policy

Policy Areas Finance & Procurement

Immigrants make significant contributions to Michigan's economy, however, immigrant entrepreneurs face barriers to success, including limited access to credit, lack of official documentation, and discrimination. This report suggests providing immigrant entrepreneurs with business...

Black Worker Covid-19 Economic Health Impact Survey

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level City or Town, County

State(s) All States

Source UCLA Center for the Advancement of Racial Equity

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Economic Justice, Health

Black Americans are overrepresented in workplaces that lack healthcare infrastructure, have high job insecurity, and are detrimental to health outcomes. This report emphasizes the urgent need for specialized support and resources, including long-term economic support, targeted wellness...

The Best Black Economy in Generations – And Why It Isn’t Enough

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2024

Level National

State(s) All States

Source Center for Economic and Policy Research

Policy Areas Economic Justice

African Americans face persistent economic insecurity and inequality despite recent economic improvements. The country should implement targeted and sustained efforts, such as maintaining and improving African American employment levels, broadening homeownership, and passing innovative...

Racial & Ethnic Economic Inequality and the COVID-19 Pandemic

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level County

State(s) All States

Source The Democracy Collaborative

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights, Health

Data from states and municipalities across the country suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic is disproportionately affecting people of color in the United States. This report analyzes emerging data on deaths, unemployment, failing businesses, and wealth inequality to assess the links...

The State of Black Families in Rhode Island

Type Fact Sheet or Infographic

Year 2017

Level City or Town

State(s) Rhode Island

Source The Economic Progress Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

This factsheet investigates the state of Black families in Rhode Island. Rhode Island's Black population is growing, but their wages remain low and their unemployment rate is high. They also find that Black Rhode Islanders have lower educational attainment and high rates of incarceration....

Preempting Progress in the Heartland

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source Economic Policy Institute

Policy Areas Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice

This report compares the prevalence of preemption in Midwestern states to other U.S. regions and finds that the Midwest is second only to the South in overreach into local affairs, preventing municipalities from being able to enact strong labor protection policy, economic health support...

Data for the People _ Oregon Center for Public Policy.pdf

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year -

Level State

State(s) Oregon

Source Oregon Center for Public Policy

Policy Areas Data & Technology, Democracy & Governance, Economic Justice

All Oregonians deserve economic security, but for many it remains an elusive dream. This is particularly true for marginalized groups who face steep income inequalities and an economy that does not serve low-paid people. Data for the People compiles and provides the latest publicly...

The Promise and Limits of High-pressure Labor Markets for Narrowing the Racial Gaps

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level Other

State(s) All States

Source Economic Policy Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice

This report explores the case for continuing to run the economy "hot" in order to maintain low unemployment and high effective demand for labor as a strategy for reducing racial wage gaps and improving racial equity. This report also explores the promises and limits of a high-pressure...

2013 New York City Local Law 1 Improving Access to City Procurement Conctracts

Type Act or Session Law

Year 2013

Level City or Town

State(s) New York

Source City of New York

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Democracy & Governance, Finance & Procurement

This law improves access to city procurement contracts for minority-owned and women-owned businesses. It grants authority to the commissioner of small business services to direct agencies to increase participation from these groups, develop standardized forms, offer assistance and...

Austerity Versus Reinvestment: A Roadmap for a Broad-Based Connecticut Economic Recovery

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level State

State(s) Connecticut

Source In the Public Interest

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Community Development, Finance & Procurement

In the face of a public health emergency, an economic recession, and widening of social inequities, Connecticut has continues to reduce its public investment in services such as education, healthcare, housing, and transportation. Downsizing the public sector and failing to adequately...

The Road to Zero Wealth: How the Racial Wealth Divide is Hollowing Out America's Middle Class

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2017

Level Other Boards and Agencies

State(s) All States

Source Institute for Policy Studies

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

In their 2016 report, The Ever-Growing Gap: Without Change, African American and Latino Families Won’t Match White Wealth for Centuries, the Institute for Policy Studies showed that if current trends continue, it will take 228 years for the average Black family to reach the level...

Community Control of Land & Housing: Exploring Strategies for Combating Displacement, Expanding Ownership, and Building Community Wealth

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2018

Level City or Town

State(s) All States

Source The Democracy Collaborative

Policy Areas Civil Rights, Community Development, Housing

A historical legacy of displacement and exclusion, rooted in racism and discriminatory public policy, has restricted access and shaped ownership dynamics to land and housing, particularly for people of color and low-income communities. Today, communities across the country are facing...

“The Forgotten Ones”—The Economic Well-Being of Early Educators During COVID-19

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level State

State(s) California

Source Center for the Study of Child Care Employment

Policy Areas Children & Families, Economic Justice, Education

This report provides a closer look at the well-being of California's early educators during the COVID-19 public health crisis, using data collected from the 2020 California Early Care and Education Workforce Study. Key findings show that educators' low wages leave them vulnerable...

Racial Wage Gaps in Early Education Employment

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level State

State(s) All States

Source Center for the Study of Child Care Employment

Policy Areas Children & Families, Economic Justice, Education

Early educators are some of the lowest-paid workers in every state, which especially burdens African American and Hispanic women in this profession. This report analyzes the racial disparities that exist in early education employment. Findings show that African American early educators...

How States Can Affirmatively Further Fair Housing: Key Leverage Points and Best Practices

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2022

Level State

State(s) All States

Source Poverty & Race Research Action Council

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Housing

Since the ratification of the Fair Housing Act, states significant power to shape fair housing policy independently of federal mandates. With renewed federal interest in enforcing fair housing policy this report presents seven initiatives that further State's ability to provide fair...

Setting Higher Wages for Child Care and Home Health Care Workers is Long Overdue

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2021

Level Other

State(s) All States

Source Economic Policy Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice

Care work is vital to the function of society, but labor market discrimination has prevented care workers from receiving fair wages. This report focuses on the impact of discrimination on wages for workers in childcare, education, and home health care....

Tax Justice Is...

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2020

Level City or Town, State, National

State(s) All States

Source Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

Policy Areas Economic Justice

Racial justice, economic justice, climate justice, and health justice all require tax justice. The United States does not raise enough tax revenue to fund the basic needs of its people or environment, leading to income inequality, racial wealth gaps, and negative health and climate...

The Illusion of Race-Neutral Tax Policy

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2019

Level City or Town, State, National

State(s) All States

Source Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Civil Rights

Examining tax laws only in the context of class is a “colorblind” approach to tax and economic policy that ignores how tax policies affect communities based on race. Historical instances of explicitly racist tax policies, such as the slave tax, continue to impact state and local...

Student Debt Cancellation IS Progressive: Cancellation as a Tool to Address Racial and Economic Inequity

Type Fact Sheet or Infographic

Year 2021

Level National

State(s) All States

Source Roosevelt Institute

Policy Areas Economic Justice, Education

This fact sheet outlines the impacts of canceling student debt on racial and economic inequality. In particular, it explains how a substantial student debt cancellation plan could be a powerful tool to grow the Black middle class and address the racial wealth gap....

Creating Inclusive High-Tech Incubators and Accelerators: Strategies to Increase Participation Rates of Women and Minority Entrepreneurs

Type Policy Brief or Report

Year 2016

Level County

State(s) All States

Source Mayors Innovation Project

Policy Areas Community Development, Education, Data & Technology

This report emphasizes the importance of inclusive business incubators and accelerators in supporting entrepreneurial ventures, especially for women and minority tech entrepreneurs who are underrepresented in these programs. The report suggests strategies like expanding recruitment...

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