South By North Strategies, Ltd.

Labor Market Struggles Not Equally Shared

From the Center for American Progress’ “Economic Snapshot” for March 2012 …

Labor market pressures fall especially on communities of color, young workers, and those with less education.The African American unemployment rate in February 2012 stayed well above average at 14.1 percent, and the Hispanic unemployment rate stayed high at 10.7 percent, while the white unemployment rate was 7.3 percent. Youth unemployment stood at a high 23.8 percent. And the unemployment rate for people without a high school diploma stayed high at 12.9 percent, compared to 8.3 percent for those with a high school diploma and 4.2 percent for those with a college degree. Vulnerable groups have struggled disproportionately more amid the weak labor market than white workers, older workers, and workers with more education. But even those groups that fare better than their counterparts in the weak labor market suffer tremendously from high and long-term unemployment.

Around The Dial – April 2, 2012

Economic policy reports, blog postings, and media stories of interest:

• The Baseline Scenario asks if the GOP is still the party of business.
• The NC Budget & Tax Center analyzes who benefits from the EITC.
• Martin Wolf warns against plutocracy.
• Jared Bernstein fears closing the doors of educational opportunity.
• Uwe Reinhardt explains the logic of the individual mandate.

Research Forum: Is College Still Affordable?

Over the winter, South by North Strategies, Ltd. conducted research into changes in state support in public higher education from 1990 onward for Demos, a national public policy organization based in New York City.

The forthcoming report, entitled  The Great Cost Shift in Higher Education, will be the subject of a forum to be held at North Carolina Central University in Durham at 7:30 p.m. on April 4, 2012. The event, which will feature South by North Strategies’ research, is being sponsored by Demos, the NC Justice Center, the Campaign for Young America, and NC Central University.

Click here to register for the event, which will take place in the Alfonso Elder Student Union on the campus of NC Central University (campus map).

Show Us The Money

A new infographic from the Congressional Budget Office depicts what happened to the funds provided under the Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP).

Around The Dial – March 30, 2012

Economic policy reports, blog postings, and media stories of interest:

• Prabhat Jha and Dean Jamison warn against following the American health care model.
• Daron Acemoglu and Simon Johnson ask about “who captured the Fed.”
• Robert Reich imagines “healthcare jujitsu.”
• Paul Krugman shakes his head at the Supreme Court.