Bold policies for economic justice

W Darity Jr, D Hamilton - The Review of Black Political …, 2012 - journals.sagepub.com
The Review of Black Political Economy, 2012journals.sagepub.com
The US is characterized by a longstanding pattern of large structural racial inequality that
deepens further as a result of economic downturn. Although there have been some
improvements in the income gap up until around the mid 1970s, the employment gap, and
the racial wealth gap-two dramatic indicators of economic security-remains exorbitant and
stubbornly persistent. We offer two race-neutral programs that could go a long way towards
eliminating racial inequality, while at the same time providing economic security, mobility …
The U.S. is characterized by a longstanding pattern of large structural racial inequality that deepens further as a result of economic downturn. Although there have been some improvements in the income gap up until around the mid 1970s, the employment gap, and the racial wealth gap - two dramatic indicators of economic security - remains exorbitant and stubbornly persistent. We offer two race-neutral programs that could go a long way towards eliminating racial inequality, while at the same time providing economic security, mobility and sustainability for all Americans. The first program, a federal job guarantee, would provide the economic security of a job and the removal of the threat of unemployment for all Americans. The second program, a substantial child development account that rises progressively based on the familial asset positioning of the child's parents, would provide a pathways towards asset security for all Americans regardless of their economic position at birth.
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