Current Research and Policy Activities
Economic Advancement
In 1990, the Joint Center for Political Studies added the term "Economic" to the organization's name in recognition of the critical role that economic advancement plays in the ability of African Americans to achieve equality and of the increasingly important work that the Joint Center was undertaking on economic issues. While our work on economic issues has responded to changes in the national policy agenda over the years, three on-going areas of interest are:
Income and Poverty
In addressing income and poverty-related issues, the Joint Center has focused largely on retirement income issues, and more recently, we have explored the potential impact of Social Security reform proposals on African Americans, both men and women, of all ages and income levels. Social Security is the backbone of financial security for most African American seniors and provides significant financial support to survivors (adults and children) and to disabled workers. Changes to the system are likely, therefore, to affect black families more than other groups. The Joint Center provides an overview of current and past research on Social Security, polling of African Americans on this issue, data on Social Security and African Americans, and links to recent news and events. The Joint Center's DataBank provides data on Social Security and on income and wealth among African Americans.
Employment and Training
In the areas of employment and training, the Joint Center has produced an extensive body of work on job and labor force issues, including publications on job creation, training needs for black workers in the 21st century, soft skills, and cultural competence in the workforce. DataBank provides employment and earnings statistics.
Minority Business Development
Research in the area of Minority Business Development has included tracking the expansion and growth of minority firms and the factors affecting their growth and sustainability. The Joint Center also has surveyed minority firms to determine the employment potential of these firms and their attitudes towards hiring ex-offenders seeking to re-integrate into their communities. Data is available through DataBank.
Minimum Wage - New
A report on the minimum wage issued earlier this year by the Joint Center found that black workers comprise some 16 percent of those who will see their wages rise as a direct result of the new federal minimum wage law enacted in May, 2007. In addition to the 189,000 African Americans who will benefit from this year's increase from $5.15/hour to $5.85/hour, another 419,000 will benefit from the move to $6.55/hour next year, and 753,000 more will benefit when the rate rises to its full level of $7.25/hour in 2009. Over this period, an additional 651,000 African Americans may benefit from increases in their state minimum wages or a combination of state and federal increases – bringing the total number of black workers who could potentially benefit from federal and/or state minimum wage increases to more than two million by 2009. [Download Full Report]
Joint Center Experts
Additional Resources