Policy Analysis & Commentary
H.R.1. and Its Impact on Black Households Through Taxes and Social Programs
The Joint Center released a fact sheet, H.R.1 and Its Impact on Black Households Through Taxes and Social Programs, to provide an overview of key changes, its impact on African…
The Economic State of Black Women in the United States
By Cantrell Dumas The policy snapshot, The Economic State of Black Women in the United States, explores the continuing influence of broader structural and historical factors in shaping economic security…
The Record We Kept: America’s Black Think Tank and the Campaigns That Changed American Politics
For more than five decades, the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies has served as America’s Black think tank. Founded in 1970, when the number of Black elected officials…
Joint Center Submits Comments to Universal Service Fund (USF) Working Group Emphasizing the Need to Modernize the WSF
The Joint Center submitted comments to the Universal Service Fund (USF) Working Group to emphasize the need to modernize the USF, which funds key initiatives, such as Lifeline, E-Rate, Rural…
Budget Reconciliation Cuts to the Social Safety Net and their Impact on Black Households
In July 2025, congressional Republicans passed, and President Donald Trump signed, a partisan budget reconciliation package that will reshape the American economy and further erode the social safety net. The…
Broadband or AI Regulation? Congress’s False Choice Risks Progress for Black Communities
Congress is currently considering a proposal that will make broadband funding contingent on whether states regulate artificial intelligence (AI). The provision — referred to as the AI moratorium — is…
Workforce Policy Director Contributed to AERA Handbook on Education Policy
Joint Center Workforce Policy Director Dr. Kayla Elliott published a chapter titled “Hispanic-Serving Institutions and Education Policy and Politics” in the Handbook of Education Policy Research, 2nd Edition. The second…
From the Reagan Era to Trump’s First 100 Days: Lessons Learned From America’s Black Think Tank
When the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies was founded in 1970, we stood at the dawn of a new political era — one shaped by the victories of…
Joint Center Tracker Final Update of Racial Diversity of Top Staff Hires in 119th Congress
By LaShonda Brenson, Ph.D. and Kimberly Victor As of Feb. 28, members of Congress have filled 1,509 of the 1,599 top positions (chiefs of staff, legislative directors, and communications directors)…
Joint Center Tracker Second Update of Racial Diversity of Top Staff Hires in 119th Congress
By LaShonda Brenson Ph.D., and Kimberly Victor As of January 10, members of Congress have filled 1,466 of the 1,599 top positions (chiefs of staff, legislative directors, and communications directors)…