Despite being nearly three years out from the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, communities across the country were still feeling its aftershocks in 2022. And its effects aren’t equal. The pandemic deepened long-standing disparities that in large part stemmed from structural racism and other systemic policies.
This year on Urban Wire, Urban Institute researchers explored what it would take to achieve an inclusive recovery and growth.
Amid fluctuating economic uncertainty and soaring inflation and home prices, Urban Institute researchers doubled down on their quest to understand how these trends have affected the most marginalized groups—and what they stand to lose without an intentional, renewed focus on social and economic equity at every level of government and society.
On Urban Wire, researchers explored what rising gas prices meant for families with low incomes; how to creatively expand access to credit and homeownership; what abortion access can mean for women’s lives; how changes to student loan forgiveness could affect borrowers, and so much more.
Here are 10 Urban Wire blog posts that elevated the debate in 2022:
You Can’t Improve Black Women’s Economic Well-Being without Addressing Both Wealth and Income Gaps
“To improve Black women’s economic well-being, philanthropies can invest in solutions that dismantle structural racism and are developed for and by the people most affected.”
—Justyce Watson and Ofronama Biu
How Higher Mortgage Rates Have Historically Affected Home Prices
“Our look at the historical evidence shows that sharply higher mortgage rates tend to slow home price appreciation and may weigh on housing market activity.
“But nominal home price appreciation does remain positive. And during these periods of sharp interest rate increases, we did not have the acute housing supply shortage we have today, which could slow the deceleration in home price appreciation.”
—Laurie Goodman and Michael Neal
Research Shows Access to Legal Abortion Improves Women’s Lives
“Access to legal abortion improves women’s economic and social lives, and being denied an abortion creates economic hardship and financial insecurity for women and their children.”
What Rising Gas and Rent Prices Mean for Families with Low Incomes
“In theory, Americans could shift away from cars and toward other options like walking, biking, and public transportation. But the reality is that most US residents live in communities where those options either are not available or are so difficult to use that they have little choice but to continue spending a lot on cars. And many families with low incomes simply cannot afford living in communities where walkability and transit access are easily available.”
Amid High Inflation and Rising Interest Rates, the Federal Government Will Soon Spend More on Interest Payments Than Kids
“Less spending to support children may result in nominal short-run savings but will lead to a smaller economy and a less productive population in the long run—despite the need for higher growth to keep up with the rising national debt and interest payments.”
The Real Rental Housing Crisis Is on the Horizon
“In an increasingly competitive rental market, stricter tenant screening will create higher barriers to finding housing, especially for renters who have previously struggled to make on-time payments or have been evicted.
“Almost 18 percent of landlords said they reject more than 75 percent of their tenants, and 56 percent reject at least 25 percent of their applicants. Only 12 percent of all landlords never reject applicants.”
—Jung Hyun Choi, Laurie Goodman, and Daniel Pang
The COVID-19 Pandemic Underscored the Child Tax Credit’s Power to Alleviate Family Poverty
“Our research has shown that if the child tax credit were permanently expanded:
- child poverty would be reduced by more than 40 percent in a typical year, unaffected by other federal aid or pandemic job loss;
- child poverty would fall by at least 30 percent in every state and would fall by at least 50 percent in 11 states;
- children of all demographic groups would be better off as well; and
- child poverty for Black children would fall by more than 50 percent.”
Allowing the American Rescue Plan Premium Tax Credits to Expire Would Reverse Recent Progress in Reducing the Rate of Uninsured Americans
“Nearly 5 million fewer people would enroll in subsidized Marketplace plans in 2023 as a result of the reductions in premium assistance compared with enrollment under an American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) extension.
“Some people leaving the subsidized Marketplace would find other sources of coverage, including unsubsidized nongroup and employer-sponsored plans, but the number of uninsured people would increase by 3.1 million without an ARPA extension—a 12 percent increase of the nonelderly uninsured population.”
—Jessica Banthin and Andrew Green
Child Care Systems Don’t Align with What Parents Working Nontraditional Hours Recommend
“Policies and practices often don’t support the kinds of child care arrangements parents believed were best for their children during nontraditional hours, which means these families are less likely to benefit from public investments in child care.
“This is of particular concern because nontraditional-hour work is more common among parents with low incomes and among parents—including Black, Latinx, and Native American parents—who already face systemic barriers to employment and education opportunities. The failure of child care policies to address nontraditional child care needs has contributed to greater inequities, rather than supporting more equitable systems.”
—Gina Adams, Diane Schilder, and Laura Wagner
Changes to Income-Driven Repayment Plans Would Reduce Payment Amounts and Extend Payment Timelines
“My initial calculations indicate this new plan would substantially reduce the amount borrowers pay back, increase loan forgiveness, and could allow some borrowers to repay their debts over a longer period of time, relative to previous IDR plans.”
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