"Black essential workers need more than soundbites. To show that Black workers are essential, not expendable, employers and policymakers need to show, not tell," write Molly Kinder and Tiffany Ford.
In their new report below, Kinder and Ford shed light on the substantial risks facing African Americans in the essential workforce and call on elected officials and businesses to protect them, provide long-overdue benefits, and ensure that their voices are heard during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.
Our experts also examine additional equity issues in the United States, the widespread economic impacts of the coronavirus, and how the international community can respond effectively to the ongoing crisis.
Moving beyond the status quo in America
Black essential workers deserve real change. America's policymakers and employers must do far more to protect Black essential workers and the millions more soon returning to job sites. Molly Kinder and Tiffany Ford outline key priorities.
COVID-19 weighs unevenly across racial lines. Despite being disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, African Americans and Hispanics are exhibiting higher levels of hope and resilience than whites, new research finds.
Policymakers should focus on equity. As leaders across the United States seek opportunities to put laid-off workers back to work, their decisions will have a significant impact on low-wage workers and people of color. Molly Kinder and Martha Ross provide strategies to help policymakers ensure the health and safety of workers.
U.S. divisions have hampered the COVID-19 response. Rather than focusing solely on the state of the economy, Carol Graham and Sergio Pinto advocate for a wholistic approach that focuses on society's well-being.
The economics of COVID-19
The impacts on consumer behavior. U.S. household spending plunged across the income spectrum during the early weeks of the coronavirus pandemic. A new paper examines several patterns that emerged.
Policies for a second wave. America's leaders can work to avoid a second wave of COVID-19 deaths by re-emphasizing safety measures outside of work rather than reimposing broad-based business shutdowns that carry severe economic consequences, David Baqaee, Emmanuel Farhi, Michael Mina, and James Stock argue.
The pandemic's effects on developing economies. Most emerging market and developing economies have weathered the coronavirus crisis better than expected, but daunting economic challenges are on the horizon. Pinelopi Goldberg and Tristan Reed discuss.
Global macroeconomic scenarios. How can economies adapt to the post-COVID-19 world? To help guide policymakers, Warwick McKibbin and Roshen Fernando explore how different responses might change possible economic futures.
The international landscape
Can middle powers lead the world out of the pandemic? With the United States and China failing to step up to the plate on COVID-19, Bruce Jones discusses other countries that could fill the global leadership void.
Ensuring learning continuity for every African child. Due to the coronavirus crisis, over 250 million primary and secondary children are out of school in Africa. Adedeji Adeniran says learning cannot wait for complete normalcy to return.
Impact bonds and global education. The global learning crisis, made worse by the coronavirus pandemic, demands solutions at-scale for governments around the world. On a new episode of the Brookings Cafeteria podcast, Emily Gustafsson-Wright and Jaime Saavedra discuss the positive impacts that social and development impact bonds can have on education.
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