We exploit historical natural experiments to test whether universities increase economic mobility and equality. We use "runner-up'" counties that were strongly considered to become university sites but were not selected for as-good-as-random reasons as counterfactuals for university counties. University establishment causes greater…

The U.S. federal government has invested considerable resources in place-based programs to improve local economies, amenities, and infrastructure. Although urban place-based policies have received the most attention, place-based approaches have long been central to efforts addressing rural poverty as well. Using a novel dataset, we document a…

Overall, too few students are completing two-year college. Those who complete are still starting off unequally. About one-third of students earning academic degrees do not transfer, but rather go directly to work and find their degree has little value in the labor market. Research suggests they could have benefitted from having marketable skills…

This article considers how the simulation game of DEVELOPMENT MONOPOLY provides insight into poverty and inequality dynamics in a development context. It first discusses how the game is rooted in theoretical and conceptual frameworks on poverty and inequality. Subsequently, it reflects on selected playing experiences, with special focus on the…

As with the collapse of the subprime lending industry, the showdown between for-profit colleges and the government shows how the aspirations of the underserved, when combined with lax regulation, make the rich, richer and the poor, poorer. For-profit colleges provide high-cost degree programs that have little chance of leading to high-paying…

Information and communication technologies (ICTs) have been championed by the United Nations and others as one of the key media to open up socio-economic opportunities for disadvantaged populations. Studies lead us to believe that after being introduced to ICTs, users' information behavior changes, enabling them to benefit from socio-economic…

DEVELOPMENT MONOPOLY is a simulation game that allows players to experience how power relations influence the agency of different socioeconomic groups, and how this can induce poverty and inequality. Players alter the original rules of the MONOPOLY board game so that they more accurately reflect social stratification and inequalities in the…

This paper examines, how individual preferences for redistribution in general and redistribution to improve access to education, improve social protection for the poor, reduce income inequality and reduce unemployment depend on beliefs about what determines one's lot in life and self-assessed prospects for climbing the social ladder in urban…

Discusses demographic trends among Blacks in relation to their educational and economic needs. (GC)

This essay outlines several ways in which educators might better prepare young people of all backgrounds to understand, enter, and eventually act upon the changing economic landscape. The contributors to this article, which presents perspectives on social class and education in the United States, suggest that one might learn some lessons from the…

The author discusses the effect of "Inequality: A Reassessment of the Effect of Family and Schooling in America" on educational policy, particularly in its approach to educational goals analysis of school effectiveness, and account of the social utility of education. (HMD)

Highlights the view that all the differing theories of racism and economic disparity seem valid. Argues that higher education reduces economic disparity, helps break down racial stereotypes, and increases opportunities for blacks. (GR)

The economic situation of older, single childbearers before and after giving birth is compared with their married counterparts and teen mothers. Similarities among nonmarried women across all ages and substantial variations for older mothers are found. Specific effects of a birth on economic status are discussed for each group. (EMK)

Questions whether parents are allowing economic demands to dictate the development of children by demanding a level of maturity from them that they are physically, emotionally, and intellectually incapable of delivering. The changing economic and cultural context of families suggests a shift from child-oriented toward adult-oriented lifestyles for…

Describes the operations of the 1965-66 Economic Opportunity Atlanta administration, its subsidiary Citizens Neighborhood Advisory Councils, and the Central Citizens Advisory Council. (JM)