The Joint Economic Committee’s Social Capital Project has documented trends and proposed policy solutions to address many of the same cultural and economic forces that animate the Families Plan.
The initial job losses of the COVID-19 pandemic were considerably greater for women than for men. The two most important and credible hypotheses to explain why job losses differed by gender include the industry mix hypothesis and the childcare hypothesis.
Given the substantial economic and social benefits of employment, it is best that these 10 million jobs return as quickly as possible. COVID-19 is the greatest barrier to this return. Some employment activities, and the purchasing activities that help finance them, have been curbed by a combination of individual choices and government-imposed restrictions, in order to stem the spread of COVID-19.
Lower fertility can have serious economic ramifications, and from a social capital perspective, the recent birth decline has potential to reduce the number of family connections that enhance individuals’ lives and that sustain American communities.
The widely publicized deaths of Floyd, Taylor, and several other Black Americans over the past few years have weakened trust, sparked outrage, and led to widespread demands for increased police accountability across the nation.
Mar 19 2021
Reopen Readiness Metric Tracker Update
With more and more Americans vaccinated for COVID-19, many states have already moved into reopening phases. By consolidating the new information on vaccination rates with the existing state and county level parameters for monitoring reopen readiness, the data can continue to inform policymakers’ decisions as they move towards fully reopening in the coming months.
Mar 02 2021
Does Social Media Outrage Erode Civil Society?
Moral outrage, whether manifested as righteous indignation or misinformed vitriol, is a powerful, motivating emotion. According to the social-psychological notion of “negativity bias,” our human tendency is to give greater weight to negative feelings, events, etc. because they are more potent and contagious than positive ones.
Falling overdose death rates in natural and semi-synthetic opioids, which include most prescription opioids, led the Utah decline. In contrast, the overall U.S. drug overdose death rate is still rising, led by synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
The United States is facing an unprecedented crisis. As we work toward recovery, it is counterproductive to keep tariffs in place that hinder economic growth. Removing these trade barriers would lower costs for businesses and increase affordability for families during the recession. It would also stimulate economic growth, helping to create jobs and boost the labor market recovery.
The issue of child care touches a bundle of related issues that reflect how we value family life and work. All parents face different trade-offs in making decisions that intersect with this Project’s goals of making it more affordable to raise a family, connecting people to work, and investing in youth.
