In the wake of the Great Recession policymakers continue to grapple with increasing economic inequality. Across the nation unprecedented levels of socioeconomic stratification have resulted in the emergence of a dual reality for urban economies: persistent poverty, long term unemployment, and socioeconomic exclusion existing alongside economic promise and mobility. In response policymakers have sought to support individual economic mobility by implementing policies that promote job creation, encourage employability and financial security. Yet many policy and planning debates remain largely informed by pre-recessionary theories and understandings of how and the ways in which micro and macro level actors, processes, strategies, and contingencies shape the economic settings of urban communities - particularly for disadvantaged and marginalized populations. As a result, these debates remain largely uninformed about the meso-level interactions that occurred between these two scales during the Great Recession and their influence on economic opportunity in the post-recessionary era. This panel advances research in this area through four papers. Visser explores the impact of the Great Recession on the structural change of employment in urban economies and the implications this presents for economic development at multiple levels. Melendez examines the interstate mobility patterns of Latinos during the Great Recession and investigates the relative importance of economic restructuring and social opportunity on migration patterns across Latino ethnic groups. In a case study of America's "most creative city" Martin interrogates how the resurgence of businesses in Durham have impacted the economic mobility of the African American population. Finally, Servon considers how policy discourses surrounding financial decisions made by low and moderate income people are outdated in relation to the contexts and conditions in which such decisions are made in the post recessionary era.
Restructuring Opportunity and Mobility: The Great Recession and the Quality of Employment in the US Labor Market M. Anne Visser, University of California, Davis
The Great Recession and the Interstate Mobility of Latinos Edwin Melendez, Hunter College, CUNY & Center for Puerto Rican Studies
A View From the Most “Creative” City In The U.S.: Entrepreneurship and the Transformation of Durham, North Carolina NIna Martin, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Reconsidering Frames of Financial Inclusion: Use of "Alternative" Financial Services during and after the Great Recession Lisa J. Servon
