The Office of Community Services (OCS) has released a new
report which highlights emerging and promising practices that can enhance
economic mobility for individuals, families, and communities experiencing
poverty. The Collaborative on Economic Mobility (CEM) Research Report was
produced as part of phase one of OCS’ CEM cooperative agreement with the
National Community Action Partnership (NCAP).
While the U.S. has the largest economy in the world, its growth over time has not been evenly shared, resulting in income disparities, a growing wealth gap, and structural poverty. Poverty consists of a complex web of economic, political, cultural, and social forces outside the immediate control of the individual. These forces originate from and are perpetuated by an unequitable distribution of economic and political power and a skewed allocation of resources and opportunities.
The report explores barriers, including structural racism, which perpetuate a cycle of inequities that stagnate the progress or mobility of families. OCS defines economic mobility as “how an individual’s financial well-being changes over time and [it] predicts the opportunity one has to transition from a lower economic level to a higher one.” This definition reflects the important concepts of economic mobility across generations and within one’s lifespan and reveals both the presence and impact of inequities and structural barriers on historically.
Traditionally, economic mobility has been measured primarily by income, but this report argues for a broader perspective that also incorporates social mobility which includes power, autonomy, equity, and belonging. The persistent impacts of barriers, including structural racism and entrenched dominant narratives, significantly affect economic and social outcomes, particularly for groups that have been historically marginalized.
Download the Report
While the U.S. has the largest economy in the world, its growth over time has not been evenly shared, resulting in income disparities, a growing wealth gap, and structural poverty. Poverty consists of a complex web of economic, political, cultural, and social forces outside the immediate control of the individual. These forces originate from and are perpetuated by an unequitable distribution of economic and political power and a skewed allocation of resources and opportunities.
The report explores barriers, including structural racism, which perpetuate a cycle of inequities that stagnate the progress or mobility of families. OCS defines economic mobility as “how an individual’s financial well-being changes over time and [it] predicts the opportunity one has to transition from a lower economic level to a higher one.” This definition reflects the important concepts of economic mobility across generations and within one’s lifespan and reveals both the presence and impact of inequities and structural barriers on historically.
Traditionally, economic mobility has been measured primarily by income, but this report argues for a broader perspective that also incorporates social mobility which includes power, autonomy, equity, and belonging. The persistent impacts of barriers, including structural racism and entrenched dominant narratives, significantly affect economic and social outcomes, particularly for groups that have been historically marginalized.
Download the Report