Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

The first report to compile detailed data on assets and debts among people of different races, ethnicities and countries of origin residing in the Los Angeles area. Researchers from UCLA, Duke University and The New School, with support from the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and the Insight Center for Community Economic Development, analyzed data on assets such as savings and checking accounts, stocks, retirement accounts, houses and vehicles. Debts included credit card debt, student loans, medical debt, mortgages and vehicle debt. Although much of the inequality discourse has focused on income, wealth is a better indicator of economic well-being and metric in understanding economic inequality.

The report provides estimates for U.S.-born blacks, blacks who are recent immigrants from Africa, Mexicans, other Latinos, Asian Indians, Chinese, Filipino, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese and non-Hispanic whites in the Los Angeles Metropolitan Statistical Area (Los Angeles and Orange counties) using new data from the National Asset Scorecard and Communities of Color survey.

Raj Chetty, John Friedman, Emmanuel Saez, Nicholas Turner, Danny Yagan
Quarterly Journal of Economics, Volume 135, Issue 3, August 2020, Pages 1567–1633,
February 2020

Papers, Slides, and Summaries: Search or filter by Topic or Author. Topics: Education, Innovation, Measurement, Methods, National Trends, Neighborhoods, Racial Disparities.

Opportunity Atlas, Downloadable Data Repository, College Mobility Report Cards, Economic Tracker

Syllabus, slides, notes, videos.

A central part of Opportunity Insights’ mission is to train the next generation of researchers and policy leaders on methods to study and improve economic opportunity and related social problems. This page provides lecture materials and videos for a course entitled “Using Big Data Solve Economic and Social Problems,” taught by Raj Chetty and Greg Bruich at Harvard University.

This course provides an introduction to modern applied economics in a manner that does not require any prior background in economics or statistics. It is intended to complement traditional Principles of Economics (Econ 101) courses. Topics include equality of opportunity, education, health, the environment, and criminal justice. In the context of these topics, the course provides an introduction to basic statistical methods and data analysis techniques, including regression analysis, causal inference, quasi-experimental methods, and machine learning.

Which neighborhoods in America offer children the best chance to rise out of poverty?

from The New Yorker, January 15, 2018

News about Wages and Salaries, including commentary and archival articles published in The New York Times.

Social psychologist Paul Piff studies the psychological effects of wealth — and what happens when you, say, rig a Monopoly game.

What do a disease-fighting epidemiologist (retired) and an up-and-coming social psychologist have in common? They’re both fascinated by the unseen social problems hidden behind the word “inequality.” Beyond the lack of access to money and power — what does inequality do to us as human beings?

Epidemiologist Richard Wilkinson spent his career studying chronic health problems — with the growing realization that most health issues are caused, or worsened, by poverty and inequality.

PolicyMap is a multi-disciplinary interactive online mapping tool that provides access to a diverse range of data, including, demographic, income and spending, housing, lending, quality of life, economy, education, and health. Use it to create maps, tables, and graphs for a variety of research purposes, including, market analysis, business planning, site analysis, demographic profiles, policy briefs, and grant applications.