Inclusive Economic Development Taskforce

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While many urban economies in the United States and EU are showing signs of economic recovery from the financial crisis of 2007–2008, and on average unemployment has declined precipitously in the United States and steadily in the EU, nonetheless, beneath such ostensible improvements there are still growing tensions and anxieties that critically affect the economies and societies in transatlantic cities. Specifically, we know that parallel to growth, wages at the bottom end of the income distribution have stagnated in the US and the U.K. and to varying degrees within and between continental European countries. At the same time income inequality has increased, the problem of precarious or vulnerable forms of work and the significance of skills differentials has been emerging too. Transatlantically, attention is now being paid to these changes on account of the insurmountable evidence the effect the rise in precarious work and stagnant wages is having on individuals’ and families’ livelihoods and wellbeing. This in turn has long-term economic and social implications that affect communities, and by extension, the cities in which people live.

To make a contribution to this 21st century challenge, the Urban and Regional Policy Unit at the German Marshall Fund is convening a taskforce of expert policymakers, academics, and practitioners from the United States and Europe to explore what mechanisms transatlantic cities have at their disposal to develop more inclusive urban economies that take into consideration not just the number of jobs created but the quality of wages and work as well. The intended output is to develop a policy framework that can be customized and applied to cities in the United States and Europe seeking to develop plans with an eye to ensuring that quality work and wages are key outcomes of transatlantic cities’ endeavor to build inclusivity and equity into urban economic development plans.

Convening Dates

Torino, Italy January 29–31, 2018

Cleveland, Ohio June 17–20, 2018

Taskforce Members

Evelyn Burnett, Vice President of Economic Opportunity, Cleveland Neighborhood Progress

Shawn Escoffery, Program Director, Strong Local Economies, Surdna Foundation

Dr. Bela Galgoczi, Senior Researcher, Economic, Employment and Social Policies, European Trade Union Institute (ETUI)

Renato Galliano, Director of the Urban Economy and Employment Department, City of Milan

Ted Howard, Co-founder and President, Democracy Collaborative

Matthew Jackson, Independent Policy Advisor, former Deputy Chief Executive, Centre for Local Economic Strategies (CLES)

Susan Longworth, Senior Business Economist, Community Development and Policy Studies, Federal Reserve Bank of Chicago

James Meadway, Economist and Policy Advisor, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer

Marissa Plouin, Coordinator, Champion Mayors initiative at OECD

Paco Ramos Martín, Executive Director for Employment Strategies, Barcelona Activa

Chantel Rush, Program Officer, American Cities Practice, The Kresge Foundation

Dr. Faiza Shaheen, Director, Center for Labour and Social Studies

Nathaniel Smith, Founder and Chief Equity Officer (CEqO)/CEO, Partnership for Southern Equity

Scot Spencer, Associate Director, Advocacy and Influence, Annie E. Casey Foundation

Art Wheaton, Director, Western NY Labor and Environmental Programs, The Worker Institute, Cornell University