Economic Security
You are in the Economic Security section of the Casey Foundation Knowledge Center, which offers resources that are either published or funded by the Casey Foundation.
See also Our Work: Economic Security, an overview of the Casey Foundation's investment in this issue.
Featured Publications
Still Working Hard, Still Falling Short: New Findings on the Challenges Confronting America’s Workers
2008
This analysis of U.S. Census data indicates that many Americans are facing great challenges to economic advancement in the face of government policies that have not been aimed at strengthening families. As a result, this brief includes suggestions on how the government can adopt public polices that develop adult workers so that they can participate in the workforce and thereby strengthen their families.
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Seizing the Moment: State Governments and the New Commitment to Reduce Poverty in America
2008
CLASP and Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity, a Casey-funded initiative, have released a report highlighting national, state, and local efforts to address poverty. In this report, the authors identify which states have raised the political profile of fighting poverty and the challenges faced by those who struggle to make ends meet; also included are summaries of formal policy recommendations released by four states.
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Strengthening Workforce Policy: Applying the Lessons of the Jobs Initiative to Five Key Challenges
2007
This report identifies five central problems that confront policymakers who are interested in improving workforce development programs. Based on lessons learned from the Jobs Initiative, an eight-year Casey Foundation workforce initiative launched in 1995, the report outlines specific policy actions to address these challenges. The report focuses on policy at the local, state, and federal levels.
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Diversifying the Economy to Create Jobs and Help Families Prosper in South Dakota
2008
Facing the common rural challenges of outmigration and a dying agricultural-based economy, the residents of Howard, South Dakota and the surrounding county looked to the economic engines of the future to create employment opportunities and increase income. From developing wind energy-related businesses to organic beef production, Miner County has re-energized its citizens, revitalized its economy, and recaptured some former community members.
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Steer Clear: How Credit Unions Help Car Buyers Avoid Predatory Loans
2008
This report provides seven lessons so that credit unions can offer more financially viable programs to help car buyers not be duped into purchasing predatory auto loans.
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Expanding Asset-Building: Opportunities Through Shared Ownership
2008
This paper aims to build support for advancing strategies that broaden opportunities for low-income individuals to invest in themselves and their communities by expanding shared ownership strategies. To date, the asset-building field has focused primarily on individual ownership strategies. Shared ownership strategies lower barriers to investment for low-income families by reducing risk and the amount of capital, expertise, or other resources that individuals and families need to invest.
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Access to Driving and License Suspension Policies for the Twenty-First Century Economy
2008
In recent decades, policymakers have created barriers to economic self-sufficiency and economic success by adopting legislation that makes license holding, and therefore access to legal driving, more difficult for low-wage employees who do not have access to public transportation. In this report, the authors detail promising initiatives and provide recommendations for policymakers to reduce the impact of license suspensions that are unrelated to driving competency and safety.
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Family Values at Work: It’s About Time!
2008
This report documents the consequences on workers, families, businesses and the nation when family values end at the workplace door. The document details the stories of workers suffering from the lack of family-friendly work rules, summarizes key research, and lays out a policy agenda modest compared to that of other advanced nations yet urgently needed by U.S. workers and their families.
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