Just Growth? Social Equity and Metropolitan Economic Performance


This research project incorporates recent US data to update empirical analyses of regional growth and utilizes case study strategies of American regions to investigate the underlying causal mechanisms of inequality.

Traditional economic theory posits a trade-off between fairness and economic growth. A growing body of literature has countered this notion in the developing-world context, suggesting that more equity can lead to more sustainable growth. Meanwhile, a newer strand of research looking at the US similarly suggests that measures of regional equity or inclusion at a metropolitan level, such as residential integration by race and income as well as overall income equality within that metro, can have a positive effect on regional economic growth. This project recommends the policy message that doing good and doing well might just go hand in hand.

Read our book "Just Growth: Inclusion and Prosperity in America’s Metropolitan Regions"