Barriers to economic mobility

  • 2015
  • Bloomberg Philanthropies

Economic mobility is a policy priority that cuts across political boundaries and is at the heart of the ‘American Dream’. We are working with nine American cities to identify, pilot and measure the success of interventions to accelerate economic mobility for their residents.

Improving economic mobility is a long-term challenge, but we will be creating a set of outcome measures that we hope will show progress in just a couple of years.

Some recent highlights include:

  • Newark, New Jersey will focus on reducing eviction rates, amid rising housing costs, to help ensure that long-term residents share in the benefits of local economic growth.
  • Rochester, New York will develop a matched savings programme for income-eligible families to help them weather financial shocks, build wealth and create economic stability.
  • Tulsa, Oklahoma will help youth who are not currently in work or school to get the education and training they need to secure high-quality jobs in the community.
Boosting Economic Mobility: The Great Challenge of Our Time Boosting Economic Mobility: The Great Challenge of Our Time Paper Advancing Economic Mobility in Cities Advancing Economic Mobility in Cities Paper Increasing economic mobility in US cities Increasing economic mobility in US cities Blog post