On Our Radar

Having privilege in society makes it easier to become successful that those without. Privilege is not a guarantee but it is definitely a head start.

Finland is experimenting with the idea of universal income — providing tax-free income — and the results are showing that this method could be successful if implemented nationwide.

Striving to eliminate the economic and political power that billionaires can exercise should be an overarching goal for the American people.

Big tech is causing a panic in the mortgage market. Tech companies are attempting to use their platforms to penetrate the financial services industry. Banks must now focus their efforts on technological systems in order to stay in the competition.

The folks at Village Capital over the last decade have been running a social science experiment that raises some interesting questions about whether the powers that be in Silicon Valley investing are really that all-knowing.

BB&T and Suntrust are now joining forces making them the sixth-largest US bank. The company will operate under a new, yet currently undetermined, name and its headquarters will be in Charlotte, North Carolina.

A wall was created in the 1930s for the sole purpose of segregating black and white residents. This wall still stands today — only for symbolic purposes — and is located only six miles away from the White House.

The racial wealth gap is increasing and the top 1% is getting wealthier.

Montana, Utah, and their surrounding states are experiencing rapid rates of forest decimation and this is resulting in large amounts of carbon emission.

Gentrification is the renovation of neighborhoods to appeal to the middle class, mostly the white middle class. Boyle Heights — a Mexican neighborhood in Los Angeles — have been experiencing the symptoms of gentrification but the instigators for the change are, suprisingly, other Latinx people.

The government’s role in housing finance can possibly be solved with a bipartisan compromise. Both sides of the aisle have agreeable issues with the current system such as taxpayer exposure to risk and the current support of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

S&B Global compared correlations between gender diverse companies and their revenue. Their data showed that gender diverse companies have higher earnings and productivity compared to companies that are male dominated.

Refugees have increased population and productivity in industrial Northeastern towns and also areas in the South. Because of the decreasing cap in the number of refugees allowed to come into the US, some cities are expected to close down medical clinics and jobs are going to be left understaffed.

Zoning reform has been a key problem solving idea towards affordable housing. Different types of zoning tactics, like upzoning, can work, but the best way to achieve affordable housing is by pairing zoning with government interventions, such as tax incentives for developers and the use of eminent domain to provide co-op housing — a building managed entirely by the residents.

Home leasing technology screens an applicant’s background and rejects those with a criminal history or having a high risk score. Housing departments and advocates are pushing for a more personal component in reviewing leasing applications to ensure that the leasing technology isn’t turning away applicants for absurd and easily explainable reasons.