ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

If “superstar” cities rationalize their land-use policies, what does it mean for the Charlotte region? As the global economy increasingly rewards technological innovation, the gains from productivity enhancements have not been distributed evenly across cities and regions. The residents of so-called “superstar” cities–including Boston, New York, San Francisco, San Jose, and Seattle–have captured a disproportionate […]

Our first Schul conversation this fall focused on gentrification and displacement – a conversation that’s necessary and often difficult. The discussion featured three panelists: one of our Gambrell Faculty Fellows, Dr. Kendra Jason; Charlotte attorney and community housing advocate, Ismaail Qaiyim; research economist at the US Census Bureau, Dr. Kate Pennington; and our Director of […]

With a “silver tsunami” of business owner retirements looming and major generational transfers of wealth on the horizon, employee ownership of small businesses could be an attractive strategy for many firms — as well as beneficial for society. That’s what a group of researchers from UNC Charlotte and the North Carolina Employee Ownership Center found […]

The Charlotte region is a banking hub, an air travel hub, even a sports hub — but is it a “brain hub”? That’s the most important question local policymakers will find themselves asking after reading Enrico Moretti’s The New Geography of Jobs. Brain hubs enjoy disproportionate prosperity and opportunity, and the gap between them and […]

Brookings Institution Press (February 22, 2022) From $24.99 (paperback) Length: 210 pages Who should read it? Fixer-Upper is a great book for policymakers and people interested in understanding the nitty-gritty of how some housing policies have distorted the market and driven up prices. The data and anecdotes agree: people in the Charlotte region are struggling […]

Charlotte is a fast-growing city where the skyline changes by the month and neighborhoods are reshaped at a disorienting pace. But there are a multitude of data sources to help you understand the city and your community. You can start with interactive maps like the Quality of Life Explorer (produced by the Urban Institute in […]

More people than ever are voluntarily leaving their jobs. This phenomenon, known as the Great Resignation, is happening in nearly every employment sector and across a broad range of income levels. Fueled by the pandemic, changes in how we work, increasing work demands, other opportunities and more, workers of all types are looking for a […]

Our Charlotte region continues to wrestle with a vexing challenge: How can we improve economic mobility so that all of our community members can share the benefits of growth? It’s a big question, one that touches on everything from the justice system to the transit system, how much we make at our jobs to how […]

Dr. Matthew Metzgar Dr. Mark DeHaven Donna Schultz Guenevere Abernathy This project is part of the third cohort of Gambrell Faculty Fellows. Read about the fellows progam and other projects here. When it comes to the gap in resources between White, Black and Latinx families, wealth is a bigger factor than income. On average, White […]

Dr. Kendra Jason Dr. Tehia Starker Glass Dr. Janaka Bowman Lewis This project is part of the third cohort of Gambrell Faculty Fellows. Read about the fellows progam and other projects here. The COVID-19 pandemic is an earthquake that shook us all — but not everyone has the same foundation to ride out the quake […]