Employment

Podcasts May 29, 2024 Special Briefing: Doom Loop or Boom Loop—Work from Home and the Challenges Facing US Cities Ever since the arrival of the COVID-19 pandemic in the US in 2020 led to a surge in people working from home, New York and other big cities have been forced to reckon with the possibility of a Doom Loop scenario of vacant offices and flagging economies. But given the right set of policies, cities can reverse their fortunes and embark upon a path to a Boom Loop of greater productivity and economic growth. Join Special Briefing as the authors of the Volcker Alliance issue paper, Doom Loop or Boom Loop: Work from Home and the Challenges Facing America’s Big Cities, and an expert panel discuss the future economic impacts of remote work. William Glasgall Susan Wachter David Stanek Richard Voith Jose Maria Barrero Stijn Van Nieuwerburgh Kathryn Wylde State & Local Finance

May 29 2024 Past Event Special Briefing: Doom Loop or Boom Loop—Work from Home and the Challenges Facing US Cities State & Local Finance

Article May 15, 2024 Localizing International Manufacturing Companies in the U.S. - Examining Successful Labor Practices What labor practices have international manufacturing companies implemented to successfully localize in the US post-COVID-1 9? Zou's research focuses on comprehending the driving factors behind localization efforts, the alterations in labor practices, and the overall ramifications of these adaptations on both the workforce and the industry at large. State & Local Finance

Article January 8, 2024 Expert Voices 2024 | Remote Work: Its Impact on Cities To begin every new year, we publish a special issue of Urban Link for which we ask urban experts to reflect on a question of importance to cities. This year, we asked: What do you expect will happen to remote work trends in the future? How should cities respond to remote work’s impact on the value of their real estate, tax bases, and more broadly, urban life? Urban Development

Podcasts October 19, 2023 Special Briefing: Rolling Out the $1.2 Trillion Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act—What’s Being Built and What’s in the Pipeline The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research invite you to an online Special Briefing on how the rollout of the $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) is proceeding. A critical part of legislation passed by Congress to combat the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and enhance the durability and sustainability of the nation's infrastructure, the bipartisan deal promises thousands of new jobs and billions of dollars for roads, bridges, public transportation, water systems, and broadband access. Through July, the value of highway and bridge construction work was running 24 percent ahead of the 2020-2021 pace, American Road & Transportation Builders data show. But there are bottlenecks as well, and the process of applying for federal grants is confusing, especially for smaller governments. Our panel of experts will sort this out and explain where infrastructure construction is headed. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Earl Blumenauer Dr. Alison Premo Black Leah Brooks Jessica Jennings Vikram Rai Samantha Silverberg State & Local Finance

Podcasts May 18, 2023 Special Briefing: Avoiding Municipal Distress The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research invite you to join an online Special Briefing on avoiding municipal distress. While the US unemployment rate is near a record low and $5 trillion in federal pandemic aid continuing to support the economy, American cities are enjoying healthy budget surpluses as COVID-19 recedes. But many of the underlying contributors to municipal distress and bankruptcy in the 2010s—underfunded pensions, deteriorating infrastructure, and population loss among them—still pose threats to many cities’ long-term fiscal health. Susan Wachter William Glasgall Richard Ratvich Stephanie A. Miner David N. Schleicher Rob Dubow Heather Gillers State & Local Finance

Podcasts December 15, 2022 Special Briefing: 2023 Outlook for States and Cities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing: 2023 Outlook for States and Cities. Panelists will discussed issues including inflation, employment, housing, jobs, and the possibility of a recession. Mayor Kate Gallego of Phoenix, Arizona, outlined how the city is using federal recovery dollars, focusing on housing projects; the impact of a growing population on the city’s tax base; and her outlook for the coming year. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Mark Zandi Kate Gallego Emily Brock Natalie Cohen Julia Coronado State & Local Finance

Jul 21 2022 Past Event Special Briefing on Vulnerable Cities Facing Work from Home Realities State & Local Finance

Podcasts July 21, 2022 Vulnerable Cities Facing Work from Home Realities The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing on the long-term outlook of the impact of working from home. Even as the US has recovered from the worst days of the COVID-19 pandemic, many cities have continued to see substantial weakness in commercial office space utilization. The expert panel discussed research findings that reflect the slow return of employees to offices, which cities’ tax revenues may be most vulnerable, and what solutions are being deployed to adapt to the new workplace reality. William Glasgall Susan Wachter State & Local Finance

Article May 26, 2022 The Black Worker and the Knowledge Economy in Philadelphia: University-Led Displacement vs. Homeowner Democracy Many have posited that university-driven development is the solution to the problems of deindustrialization and disinvestment. Others have criticized this work for displacing residents, contributing to inequality, and compromising urban democracy. My research investigates the consequences of university-driven development in Philadelphia, especially for African American communities that surround the University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, and Drexel University. State & Local Finance

May 19 2022 Past Event Special Briefing on the Deployment of the $1 Trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act by States and Localities State & Local Finance

Podcasts March 17, 2022 Special Briefing on Work from Home: What it Means for State and Local Economies and Revenues The Volcker Alliance and Penn Institute for Urban Research hosted an online Special Briefing on the implications of the emergence of permanent work from home or hybrid work models as state and local governments address fluctuations in their economies and revenues. William Glasgall Susan Wachter Tony Williams Ally Schweitzer Howard Chernick Jose Maria Barrero State & Local Finance

Article February 16, 2022 Getting the Education and Workforce Training Our Nation Needs Penn IUR Faculty Fellow Laura W. Perna discusses the broad potential impacts of federally funded tuition-free community colleges in the United States. Laura Perna Anchor Institutions

Research Paper October 20, 2021 The COVID-19 Recession: Which Urban Economies Have Performed Better or Worse and Why John Landis State & Local Finance

Sep 24 2021 Past Event The Employment Paradox: High Job Openings and the Undocumented Latinx State & Local Finance

May 20 2021 Past Event Special Briefing: The $2.3 Trillion American Jobs Plan and State and Local Infrastructure Needs State & Local Finance

Apr 15 2021 Past Event Second Annual Wharton Future of Cities Conference Urban Development

Advisory Board Member Melanie Franco Nussdorf

Senior Counsel, Steptoe & Johnson

Article December 16, 2020 Unemployment Still at Double Digits in Major Cities Trends in unemployment rates by metro and “city-counties” since the onset of COVID-19, compared to the Global Financial Crisis. State & Local Finance

Article November 18, 2020 Monitoring Recovery in Employment in New York City Losses in employment in selected industries in New York City between February 2020, just before the effects of the coronavirus pandemic were first felt in the city, and September 2020. Urban Development

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