5/18
Penn in the News
A round-up of Penn mentions in local, national, and international media.
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Penn In the News
Tracing Montco’s decades-long shift from GOP stronghold to boon for Biden
Obed Arango of the School of Social Policy & Practice spoke about the diversification of Norristown, Pennsylvania. “I am one of the few Latinos, or perhaps the only Latino, who participates in a county commission,” he said, “When you have lack of representation, the agenda that is set will benefit the groups that are represented there. Many times, I’ve had to bring that perspective.”
Penn In the News
Residents in these states donate the most to charity
Femida Handy of the School of Social Policy & Practice said the pandemic has made charitable giving more challenging. "Individuals wishing to volunteer must find new ways to do so while paying attention to their own health needs alongside that of the communities they serve," she said.
Penn In the News
$300 unemployment benefits end in at least 9 states as stimulus hopes fade
Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice spoke about the absence of a second stimulus detail and its impact on unemployed Americans. “This is going to be hardest on more disadvantaged, lower-income individuals and communities of color because they’ve been disproportionately impacted by job loss,” she said. “Also, a dollar means more to a poor person than a rich person. Losing those precious dollars is really a meaningful loss for those people.”
Penn In the News
Domestic violence an increasing concern in Philadelphia area because of COVID-19, study suggests
A report co-authored by Susan Sorenson of the School of Social Policy & Practice linked Pennsylvania’s stay-at-home orders, school closures, and declaration of emergency with a decrease in calls to domestic violence hotlines. “Was it because women don’t think it’s safe for them to call? Maybe they didn’t have a safe space from which to call from,” she said. “We didn’t take the not calling as an indicator of a lack of violence in the home.”
Penn In the News
Have L.A.'s homeless people dodged a COVID-19 catastrophe?
Dennis P. Culhane of the School of Social Policy & Practice spoke about the seemingly low rate of COVID-19 infections among homeless people in Los Angeles. “It’s possible being outside is protective relative to inside,” he said. Still, without more comprehensive antibody testing, “I’m not so sure we can say there hasn’t been a huge hit.”
Penn In the News
Republicans call the $600 unemployment boost a disincentive to work. Many experts disagree
Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice weighed in on claims by Republican lawmakers that a $600 weekly unemployment benefit deters people from seeking work. “It doesn’t matter in the current state of the labor market,” she said. “It’s focusing on the wrong thing. It’s not relevant at all in the current context.”
Penn In the News
A second Great Depression? Unemployment crisis hits big cities hard
Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice spoke about the pandemic’s effects on the economies of major U.S. cities. “Los Angeles, sadly, is going through a new health crisis,” she said. “New York isn’t. And yet, the unemployment numbers are still so bad. That shows to me how scarring the effects of the coronavirus are.”
Penn In the News
The promising results of a citywide basic-income experiment
Amy Castro Baker of the School of Social Policy & Practice helped design a pilot study on universal basic income for Stockton, California, and has been studying the results of the experiment.
Penn In the News
Absent from stimulus packages: Overhauling energy, climate programs
Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice said it’s a good time for governments to invest in climate change solutions. “Sometimes it takes a good crisis to finally move in a whole new direction just like the New Deal,” she said.
Penn In the News
Pandemic unemployment insurance is expiring soon. This economist has a fix for it
Ioana Marinescu of the School of Social Policy & Practice proposed transforming the soon-to-expire Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program into a basic income program that would support people as they return to work.