New England Has the Highest Increase in Income Disparity in the Nation

New England is a generally prosperous region and its residents are doing relatively well economically (see Table 1). Yet, between 1989 and 2004, the region experienced the largest increase in income inequality in the country. Much of this widening gap between rich and poor was driven by growth among the top earners, but the changes are not simply the "rich getting richer." Rather, they reflect the hollowing out of the middle caused by significant changes in the nation's economy. The loss of manufacturing employment for low-skilled workers has been coupled with increased demand, and rewards, for high-skilled and high tech employment. These shifts were more pronounced in New England because of the region's highly educated population, strong research and development base, and relatively high cost of business operations, which pushes low-skilled jobs elsewhere

Changes in income distribution in New England

Although by some measures New Englanders are doing well economically, the region has experienced the largest jump in household income inequality of all nine census divisions. The authors parse the data.Income distribution - New England

New England’s foreign-born population today

Since the 1600s, immigrants have been drawn to New England, and even now parts of the region would be losing population and economic vitality if not for the foreign-born population. UNH’s Carsey Institute analyzes the demographics.Immigrants - New England

Tracking jobs in clean industries in New England

Tracking jobs in clean industries—often called “green jobs”—is difficult because, unlike the high-technology sector, the clean-industries sector lacks a standard definition of which industries the sector actually comprises. This article explores four definitions of the sector: two defined by measures developed by analysts at highly respected institutions, and two defined by measures we created based on widely used databases. We use these definitions to analyze the composition and concentration of jobs in clean industries in New England and each state in the region and compare these figures with the national average. In doing so we show how the findings vary with the definition of the clean-industries sector.Industries - New England ; Environmental protection - New England

A profile of New Hampshire\u27s foreign-born population

At the turn of the 20th century, New Hampshire had over 88,000 foreign-born persons, over 15,000 more than it has today. In 1900, the state\u27s concentration of foreign born (21 percent) was higher than the average percentage and more than three times the current percentage of 6 percent in the state. In 1900, New Hampshire ranked 15th of all states in percentage of the foreign-born population. As of 2008, New Hampshire ranks 26th out of the 50 states

Profile of New Hampshire's Foreign-born Population

New Hampshire, like the rest of the nation, is experiencing an increase in the numbers and diversity of its foreign-born population. The state's foreignborn population has experienced significant changes recently that are different from most other states. Highlights of the report * The percentage of the population that is foreign born in New Hampshire was above the national average in the first half of the 20th century and now it is significantly below the national average. * In the early 2000s -- from a relatively low base -- the state's percentage of foreignborn population has been increasing faster than all but six other states. * Immigrants to New Hampshire come from a wider range of places than is true elsewhere. * New Hampshire's foreign-born population has higher levels of educational attainment and income than the national average. * New Hampshire's foreign-born population is geographically concentrated in Hillsborough County and Manchester. * In the 1990s, New Hampshire had a lower foreign-born growth rate than the national average, but that is changing in the 21st century

The Effects of US State-Level Energy and Environmental Policies on Clean Tech Innovation and Employment

This paper explores the influence of US state-level policies meant to address climate change on clean technology industry development. The largest influence of climate change policies is identified as being on energy research employment. Only some policies seem to contribute positively to clean tech employment while other policies appear to discourage employment growth. The magnitudes of the short term effects, even when statistically significant, are modest. Negative impacts on employment are identified for several mandate-oriented, so called command and control, policies including vehicle greenhouse gas standards, energy efficiency resource standards, and renewable portfolio standards with the former two having increasing negative effects over time. The findings suggest that climate change policy advocates should be careful to not assume that there will be positive clean tech employment benefits from state-level energy and environmental policies. Instead, the benefits from these policies may derive primarily from other considerations beyond the scope of this paper, including health and environmental benefits and reduction of dependence on foreign energy sources

Investing in Neighborhood Entrepreneurs: Private Foundations as Community Development Venture Capitalists

Entrepreneurs in low-income and minority neighborhoods encounter numerous problems in securing capital. To address this capital gap this paper considers a new role for private foundations as community development venture capitalists (CDVCs). It is suggested that through grant making and program-related investments, foundations may assume an equity stake in neighborhood-based entrepreneurs and acting as CDVCs apply lessons from the value-added component of private equity financing, including drawing on their expertise, professional contacts and financial resources to contribute to entrepreneurial efforts in the inner city

The organizational embeddedness of social capital: a comparative case study of two voluntary organisations

Social capital is a popular, but contested concept. It draws attention to the way in which social relations and constructed forms of social organization can produce outcomes on individual and collective levels. However, it is often founded on individualistic, rational-choice models of human behavior that neglect its embeddedness. I explore the embeddedness of social capital through a comparative case study of two voluntary sport organizations in the UK. Through close analysis of in-depth interviews and longitudinal observation, I look at the processes of social capital development and at how socio-organizational context and identity shape these processes