In the Media
News from CSEM
CSEM Director has article published in The New York Times on challenges facing minority/low income families in home financing
New York Times
Dr. Craig Richardson, along with his co-author Yuliya Panfil, had an op-ed published on Oct. 3rd, 2024 that highlighted how Dodd-Frank banking regulations have made it unprofitable to issue smaller mortgages that have traditionally helped Americans buy their first home and made it more difficult to buy fixer uppers. During Acting HUD Secretary Adrianne Todman's coincidental same-day campus visit, she met Dr. Richardson and noted she agreed with the article's premise- and said some fixes are coming.
CSEM Student Research Fellows To Explore "New Tech" Approach to Learning About the City's Former African-American Business District
On January 31st, three Winston-Salem State University students met with City of Winston-Salem’s Historic Preservation Officer Michelle McCullough to learn more about the once thriving business district from the 1910s-1950s in the area now known as Innovation Quarter and Bailey Park. Azeriyonna Simmons, Faith Kerr and Cah’lil Williams (l to r) are economics majors and CSEM Student Fellows for Spring 2025.
Their goal: to bring a fresh approach to learning about history, and create an interactive narrative walking tour that will allow people to appreciate the successes of a former Black community, with 21st century technology.
One hundred years ago, the area thrived with its dozens of Black-owned shops, Black-owned housing, clubs and schools, remarkable in an era that had a lack of civil rights.
The CSEM students have ambitious goals to unearth the hidden and proud African American history with modern technology. One idea is to use QR code markers on various spots within the Innovation Quarter to transport people to a mostly forgotten past, using archival footage, interviews and other resources.
The student team project is self-directed, with Dr. Craig Richardson serving as the team’s mentor, with the goal of presenting the progress during WSSU’s Scholarship Week. Funds for this project are supported by the John William Pope Foundation.
CSEM's innovative work on economic mobility profiled by national publication.
Medium, an online magazine that has a subscription base of over 1 million readers, had a recent article, ""Bridging the Gap: How CSEM is Transforming Economic Mobility Through Data." Writer Isha Clayton, a graduate student at Howard University and entrepreneur, interviewed Dr. Richardson, noting that, "CSEM is at the frontline of tackling economic challenges through data-driven research and innovative initiatives." The article discussed CSEM's path-breaking data project with the City of Greensboro, its documentaries highlighting public transportation and affordable housing as well as its upcoming one on micro transit as a new means of public transportation, and how WSSU students have played a key role in CSEM's work. (Sept. 13, 2024).
Photo credit: Writer Isha Clayton, Medium magazine.
MBA Students and Professor Gosavi attend financial conference with help from CSEM funding
Six MBA students along with Dr. Aparna Gosavi, MBA Program Director, attended an exciting FinTech Conference hosted by Fayetteville State University at their campus on 10/8 and 10/9. The students got an opportunity to listen to various prominent speakers from the academia and industry who talked about technological development and job opportunities in the FinTech industry. The bus transportation was paid for by The Center for the Study of Economic Mobility at Winston-Salem State University.
Students had a lot to say about the experience. Sherika Scales said, “As an entrepreneurial business student, it is important to understand how the financial world is being impacted by the innovations and advances in technology”. Winnie King noted, “I am at crossroads professionally and having trouble identifying my purpose. The conference identified exciting opportunities.” Saquavia Bennett added, “I am thrilled to have experienced the very first Fintech conference at FSU. This experience has broadened my perspective on how technology and financial services can act as catalysts for socioeconomic mobility.”
The MBA program offers three courses in AI and one course in blockchain. Attending the conference in FinTech allowed the students to integrate their classwork with the latest trends in the industry. CSEM support for this transportation was funded by a grant by the John William Pope Foundation.
A Revolution in Public Transportation From A Town You Wouldn't Expect
American Institute for Economic Research
It’s taken more than a hundred years for low-density cities to recognize that public transportation works far better in a point-to-point model, using private-public partnerships.
WSSU Students Travel to New Orleans to Participate in "Know Us"- a Vibrant Program on Celebrating Black Community
CSEM News
Fully sponsored by CSEM, 7 students and 2 professors journeyed to New Orleans Sept. 27-29, 2024, narrowly but safely avoiding the wake of Hurricane Helene. Over the course of the weekend, they along with 50 other program participants learned about the deep, resilient, and creative Black culture in New Orleans. They traveled to large Black-owned artist galleries, community bookstores, rode the city bus to find out limitations of public transit, and learned many lessons about the impact of slavery, gentrification, Hurricane Katrina, and much more.
They had fun as well, hearing a brass band brought in just for the participants, poetry slams, and a chance to wander the famous French quarter where they sampled the city's famous beignets and listened to music on nearly every street corner. Since its founding in 2020, Know Us, powered by the nonprofit Plant, Build & Restore, has curated national opportunities to authentically immerse in community from a hyper local and impact-driven lens. CSEM looks forward to taking student to future Know Us events. Generous funding for the $1,500 scholarships that covered airfare, transportation, food and program costs was provided by The John William Pope Foundation.
Why “Disincentive Deserts” Matter Far More Than Benefits Cliffs
American Institute for Economic Research
Benefits cliffs certainly remain an important area of policy study, but we should pay more attention to creatively solving the problems of disincentive deserts, since they exist for such long and dispiriting spans of workers’ income journey, rolling back benefits at a rate that is equivalent to a 60-95% effective marginal tax rate.
CSEM research team to produce economic impact report for non-profit Do School
The Center for the Study of Economic Mobility (CSEM) at Winston-Salem State University has announced a Spring 2025 partnership with the Do School, aimed at assessing the economic impact on participants' lives as well as the ripple effects of the home renovation projects on the surrounding neighborhood.
"We are proud to have the enthusiastic participation of WSSU economics professor Zagros Madjd-Sadjadi, a CSEM Research Fellow," said Dr. Craig Richardson, CSEM's founding director. Madjd-Sadjadi is the former Chief Economist of San Francisco and has tremendous experience with economic impact studies, producing one for WSSU each year. Two strong economics students at WSSU, Chase Stone and Christian White, will join the research team, as CSEM Student Fellows. Both Stone and White have already toured the learning labs and are excited to offer ideas as well as conducting the study.
"The benefits of the Do School go way beyond building skills for their students- they are transforming people's lives as well as improving wealth and prosperity for our African-American community," said Richardson. "We are delighted our economics faculty and student economics majors can help showcase these benefits."
The team will produce an economic impact report in late spring 2025 as well as present their results in early April during WSSU's annual Scholarship week. CSEM is pleased to provide all financial support for this project.
Pictured: CSEM Student Fellows Chase Stone (left) and Christian White (right) on site at the Do School. (1/27/2025 story date).
