Minding the Gap: Using the New Racial Wealth Audit to Measure the Impact of State and National Policies on the Racial Wealth Gap

Presenters: Thomas Shapiro (Director, Institute on Assets and Social Policy, The Heller School, Brandies University) and Amy Traub (Senior Policy Analyst, DEMOS)

Historical discrimination and the financial devastation of the Great Recession has led to extreme wealth inequality and a widening racial wealth gap between households of color and white households.
Advocates and policymakers seek to develop policies to build wealth and opportunity in households of color and close the gap.

Researchers from Demos and Brandies University’s Institute on Assets and Social Policy have introduced a new tool – the Racial Wealth Audit – to evaluate the impact of various policies on the wealth gap between white, African-American, and Latino households.

This tool will help advocates assess policy proposals, assist in policy design, examine institutional reforms, and challenge narratives that purport to explain the main causes of racial inequality (e.g., personal responsibility, child-bearing, and excessive consumption).

Join Professor Tom Shapiro and Amy Traub of DEMOS for a discussion of this important new tool.