Threats to Research on Economic Inequality

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John, The Washington Center for Equitable Growth is committed to advancing the state of knowledge on whether and how economic inequality affects economic growth and stability. High-quality research and data are core to our mission and to the academic research community with whom we work closely. Currently, three separate pieces of legislation moving through Congress pose a major threat to the continued integrity of research on economic inequality. These bills all have the potential to have a serious impact on your future work, and we hope you will weigh in on the policy conversation. The three research and data funding issues are as follows: Funding cuts to the U. S. Census Bureau The House of Representatives has passed and the Senate is considering an appropriations bill (H.R.2578 <http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er?s=785&lid=174258&elq=a32b3d9dcfbc4d999af0088a2d633c01&elqaid=26277&elqat=1&elqTrackId=e05a0d75fbf449d0b9125ee6bd57adca>) that proposes funding significantly below President Obama’s FY 2016 budget request. The proposed funding levels in the House and Senate bills would limit the Census Bureau’s support of the release of the 2012 Economic Census, hamper planning for the 2017 Economic Census, and eliminate the creation of an Administrative Records Clearinghouse. In addition, the House bill would prohibit funding to make responses to the American Community Survey mandatory and directs the Census Bureau to submit a plan for the removal of additional questions from the American Community Survey. These changes could limit the quantity, quality, and timeliness of data coming from the Census Bureau. The Senate now holds the power, and can either make amendments to the House-passed bill or block the legislation entirely. Once the Senate acts, the two chambers will then work together create a final version to send to the President to be signed into law. Funding cuts to the National Science Foundation’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences The same Commerce, Science, and Justice Appropriation bill (H.R. 2578 <http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er?s=785&lid=174258&elq=a32b3d9dcfbc4d999af0088a2d633c01&elqaid=26277&elqat=1&elqTrackId=b6367144e17e4c3f92dbcb36187a84bc>) also proposes funding well below President Obama’s requested level for the National Science Foundation. The House bill requires that NSF allocate 70 percent of its budget to non-social science, non-geoscience research, prioritizing funding away from NSF’s Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences. NSF has, in the past, provided the majority of the federal funds for academic research in the Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences. By eroding support for researchers, the current effort to cut NSF, and in particular the Directorate for Social, Behavioral, and Economic Sciences, threatens to substantially weaken our nation’s ability to make evidence-based policy decisions. Restrictions on the Availability of Student-Level Data The Student Privacy Protection Act (S. 1341 <http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er?s=785&lid=174259&elq=a32b3d9dcfbc4d999af0088a2d633c01&elqaid=26277&elqat=1&elqTrackId=2b249945f2234f14a54af68541db9754>), introduced by Senator David Vitter (R-LA) would amend the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act to require educational agencies or institutions to require active parental consent for any research using individual student-level data, among other things. Crafting sound, evidence-based education policy rests on the importance of using student-level data in research, and the restrictions in the bill as written could prevent access to quality data. Equitable Growth is committed to supporting research that informs the economic policy debate. All three of these legislative initiatives threaten to undermine your ability to do the work that policymakers rely on for making sound evidence-based policy decisions. We hope that you will take this opportunity to weigh in on the debate. Our Policy Outreach Manager, Jessica Fulton, would be happy to work with you if you would like help engaging. She can be reached at 202.545.3346 or [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>. Sincerely, Heather Boushey Executive Director and Chief Economist Washington Center for Equitable Growth --------------------------------------------------------- The Washington Center for Equitable Growth 1333 H Street, NW Washington, DC 20005 Unsubscribe from these emails <http://app.mx3.americanprogressaction.org/e/er?s=785&lid=151342&elq=a32b3d9dcfbc4d999af0088a2d633c01&elqaid=26277&elqat=1&elqTrackId=b54e372322694a31a9376a62620bba63>