Earlier this month, Guilford College Economics Professor Bob Williams attended (virtually) the Allied Social Science Association (ASSA) Conference, which serves as the national economics conference. He served as a session chair and gave two papers at the conference.  

One paper, entitled :Federal Wealth Policy and the Perpetuation of White Supremacy: Updates from the SCF 2019," takes his prior analysis to include the most recent survey data. He concludes from the available evidence that federal tax policy is a substantial contributor to the growing concentration of wealth and widening racial wealth gaps experienced in society.  

The second paper, entitled "COVID-19s: The Alternative Future to Implementing the Green New Deal (and More)," argues that the wisdom of the Green New Deal is its recognition that the nation’s economic security is threatened by both climate disruption and growing economic disparities. The paper examines how past and current policies largely neglected the needs of low-wealth households, making them extremely vulnerable to the challenges and choices posed by COVID-19.