Economic Justice
Economic Justice Solutions
Personal Finance & Economics Curriculum
All young people have a right to education that fully prepares them for the future ahead. Implementing personal finance and economics courses in all public high schools focused on investment, inflation, saving, taxes, and the housing market gives every American the tools needed to become financially independent.
Federal Green Infrastructure Jobs Programs
In the New Deal Era, the US government took it upon themselves to put the citizenry to work. Across the country, programs like the Civilian Conservation Corps and the Works Progress Administration revitalized public infrastructure while ensuring that participants could earn a livable wage. Today’s programs must build off of the American Climate Corps and focus on rebuilding America's Infrastructure in a manner that ensures its sustainability in a green future.
Adding Education and Training to Social Welfare Programs
Social Welfare programs assist those out of work and Jobs programs will help people get jobs, but in order to help participants become self-sufficient, education and training are vital. Programs dedicated to providing participants with traditional and vocational education are a vital piece of the welfare ecosystem. We must ensure that these educational opportunities are provided to participants in job and welfare programs so they may work toward leading a self-sustaining life.
Financial Training Outside of School
Due to the inaccessibility of financial education in underprivileged communities, individuals in these communities young and old are put at a complete disadvantage. By states funding personal finance and finance literacy seminars in these communities for free, they at least offer the ability to gain that knowledge.
Failures of Economic Justice
Lack of Financial Literacy
Financial literacy has forever been a luxury of the middle and upper class. According to a study by Standard & Poor’s in 2022, 43% of US adults are not considered to be financially literate. Financial literacy is key to becoming self-sufficient in a capitalist society and pivotal towards personal advancement. By making this skillset a luxury of the rich, a systemic inequality is created within our society that suppresses each individual’s economic mobility.
Lack of Education
Financial literacy and basic economic education is left out of nearly all public curricula. As a result, to learn these core skills, one must either self-teach or get a college education. Many don’t have the opportunity to obtain this education, putting them at a significant disadvantage. America’s public school system’s failure to make economics and financial literacy courses accessible to all, serves only to entrench the current economic order.
Social Welfare Programs
Social Welfare programs were put in place to help the impoverished become self-sustaining members of society. Unfortunately, our current system has fallen short of this effort, as the poverty rate has stayed stagnant at 13% since the 60s, while our welfare funding continues to increase. While this system is important in our society, current programs stimulate reliance, rather than focussing on the actual development of each individual. Most programs focus on handing out funds, thrusting people into jobs with zero mobility and have growingly neglected people that need it. We need to expand what these programs do and how they help Americans rise and stay out of poverty.
Racial Economic Inequality
Black and Hispanic families are twice as likely to have zero wealth compared to their white counterparts. These groups also only benefit from a fraction of the overall wealth growth this country has experienced. These problems are due in large part to systemic racism and the impacts it has on education levels and career success. This lack of economic growth for minority communities is also because of a lack of financial knowledge. While it is imperative that we tackle all issues, including economic injustice, in an anti-racist way, we must also focus our efforts on making financial literacy and economic education accessible to all.