2009 Series

Communities & Banking

Fall 2009 Fall 2009

September 1, 2009
  • Regional Clusters
    by Michael Gurau, Clear Venture Partners
    States understandably focus economic development efforts within their borders. But industry cluster strategies and greater collaboration across borders could do more for individual states and boost New England's ability to compete globally.
  • Returning Vets Face Challenges
    by Amy Wyeth
    Soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan sometimes struggle to find appropriate services as they readjust to civilian life. The most useful assistance often comes from those who have had wartime experiences themselves.
  • Enabling Good Housing Decisions: Choice Architecture
    by Waheed Hussain, The Wharton School
    To counteract clients' bad mortgage choices, community groups must first understand the emotional component of housing decisions. The author explains how choice architecture can help prospective homebuyers avoid mistakes.
  • College Financial Aid in Troubled Times
    by Sandy Baum, Skidmore College
    An economist and member of The College Board calls for streamlining the financial aid system to help lower-income families make an investment that is critical to their children's future.
  • Mapping New England: Child Poverty
    by Kai-yan Lee, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
    Childhood poverty is a concern in itself and also because it often leads to adult poverty. Communities & Banking looks at the region's changing child poverty rate between 1997 and 2007.
  • Increasing Low-Income Access to Opportunity
    by Jodie Levin-Epstein, Center for Law and Social Policy
    The author describes how state and city governments are taking the lead in giving visibility to poverty and opportunity through task-force initiatives, summits, and state poverty targets.
  • HarborOne MultiCultural Center Cuts to the Roots of a Problem
    by Caroline Ellis, Federal Reserve Bank of Boston
    After Brockton immigrants were taken advantage of by unscrupulous lenders, a credit union decided to tackle root causes. Its resulting learning center, profitable today, is a prime example of doing well by doing good.
  • Homelessness and Student Learning
    by Chester Hartman, Poverty & Race Research Action Council
    As increased foreclosure creates more homelessness and children change schools frequently, learning suffers. The author surveys the research and makes a case for urgent action.
  • The Bold and the Bankable: Telenovela and Financial Education
    by Jonathan Spader, Center for Community Capital
    Bankers have long sought better ways to reach the unbanked. Now an experiment with soap opera shows that engaging viewers' emotions first is critical to disseminating financial messages.
  • Shared Equity Housing: Designed to Last
    by John Emmeus Davis, Burlington Associates in Community Development LLC
    An approach to affordable housing called shared equity promotes stewardship and mitigates against market fluctuations. Recent experience shows that owners are less likely to lose their homes to foreclosure.

    • Articles may be reprinted if Communities , Banking and the author are credited and the following disclaimer is used: "The views expressed are not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston or the Federal Reserve System. Information about organizations and upcoming events is strictly informational and not an endorsement."

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