By Ryan Heinz, External Engagement Staff

Events and protests this past summer turned up the volume on national conversations about fair treatment of Black Americans, including in the workplace and the economy.

But Sydney Diavua and her colleagues already had been making sure those conversations were heard — in the Federal Reserve System and in the districts Reserve banks serve.

Diavua’s work on community development, civic participation and neighborhood revitalization has taken her all over the East Coast and overseas.

She brought that wealth of experience to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis’ District when she returned to her…

“The quiet conversations have gotten louder,” Douglas Scarboro, regional executive of the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis Memphis Branch, says of willingness to address the topic of race. Pradeep Rajendran, senior manager, hosts a casual discussion with four St. Louis Fed executives: Scarboro; Francois Henriquez, general counsel; Nikki Lanier, regional executive of the Louisville Branch; and James Price, group vice president. They talk about challenges they have faced and what organizations can do to promote diversity, equity and inclusion.

Transcript

Pradeep Rajendran: Welcome to Timely Topics from the St. Louis Fed. I’m your host, Pradeep Rajendran from the Public…

In this Women in Economics interview, Marie Mora and Lea-Rachel Kosnik discuss why having diverse perspectives at the policymaking table is essential.

Marie Mora, provost and executive vice chancellor for academic affairs at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, and Lea-Rachel Kosnik, economics professor at UMSL, have something in common — both were drawn to the field of economics because of its policymaking aspect.

In a Women in Economics Podcast Series episode (originally released in March 2020) the two women spoke about their experiences in the field of economics and their roles at the university. Mora has focused on diversity…

By Meredith Covington and Ana H. Kent

During most of the coronavirus pandemic and COVID-19 recession, women have faced higher unemployment rates than men, as the pandemic affected sectors with high shares of female workers, particularly in service professions.* Moreover, the closures of schools and day care centers and the implementation of remote learning have increased child care needs, which disparately affect working mothers. A September McKinsey study (PDF) shows that roughly a third of working mothers were considering taking a leave of absence, dropping out of the work force entirely, cutting their hours, moving to part-time or switching to…

By David Andolfatto

Key Takeaways

• Over the past 12 years, the national debt grew from $5.3 trillion to $20.5 trillion — or 400% — while national income grew only 30%.
• Many analysts and policymakers question whether high levels of debt and deficit spending are sustainable.
• Looking at the national debt from different perspectives sheds some positive light on the fiscal situation.

In the second quarter of 2008, U.S. federal debt held by the public totaled about $5.3 trillion, or 35% of gross domestic product (GDP). This figure grew to $20.5 trillion — or 105% of GDP — by the second quarter of…

Part of our Timely Topics: Economic Equity miniseries.

“Our Community Development staff at the St. Louis Fed seek for every individual and community to have the opportunity and also the ability to participate in the economy,” says Daniel Paul Davis, vice president and community affairs officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. Davis joins Community Development team directors Ray Boshara, Nishesh Chalise, Sydney Diavua and Matuschka Lindo Briggs in a discussion about how St. Louis Fed works to promote a more inclusive and equitable economy.

Transcript

Matuschka Briggs: Welcome to Timely Topics, a podcast series from the St…

Part of our Timely Topics: Economic Equity miniseries.

“When you were born, what race or ethnicity you are, how much education you obtained open up and, in some cases, limit the opportunities that you’ll encounter,” says William Emmons, an assistant vice president and economist in the Supervision Division at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis.

Emmons joins the Center’s lead analyst Lowell Ricketts and policy analyst Ana Hernández Kent in a discussion about demographic variables and how they affect wealth and equity in the United States.

Transcript

Maria Hasenstab (host): Welcome to Timely Topics, a podcast series from the…

“This profession is what we make it … therefore, it’s going to take all of us to be responsible to make it a better profession,” says Rhonda Vonshay Sharpe, founder and president of the Women’s Institute for Science, Equity and Race, WISER. She talks with Mary Suiter, assistant vice president and economic education officer at the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, about WISER’s mission to expand women-focused research on the needs of Asian, Black, Hispanic, Native American and multiracial women.

Economics is for everyone

Studying econ can give you tools to tackle big issues — like improving the environment, reducing income inequality…