James H. Carr Jim Carr is chief operating officer for the National Community Reinvestment Coalition (NCRC), a national association of 600 local development organizations dedicated to improving the flow of capital to communities and promoting economic mobility. He is also a visiting professor at Columbia University and a member of the Insight Experts of Color Network . Prior to his appointment to NCRC, Jim was senior vice president for financial innovation, planning and research for the Fannie Mae Foundation and vice president for housing research at Fannie Mae. He has also held posts as assistant director for tax policy with the U.S. Senate Budget Committee and as research associate at the Center for Urban Policy Research at Rutgers University. Jim has served as an international advisor on financial modernization and housing finance to China, Mexico, Turkey, and Colombia. He has also served on Congressional delegations to South Africa and Ghana on housing and economic development. He has published and lectured extensively on housing and urban policy, housing finance, community reinvestment, personal financial services and state and local finance. Jim is former editor of the scholarly journal Housing Policy Debate, which received the 1996 Award of Excellence from Washington EdPress for editorial excellence. His recent books include Replicating Microfinance in the United States and Segregation: The Rising Costs for America. Jim has appeared on CNN, FOX News, CNBC, Bloomberg TV, PBS and National Public Radio. Jim has earned numerous professional and academic honors and Awards, including the Alpha Rho Chi Bronze Leadership Medal and the American Society of Planning Officials Fellowship.

The Great Ambiguity of the US Economy: Put America Back to Work!

As the economy shows signs of recovering, how will we measure the recession? Jim Carr says –  think jobs.

Earlier this year, New York Times reporter Peter Goodman wrote that the Great Recession has been replaced by the “Great Ambiguity.” This obscure, albeit apt, description of the U.S. economy seems still to be accurate today, as reflected by the action taken last week by the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Despite consecutive monthly gains in employment and wages sufficient to declare an official end to the recession, NBER took the conservative posture of concluding that more data is necessary before it can…

Lessons from Black History: The Present is Reflection of the Past

One year after the historic election of Barack Obama, and in honor of Black History Month, we asked leading African-American thinkers to reflect on lessons we must bear in mind in order to advance principles of social and economic justice in public policy. Jim Carr argues that failure to address the problems of the most disadvantaged will continue to impact the economy overall.

African-American history offers important lessons for America regarding the origins of the current economic crisis, how most effectively to climb our way out this mess, and how best to avoid a similar calamity in the future.

In his…

Navigating the Jobs Crisis: 3 Strategies for Real Economic Recovery

In the wake of the highest unemployment rate in 25 years, the Roosevelt Institute asked historians, economists and other public thinkers to reflect on the lessons of the New Deal and explore new, big ideas for how to get America back to work. James Carr argues for targeting hardest-hit communities with job training and access.

As this month’s unemployment numbers confirm, the nation’s economy continues to suffer despite recent positive and relatively impressive productivity numbers. Unemployment now exceeds 10 percent for the general population. Unemployment for African Americans and Latinos exceeds 15.5 percent and 13 percent respectively. For Native Americans living on reservations,…