How to turn back the tide of violent crime

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Nov 28, 2022

How to turn back the tide of violent crime

Shortly after 9 p.m. on Oct. 4, 9-year-old Dumarcus Fuller Jr. was killed in his Oklahoma City home in a drive-by shooting. It was just over a month after a similar drive-by shooting had killed 5-year-old Rayshard Scott in Fort Worth, Texas. These are just a few of the names of the young children who find themselves at the forefront of the increase in homicides and violence in cities over the last seven years. It has resulted in thousands more lives lost than if rates had stayed at their 2014 low.

While many things contribute to crime rates, former Attorney General William Barr was right when he wrote in the Wall Street Journal that increases in violence are a policy choice. And the people bearing the brunt of those policy choices come from our most vulnerable communities where violent crime not only cuts lives short but significantly reduces economic mobility . This means our poorest residents remain trapped in communities plagued by violence, unable to escape the cycle of poverty.

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Georgia officials tout unemployment rate that is lower than national average

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Nov 18, 2022

Georgia officials tout unemployment rate that is lower than national average

Georgia officials said Thursday the state’s October unemployment rate remained lower than the national rate, news that follows a new finding that nearly half a million Georgians have dropped out of the workforce.

While Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 2.9% was lower than the national unemployment rate of 3.7%, it was slightly higher than last month’s rate of 2.8% but down from last October’s 3.4% rate.

Meanwhile, a new Georgia Center for Opportunity analysis found 454,100 Georgians are not in the labor force and have effectively given up on work. The number does not include retirees, students or full-time caregivers.

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Georgia officials tout unemployment rate that is lower than national average

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Nov 17, 2022

Georgia officials tout unemployment rate that is lower than national average

Georgia officials said Thursday the state’s October unemployment rate remained lower than the national rate, news that follows a new finding that nearly half a million Georgians have dropped out of the workforce.

While Georgia’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate of 2.9% was lower than the national unemployment rate of 3.7%, it was slightly higher than last month’s rate of 2.8% but down from last October’s 3.4% rate.

Meanwhile, a new Georgia Center for Opportunity analysis found 454,100 Georgians are not in the labor force and have effectively given up on work. The number does not include retirees, students or full-time caregivers.

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Civil Asset Forfeiture and its Impact on Communities of Color in Georgia

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Nov 16, 2022

Civil Asset Forfeiture and its Impact on Communities of Color in Georgia

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On December 8, 2020, the Georgia Advisory Committee (Committee) to the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights (Commission) adopted a proposal to study civil asset forfeiture and its impact on communities of color in the state. From a civil rights perspective, the Committee sought to consider the extent to which property seized in Georgia (using civil asset forfeiture and/or related federal equitable sharing agreements) is seized without due process of law. The Committee also examined the extent to which, in practice, these forfeitures result in a disparate impact on communities of color in the state.

Similarly alarming trends can be seen in Georgia. In March of 2020, The Georgia Center for Opportunity, a non-partisan think tank focused on Georgia state issues reported: “Over the three years studied—2016 through 2018—law enforcement entities reported an aggregate of $49,073,127 in state revenue and $31,948,225 in federal revenue from civil asset forfeitures, including $4,452,238 in state net income from the sale of seized assets.”13

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Report finds thousands of Georgia residents ‘missing’ from the labor force

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Nov 16, 2022

Report finds thousands of Georgia residents ‘missing’ from the labor force

While Georgia officials routinely tout the state’s low unemployment rate, a new report found hundreds of thousands of residents are “missing” from the labor force.

According to a Georgia Center for Opportunity analysis, 454,100 Georgians are not in the labor force and have effectively given up on work. The number does not include retirees, students or full-time caregivers.

“The startling statistic shows a hidden story behind the unemployment rate that reveals deeper cracks in the labor market that will cause problems for years to come, both in the economy and in individuals’ lives,” Erik Randolph, GCO’s director of research, said in a news release. “The reason why this matters is not strictly an economic one — we know that these individuals’ giving up on work has profound social, psychological, and relational impacts that extend well beyond the pocketbook.”

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Georgia ranks 8th nationally in economic freedom

by Georgia Center for Opportunity | Nov 15, 2022

Georgia ranks 8th nationally in economic freedom

Georgia is the 8th most economically free state in the country, according to the report Economic Freedom of North America 2022 by the Fraser Institute.

The report tracks freedom across three variables — government spending, taxes, and regulation — and focuses on the 2019-2020 fiscal year.

Georgia improved its ranking from the 2018-2019 fiscal year, moving from 10th place that year to 8th place in the most recent report.

“This is another report that reinforces Georgia’s place in the country as a freedom leader, especially during the pandemic and now in post-pandemic life,” said Erik Randolph, director of research for the Georgia Center for Opportunity. “This shows why the GCO’s work is so important as we continue to advocate for meaningful work, access to a great education, and a healthy family life.”

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