Our Mission

The Economic Roundtable is a non-profit, public benefit corporation organized to conduct economic, social and environmental research that contributes to the sustainability of individuals and communities.

The Economic Roundtable seeks to respect the needs and goals of all neighborhoods and communities of interest affected by its work.

Research findings are made readily available to public policy makers, affected communities, and the general public.

Recent Research

• Stabilizing Homeless Adults in Crisis: Public Costs for Homeless Clients of San Francisco’s Collaborative Courts
  
  
  
  Clients of San Francisco’s Collaborative Courts who are experiencing homelessness often have recurrent encounters with hospitals and jails, resulting in high public costs. Identifying these clients and understanding their costs points the way toward cost-effective investments in housing and supportive services that reduce net public outlays. Co-occurent psychosis and substance abuse are flags for the likelihood of high public costs. Underwritten by the Corporation for Supportive Housing, Bay Area office.
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• Hospital to Home: Triage Tool IIa Improved and More Accurate
  
  
  
  The statistical formulas used in this screening tool have been upgraded to make more accurate use of demographic and medical information for identifying homeless individuals with the most acute needs and the highest public costs – the 10th decile. The information used for screening remains unchanged but the improved formulas are more accurate and include a slightly larger share of individuals in the 10th decile.
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• Building a Sustainable Rural Economy: Mariposa, California
  
  
  
  The 25¢ coin that was minted to commemorate California shows John Muir admiring the granite walls of Yosemite. Mariposa County is home to Yosemite, one of California’s most beloved places. The county’s economy does not provide enough jobs for all of the residents who need to work and it is too small to capture many of the “multipliers” from local expenditures. However, there are opportunities for vertical integration in food production and distribution, and for targeted support of local industries that pay higher wages and reach external markets.
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• Hospital to Home: Triage Tool II for Identifying Homeless Patients in Crisis
  
  
  
  This system-based tool uses the rich information held by hospitals and affiliated clinics to identify homeless patients with ongoing health crises that create extremely high public costs. The tool equips health care providers to document the need of these patients first priority access to the scarce supply of affordable housing with supportive services. Underwritten by the Economic Roundtable.
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• Jobs, Wages and Housing: Affordable Housing Benefit Fee Study
  
  
  
  This study documents the connection between property development and demand for affordable housing in Los Angeles. This provides the basis for a fee structure to offset some of the demand for affordable housing generated by new projects. A fee would generate $35 to $110 million a year in revenue, depending on the level of the fee. This funding would help house 530,000 Los Angeles households that cannot afford market-rate rental housing. Underwritten by the City of Los Angeles.
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• Stepping Up for Veterans Standing Down: Information About Veterans Living in Los Angeles County
  
  
  
  The number of veterans in Los Angeles County returning from Iraq and Afghanistan is expected to grow from 36,000 in 2011 to over 60,000 by 2017. Many face challenges in finding employment, rising out of poverty, coping with disabilities, obtaining education, and finding decent housing. This report supports efforts of the United Way of Greater Los Angeles and other organizations to help post-9/11 veterans find sustaining jobs and reintegrate successfully into civilian life. Underwritten by United Way of Greater Los Angeles.
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• Getting to Work: Unemployment and Economic Recovery in Los Angeles
  
  
  
  Over a fifth of Los Angeles County’s labor force is unemployed or under-employed. Under-employment in LA peaked at the end of 2010, but remains 43 percent higher than the U.S. rate. The most important tools of local government for rebuilding the economy are indirect but very powerful over the long term, if used well. This includes decisions over the use of land, the transportation infrastructure, and the education and training of residents. Underwritten by the Pat Brown Institute and the Economic Roundtable
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• Equity below the Wing
  
  
  
  Many runway jobs of baggage and cargo handlers and cabin cleaners at Los Angeles International Airport have been outsourced to labor contractors, resulting in reduced wages and benefits for workers. For a small, incremental cost passed along to passengers, meaningful improvement can be made in the standard of living and health benefits of LAX airside workers, which will spark significant sales and tax multiplier effects for the Los Angeles region Underwritten by Good Jobs LA.
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