Economic Security & Prosperity Publications
Hunger 101
Presentation Looks are some of the reasons child hunger is so pervasive in New Mexico as well as policy solutions from our NM KIDS are COUNTing on Us campaign that would help. Presented at the Interfaith Hunger Coalition's Hunger 101 Workshop in Albuquerque. (State-level data on indicators of child well-being, food insecurity, and economic security)
NM KIDS are COUNTing on Us: A Campaign for a Better New Mexico
Policy Agenda For the third straight year, New Mexico ranks 49th in the nation for child well-being. It will take a comprehensive and focused set of strategies, and the political and public will to make them a reality, to improve child well-being in New Mexico. This policy agenda, based on the metrics used to measure child well-being in the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s annual KIDS COUNT Data Book, offers one such approach.
Kids in Poverty
Presentation Created for a State Bar of New Mexico conference, this includes KIDS COUNT data on child poverty in New Mexico and some of the reasons so many of New Mexico's working families are barely getting by. (State-level data on economic security)
Advocating for New Mexico’s Hungry Families and Kids
Presentation Created for the 2016 SEED Conference, this looks at some of the economic issues around food insecurity, policy solutions to address them, and tips for advocating on behalf of food-insecure families. (State-level data on economic security)
How trickle-down economics “works” for New Mexico’s students
Infographic Trickle-down economics were touted for years as an economic tool for creating jobs. Tax cuts do change the way in which money flows through the economy, but not quite in the way proponents promised.
Valuing Families at Work: The Case for Paid Sick Leave
Report Many low-wage occupations do not come with benefits like paid sick leave. So workers who are already earning low wages have to forfeit those wages in order to stay at home to tend a sick child or care for themselves. The U.S. has no national policy, so states and cities are taking up the issue. With the lowest rate in the nation of workers with paid sick leave, New Mexico has much to gain by enacting such legislation. (State-, national-, and international-level data on sick leave policies, some by race and ethnicity)
Economic development begins with a better educated & more skilled workforce
Fact Sheet New Mexico' high rates of poverty are linked to its low rates of educational attainment among adults. That, in turn, leads to poorer outcomes for their children. This fact sheet looks at how the career pathways approach would benefit the state.
Helping Food-Insecure Households in New Mexico Afford Healthier Choices through the SNAP Double Up Food Bucks Program
Policy Brief New Mexico is a poor state with high rates of food insecurity and with too many adults and children suffering from nutrition-related chronic conditions. Programs that incentivize consumption of locally grown, fresh produce to food-insecure individuals offer both health benefits to low-income communities as well as economic benefits to local farmers. (State-level data on economic well-being and health disparities by race and ethnicity)
Why So Many Parents Can’t Put Enough Food on the Table
Presentation Looks at the economic issues around food insecurity, presents some data on child well-being from the 2015 national KIDS COUNT Data Book, as well as offers some policy solutions. Presented at the Second Annual End Hunger in New Mexico Summit. (State-level data on economic security and child well-being)
Raising the New Mexico Minimum Wage
Report Raising the minimum wage is an important and effective strategy for reducing poverty particularly given the erosion of the purchasing power of the state wage since it was last raised in 2009. In New Mexico, approximately 112,000 workers are earning the current state minimum wage of $7.50. In January, New Mexico lawmakers should act to raise the minimum wage to $10 per hour by 2018. While this increase should not be considered a living wage, thousands of families would benefit. (State-level data on characteristics of minimum wage earners, including by race and ethnicity)