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Walsh And Mayors Tackle Inequality

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Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has been hosting a group of fellow Mayors — including Bill de Blasio of New York City, with whom he chairs a task force with the U.S. Conference of Mayors.

Despite a robust local economy and low unemployment, a study by the Brookings Institution found that Boston has the third highest rate of income inequality among the nation's 50 largest cities. Among the findings: nearly half of Boston's households don't have enough savings to live above the poverty line for three months if they their source of income dried up.

So what can city leaders to? Proposals range from raising the minimum wage — a course taken by Ed Murray, the Mayor of Seattle, who signed a law to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh has launched an Office of Economic Empowerment — which helps people find jobs and job training, as well as offering help managing money and securing benefits.

Guest

Tiziana Dearing, associate professor, Global Practice Boston College School of Social Work.

This segment aired on March 23, 2015.

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