Exploring the Race and Class Consequences of Financial Precarity

• In Event: The Racialized Politics of American Debt Relief Policy

Abstract

This paper examines the joint context of unprecedented government support and a thriving fringe economy in the American economy. Specifically, I ask how these two dynamics potentially shaped political attitudes about government across racial/ethnic and class groups. I examine the public (federal and state politicians) and private (fringe economy servicers) institutional response to economic need during the COVID-19 pandemic via archival ethnography. I explore how disparate financial access shapes political attitudes and participation of racial minorities in the U.S., focusing on those using fringe economy services (e.g., payday loans, check cashing outlets) during the pandemic. Findings from this project will provide a more robust picture of the safety net created by the government and market actors. In turn, it can address longstanding questions about the persistence of racial, economic, and political inequality.

Author

• Patricia Posey, University of Chicago