John talks this week with Gbenga Ajilore, a senior economist at the Center for American Progress, about the economic and social upheaval that has gripped the country in recent months, and what can be done to address persistent gaps in the labor market between Black and white Americans. They discuss the federal response to Covid-19, explore how the crisis is affecting rural communities, and debate the merits of the “defund the police” movement as a means of achieving long overdue changes to the way law enforcement interacts with citizens of this country.

Prior to joining American Progress, Ajilore was an associate professor of economics at the University of Toledo. His research has focused on race and local public finance, peer effects and adolescent behavior, and police militarization. Ajilore’s work has been published in numerous journals, such as The Review of Black Political Economy, Economics and Human Biology, the Review of Economics of the Household, and the Atlantic Economic Journal. In 2018, Ajilore served as president of the National Economic Association.

An archive of Ajilore’s recent publications and bio can be found here. You can follow him on Twitter at @Gbenga_Ajilore.