National Equality Panel

National Equality Panel - Race Equality Equality through Economics

Two main aims • Change the language and discourse of race in Britain • Develop Equality through Economic Justice Equality through Economics

Employment Gap - • 15 percentage points • 1.3 % points lower than the level in 1987 • 25/30 years to eliminate (NEP and National Audit report) • Factors: Human Capital, Geography, Discrimination • Not economically sound if it persists • EM - 11% of the working age population • 14% of the secondary school population; • 17% of the primary school population. Equality through Economics

Single Equalities Bill • Procurement a lever for change in the private sector (NEP recommendations) • Public sector spending about £200 billion in private sector which accounts for 80% of employment • Equality in procurement should be at every stage of the process • Kitemark no clout without a requirement on public sector to accept it. Equality through Economics

NEP recommends • Government assesses, in 2012, whether the private sector has made enough progress in promoting race equality to support the goal of reducing the ethnic minority gap to twelve percentage points by 2015; reports its findings publicly; and, if it finds insufficient progress has been made, brings in legislation that obliges private sector employers to promote workplace race equality. Equality through Economics

Positive Action • Problematic to say: where candidates are equal give it to the Black candidate/woman • EU is very clear that equality means treating people in the same positions the same and treating people in different positions differently. Equality through Economics

Poverty and Crime • Economic benefit of removing the underachievement of Black boys and young Black men could be £808 million a year. 50 years without any change, would amount to approximately £24bn. REACH report • 80% of Black African and Caribbean communities live in Neighbourhood Renewal Fund areas, those identified as England’s most deprived areas ‘Young Black People in the Criminal Justice System’ Equality through Economics

Psychotic Illness • The rate of psychotic illness related to socioeconomic position, with those who were in poorer economic positions appearing to have a higher risk. • 6% among White group (7% for men and 5% for women), Black Caribbean (12%), Pakistani (10%), Indian (9%) and Irish (8%), and Bangladeshi (5%) Equality through Economics

Equality through Economics

CRE Legacy Report 2007 Children from ethnic minority groups make up 12% of the total child population Rates of child poverty are particularly high among children of African (56%), Pakistani (60%) and Bangladeshi (72%) origin, compared with a rate of 25% for white children. Equality through Economics Equality through Economics

Rafael Behr – Observer Sunday 15th June • ‘If government wants to change the status of minorities, it can choose between two policy menus, one cultural and one economic. The cultural one is assimilation: setting a goal of a unified national identity and pushing people towards it, by shutting faith schools and banning public officials from wearing headscarves, for example. Equality through Economics

Rafael Behr – Observer Sunday 15th June • The economic one is redistribution: addressing the problems of social mobility and poverty that actually cause tension between communities. Or it can go à la carte and try a bit of both. What it can't do is talk loosely about a policy of integration because, noble though it sounds, it doesn't actually mean anything.’ Equality through Economics

CID Agenda • Citizenship • Cohesion • Immigration and Asylum. • Internment • Integration – who has segregated who? • Islamophobia • ID cards • DNA database • Diversity • Discourse Equality through Economics

CRE report Sept 2007 • Segregation – residentially, socially and in the workplace – is growing. Extremism, both political and religious, is on the rise as people become disillusioned and disconnected from each other. Issues of identity have a new prominence in our social landscape and have a profound impact upon race relations in Britain. Equality through Economics

Media Equality through Economics

Contribution • Ethnic minority consumers by 2011 disposable incomes of £300 billion. • Black and Asian consumers spend 44% more on clothing per month than White consumers. • Black and Asian consumers are also estimated to earn up to £156 billion after tax income. • Young men being the bigger consumers and spending £32 billion every year Equality through Economics

Active Inclusion Active Inclusion is defined by the Commission as • “A comprehensive policy mix combining three elements (i) a link to the labour market through job opportunities or vocational training; • (ii) income support at a level that is sufficient for people to have a dignified life; • (iii) better access to services that may help remove some of the hurdles encountered by some individuals and their families in entering mainstream society, thereby supporting their reinsertion into employment”. Equality through Economics

Change the Discourse: • Challenge ‘C’ words Cohesion, Citizenship • Interrogate ‘I’ words Integration, Islamophobia, institutional, internment, identity cards, immigration • Deliberate ‘D’ words DNA database Diversity, Discrimination Equality through Economics

TO: • Rely on our ‘R’s Rights, responsibility, research, respect, records, restorative justice • Encourage the use of ‘E’ s Equality, employment, economic equity, evidence, efficiency, empowerment, enforcement and Equanomics Equality through Economics

National Equality Panel - Race Equality