Nonprofit Quarterly discussion and coverage of “Civic Health and Unemployment: Can Engagement Strengthen the Economy?” by Kathi Jaworski:

“What accounts for wide disparities in unemployment rates throughout the United States during the recession? You might think that economic factors such as the industry mix, occupational mix, demographic mix, or tax rates would be the best predictors of unemployment rate. But according to a new study sponsored by six organizations that work on civic engagement, it appears that civic engagement measures prove more useful as predictors of future unemployment. Specifically, those states and metropolitan areas that had significant civic engagement in 2006 (as measured through the U.S. Census Current Population Survey) experienced smaller increases in unemployment rates between 2006 and 2010 than those that not did not.”

Read the full article.