Question 1

What is the gross domestic product (GDP)? What does it include? What does it
leave out?

Accepted Answer

Private consumption + Gross investment
+ Gov’t spending + Exports – Imports, but it leaves out the per capita

Question 2

How is “unemployment” defined by the federal government? Why are some
problems with this metric (who might it leave out)?

Accepted Answer

The unemployment rate is the number of
unemployed as a percentage of the labor force. The labor force is people who are over 16 years old. It excludes people who are looking for work and people who are working part time.

Question 3

What are some ways that someone could have low income yet be comparatively
wealthy? Why might quantifying wealth be comparatively difficult?

Accepted Answer

Generation wealth is a key reason why people who seem to have low incomes may actually be very wealthy, and it is also very difficult to quantify generational wealth.

Question 4

What is a key problem with discussing inequality in terms of “average” income or
Wealth?

Accepted Answer

Because the outliers (wealthiest 1 percent) skew the average making it inaccurate to the majority of the population, which is why it is better to use a median.

Question 5

How are Lorenz Curves and Gini Coefficients (or “Indices”) related?

Accepted Answer

The Gini Coefficient comes from the Lorenz Curve. It measures how far the curve is from perfect equality. The more it curves away, the higher the inequality.

Question 6

What would a Lorenz Curve look like for perfect equality? For total inequality?

Accepted Answer

For total equality The Lorenz Curve would be a straight diagonal line. Everyone has the same income. The Gini Coefficient is 0. For total inequality The Lorenz Curve would be flat along the bottom and then jump up at the end. One person has all the incom

Question 7

What is the approximate value of the Gini Coefficient for the U.S.?

Accepted Answer

0.42

Question 8

How does it compare to other industrialized countries? What are some reasons that income (or wealth) inequality in the U.S. has risen over the last several decades?

Accepted Answer

The value of inequality is high compared to other developed countries. Less progressive taxation, unequal education, falling minimum wage are some reasons for the rise in inequality.

Question 9

How does the U.S. rank in terms of other socio-economic metrics, such as life
expectancy, infant mortality, or the happiness index? What are some likely reasons
for our ranking?

Accepted Answer

We are ranked very low in all of these due to things like smoking, obesity, violence,
Poverty because we do not stop poor health from the beginning.

Question 10

The gap in the labor force participation rate (LFPR) between men and women has
certainly improved over the decades, but it still stands at ~10%. What are some
likely “structural” or societal reasons for the persistence of this gap?

Accepted Answer

Worker pay gaps, care giving responsibility, and cultural gender norms.

Question 11

Even if the LFPR gap was closed, how is gender bias still be manifested in the
Workplace?

Accepted Answer

Women may still not be paid as much as men and may not even be promoted as much as men.

Question 12

What are some historical reasons for the continued, current wealth and income
gaps between whites and people of color in the U.S.?

Accepted Answer

Redlining prevents generational wealth.

Question 13

What current practices, policies or trends might be perpetuating such gaps?

Accepted Answer

Gaps in educational resources, fewer amenities, environmental justice and health disparities.

Question 14

What is environmental racism? How is it currently manifested in the U.S.? In
Portland?

Accepted Answer

environmental harms and benefits are distributed unevenly based on race, black communities are much more likely to be located closer to facilities that produce hazardous waste. And I-5 cuts right through our minority neighborhoods in Portland.

sustainablity quiz 2

gonna kms

Question	Answer
What is the gross domestic product (GDP)? What does it include? What does it leave out?	Private consumption + Gross investment + Gov’t spending + Exports – Imports, but it leaves out the per capita
How is “unemployment” defined by the federal government? Why are some problems with this metric (who might it leave out)?	The unemployment rate is the number of unemployed as a percentage of the labor force. The labor force is people who are over 16 years old. It excludes people who are looking for work and people who are working part time.
What are some ways that someone could have low income yet be comparatively wealthy? Why might quantifying wealth be comparatively difficult?	Generation wealth is a key reason why people who seem to have low incomes may actually be very wealthy, and it is also very difficult to quantify generational wealth.
What is a key problem with discussing inequality in terms of “average” income or Wealth?	Because the outliers (wealthiest 1 percent) skew the average making it inaccurate to the majority of the population, which is why it is better to use a median.
How are Lorenz Curves and Gini Coefficients (or “Indices”) related?	The Gini Coefficient comes from the Lorenz Curve. It measures how far the curve is from perfect equality. The more it curves away, the higher the inequality.
What would a Lorenz Curve look like for perfect equality? For total inequality?	For total equality The Lorenz Curve would be a straight diagonal line. Everyone has the same income. The Gini Coefficient is 0. For total inequality The Lorenz Curve would be flat along the bottom and then jump up at the end. One person has all the incom
What is the approximate value of the Gini Coefficient for the U.S.?	0.42
How does it compare to other industrialized countries? What are some reasons that income (or wealth) inequality in the U.S. has risen over the last several decades?	The value of inequality is high compared to other developed countries. Less progressive taxation, unequal education, falling minimum wage are some reasons for the rise in inequality.
How does the U.S. rank in terms of other socio-economic metrics, such as life expectancy, infant mortality, or the happiness index? What are some likely reasons for our ranking?	We are ranked very low in all of these due to things like smoking, obesity, violence, Poverty because we do not stop poor health from the beginning.
The gap in the labor force participation rate (LFPR) between men and women has certainly improved over the decades, but it still stands at ~10%. What are some likely “structural” or societal reasons for the persistence of this gap?	Worker pay gaps, care giving responsibility, and cultural gender norms.
Even if the LFPR gap was closed, how is gender bias still be manifested in the Workplace?	Women may still not be paid as much as men and may not even be promoted as much as men.
What are some historical reasons for the continued, current wealth and income gaps between whites and people of color in the U.S.?	Redlining prevents generational wealth.
What current practices, policies or trends might be perpetuating such gaps?	Gaps in educational resources, fewer amenities, environmental justice and health disparities.
What is environmental racism? How is it currently manifested in the U.S.? In Portland?	environmental harms and benefits are distributed unevenly based on race, black communities are much more likely to be located closer to facilities that produce hazardous waste. And I-5 cuts right through our minority neighborhoods in Portland.

"Know" box contains:
Time elapsed:
Retries: