Traditionally, initiatives that aim to bolster upward mobility are siloed within specific policy domains, such as education and housing. Or, interventions focus resources predominantly on economic advancement, limiting their ability to comprehensively address the barriers faced by people experiencing poverty. Now, in an effort to offer a wider vision of upward mobility, the Urban Institute is introducing a new, more integrated approach for lifting people out of poverty and shifting the trajectory of their lives.
Through a research process that involved the input of cross-disciplinary academic experts and community leaders, Urban experts have designed a holistic, community-level framework for boosting upward mobility from poverty. Local governments and organizations can use the framework to better understand the key conditions within a community that promote upward mobility and narrow racial inequities.
What propels communities up and out of poverty?
To more accurately capture the nuances that drive upward mobility, the US Partnership on Mobility from Poverty, hosted by Urban, first developed a new definition of mobility from poverty that encompasses not just economic success but also power, autonomy, and a sense of being valued in one’s community.
The Partnership argued that while increased assets and income are necessary to rise from poverty, the ability to control one’s life decisions, to influence policies that affect one’s community, and to feel the sense of belonging and dignity that comes from being valued by one’s community are equally essential to experiencing and sustaining mobility. These three dimensions of mobility are interconnected and mutually reinforcing. Successes or failures in any one area will impact all three.
The dimensions are also what ground Urban’s Mobility Metrics Framework. And they are fueled by three drivers, each of which plays a unique role in creating the conditions that boost upward mobility and curb racial inequities.
The drivers begin with people’s home environment: When strong and healthy families provide secure foundations for early childhood development, it has a lasting effect on people’s educational and economic outcomes. Next, when people belong to a supportive community, it means families live in safe neighborhoods and have access to inclusive social support networks that can foster long-term well-being. Finally, when people have opportunities to learn and earn throughout their lifetime, it contributes significantly to attaining the education necessary to secure a stable income and advance through their career.
Along with contributing to the three dimensions of mobility, these drivers also enable local decisionmakers and advocates to understand upward mobility as a process that occurs within a wider system, shifting the focus from individuals toward systems and structures.
How can communities use the framework?
To measure whether a community is creating the conditions that boost upward mobility, Urban experts selected predictors and associated metrics that collectively track progress on mobility within each of the three drivers. Each predictor was chosen based on the strength of evidence tying it to long-term mobility. Experts also considered each predictor’s association to the three dimensions of upward mobility and its ability to be influenced by actors at the local level.
Urban then selected metrics for each predictor to enable communities to track short- and medium-term progress toward upward mobility goals. Communities can also use the metrics to set specific targets, compare their progress to other localities, identify where policy areas are lagging, and highlight interconnections among metrics shared by multiple policy domains. Applying these metrics empowers communities with the evidence needed to build support for comprehensive, cross-sector upward mobility initiatives.
Urban is partnering with eight counties to analyze the framework’s impact on local mobility-boosting efforts. Lessons learned from these counties, as well as continued thought partnership with a diverse set of scholars and stakeholders, will inform the metrics and the broader framework as they evolve to meet the current needs of communities.
