The Southern California Association of Governments, or SCAG, the nation’s largest metropolitan planning organization representing six counties, 191 cities, and more than 18 million residents, has chosen the Center for Social Innovation at UC Riverside to conduct research and offer insights and recommendations to advance economic inclusion and equity across Southern California.

The project, the first of its kind involving SCAG and UCR, calls on the center to inform an Inclusive Economic Recovery Strategy, or IERS, for Southern California, and to serve as the equity advisor for the entire SCAG region. The IERS will provide a roadmap for inclusive economic development in the region, with a particular focus on equitable economic recovery. The center’s director, UCR Professor Karthick Ramakrishnan, will serve as the economic advisor for the SCAG region specializing in equity, working with SCAG staff and center staff including research director Beth Tamayose, associate director Karla Lopez del Rio, and research manager Gary Rettberg.

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