Introduction to Special Issue of Journal of Urban Economics: Race, Social Justice, and Cities

As we sat down for our annual Journal of Urban Economics editorial meeting in the summer of 2020, the country was being rocked by a wave of large-scale urban protests condemning police violence against Black Americans. This round of protest, sparked by the killing of George Floyd in May 2020, led to immediate calls for police reform – including some far-reaching appeals to “defund the police.” The national climate encouraged a sharpened focus in academia on systemic or structural discrimination, with work on this topic – long having been studied by minority scholars – attracting more widespread attention from both researchers and policymakers.

As an editorial team, we frankly felt it was somewhat out of touch of us to be discussing submission rates, decision times, etc., of the leading journal in urban economics while America's cities were erupting with protests and calls for policy reforms. Urban economists have important perspectives to add to the national conversation and we, as editors, could do more to encourage research in these areas.