South By North Strategies, Ltd.

CHAPEL HILL, NC (August 10, 2016) – Today, Think NC First, a nonprofit organization based in Raleigh, released a set of four issue briefs questioning the claim of a “Carolina Comeback.” While the refrain is often repeated by Gov. McCrory and his supporters, the reality facing most North Carolina families is much different.

According to the briefs’ author, John Quinterno of South by North Strategies, Ltd., a research firm in Chapel Hill, stagnant wages, falling household incomes, subpar economic growth and a jobs gap make North Carolina’s economic recovery more like a distant dream for many Tar Heel households.

“Proponents of the ‘Carolina Comeback’ are fond of listing impressive-sounding statistics without providing the context needed to compare current conditions to pre-recessionary ones or to gauge whether the recovery is meeting the state’s needs,” said Quinterno. “When that missing context is provided, it becomes clear that the recovery has bypassed most North Carolinians, who on any number of indicators are worse off now than when the recession started in 2007.”

The briefs also detail the extent to which the recovery has bypassed most segments of North Carolina’s population, irrespective of race, ethnicity, education, and place. The result is a state increasingly defined by striking economic hardships and widening inequalities.

The series of issue briefs is designed as reference documents for editors, reporters and thought-leaders. Each brief covers a specific economic issue and uses public statistical data to explore the patterns that have unfolded since 2007, paying attention to differences between the contraction (approx. 2007-2009) and expansion (approx. 2009-present) phases of the business cycle.

Click below to download the briefs in PDF format; the briefs also are available below in one file.

Issue 1: A Growing State with Too Few Jobs
Issue 2: A Low-Wage, Low-Skill Recovery
Issue 3: Falling Household Incomes
Issue 4: Insufficient GDP Growth 

For questions about the briefs, interviews and other media requests please contact John Quinterno at johnq@sbnstrategies.com or (919) 622-2392.