Russel Sage Foundation

Preemption is when a higher level of government eliminates or reduces the authority of a lower level of government. Since 2010, preemption has increasingly been used by state governments to intentionally thwart local action or punish localities for implementing progressive policies that would disproportionately benefit Black and Latinx workers. Preemption targeting worker-related local policies is most common in the South and is tied to a history of state sanctioned efforts to impede political and economic power among people of color. While the disparate effects of preemption on racial and gender groups have been implied, little empirical research has been conducted on this topic. Public health expert Courtnee Melton-Fant will examine the effects of worker-related preemptions by investigating the following questions: 1) What is the prevalence and distribution of worker-related preemption bills over time? 2) What is the relationship between worker-related preemption bills and individual-level economic outcomes across racial and gender groups over time?