State of the South

STATE OF THE SOUTH 2007: Philanthropy as the South's "Passing Gear" calls upon the region's philanthropic organizations to think more creatively and act more boldly to help the South address its self-limiting inequities and spur its competitiveness in a global economy. While the South has advanced economically, it still faces wide gaps in family economic well-being, education, and health: the 2000 Census found that nearly one out of five Southern children lives in a household below the poverty level. The South needs more philanthropy and philanthropy that addresses the twin challenges of equity and competitiveness.  The pdf of State of the South 2007 is available for free download.  To order printed copies, click here for an order form and pricing information or contact us at orders@mdcinc.org.  Volume discounts are available.

•  Read an OpEd in the January 23 edition of The News & Observer about MDC's State of the South 2007 and its recommendations.

MDC commissioned four experts to write papers regarding the challenge to philanthropy posed by lingering inequities in the South.  These papers are available as downloadable pdf files.

• Racial Justice and Equity: Challenges for the American South, by Hayes Mizell
• Equity, Education, and Philanthropy in Changing Times, by Lynn Huntley
• Equity, Public Health, and Philanthropy in the South, by Anne Rosewater
• Poverty and Development in the American South: Can Philanthropy Play a Role? by Karl Stauber 
• See what Ambassador James Joseph, former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa and chair of MDC's board, has to say about philanthropy's vision for the future in his speech titled, Philanthropy and Equity: Challenges and Opportunities for the American South.

STATE OF THE SOUTH 2004: Fifty Years After Brown v. Board of Education
"MDC's first-rate report calls upon Southern leaders to step up and meet serious public education issues, especially the status of the high school. Further, this report emphasizes once again the primacy of a strong teacher corps and elimination of high poverty schools. Both of these matters merit immediate and constant attention to assure change. I would urge the report be read far and wide."  - William Friday, President Emeritus, University of North Carolina

To view the executive summary, click here.
To view the full report in a pdf file, click here.

STATE OF THE SOUTH 2002 - While several metropolitan areas have burgeoned and some rural communities have made a successful economic transition, economic shadows have darkened in many Southern rural and urban places that have no distinctive competitive advantages in today's economy, according to a panel of distinguished Southerners convened by MDC. State of the South 2002, the fourth in the biennial series, revisits MDC's groundbreaking 1986 report, Shadows in the Sunbelt, and offers recommendations to spread economic progress into the region's shadows. Funded by the Ford Foundation. September 2002. $15. Pdf available online free.

STATE OF THE SOUTH 2000 - A regional-level analysis of the impact of globalization on the Southern economy, with an analysis of trends in business mix changes, trade, foreign direct investment, occupational mix changes, immigration, and workforce readiness. The third in MDC's biennial series analyzing the Southern economy. Includes recommendations for the region's decision-makers. Funded by the Appalachian Regional Commission, the Ford Foundation, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the U.S. Department of Education. September 2000. $25. Available online free. Part 1 pdf, Part 2 pdf, Part 3 pdf

STATE OF THE SOUTH 1998 - A regional-level analysis of 30-year trends in population, jobs, income, poverty, and education in the South, concentrating on how various segments of the region's population are faring, with special attention to gender, ethnicity, and education levels. Includes recommendations for the region's policymakers. Funded by the Ford Foundation, the Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation, the U.S. Department of Labor, and the Wachovia Foundation. September 1998. $20. Pdf available online free.

INCOME AND WEALTH IN THE SOUTH - A State of the South Interim Report analyzing the distribution and concentration of income and wealth among Southern families by race/ethnicity and relative to the U.S. as a whole. June 1998. $5. Pdf available online free.

STATE OF THE SOUTH 1996 - A state-level analysis of 30-year trends in population, jobs, income, poverty, and education in the South, with projections to the year 2010 and recommendations for the region's policymakers. Funded by BellSouth Corporation, the Ford Foundation, the Wachovia Foundation, and Z. Smith Reynolds Foundation. April 1996. $10.