Michelle
Holder
Professor
Education
The New School for Social Research, New York
Ph.D. in Economics, 2013
Concentrations: Labor Economics, Advanced Political Economy
The New School for Social Research, New York
M.A. in Economics
Concentrations: Race, Class, and Gender
University of Michigan, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, Ann Arbor
M.P.A. (Master of Public Administration)
Fordham University, College at Lincoln Center, New York
B.A. in Economics
Bio
Michelle Holder is Professor of Economics at John Jay College, City University of New York. She was an Urban Institute One Million Black Women Research Partnership Scholar in 2023, and served as President and CEO of the Washington Center for Equitable Growth from 2021 to 2022. Michelle’s research focuses on the positions of Black women and men in the American labor market, including occupational distribution, earnings gaps, and unemployment rates. She has served, or is currently serving, as a Senior Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, a Senior Fellow at the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, and a Senior Fellow at the New School Economics department’s Wealth Equity Lab. Michelle has testified before the U.S. Congress as well as the City Council of New York on issues such as the gender wage gap, discrimination based on unemployment status, infrastructure investment, and Black men and employment. She has appeared on, or been quoted in, major media outlets such as CNN, NPR, PBS, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post, The Lily, the New York Amsterdam News, El Diario, The Atlantic, The New Yorker, The Economist, TheGrio, Politico, The Guardian, The 19th, Marketplace, MarketWatch, and Bloomberg, and was named one of 19 Black economists to watch by Fortune Magazine in 2020. Michelle is the author/co-author of three books, including the recently published The Political Economy of Racism: The Persistence of Anti-Blackness in the US, co-authored with Jeannette Wicks-Lim. She received a Bachelor’s degree in economics from Fordham University, a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Michigan, and Master’s and Ph.D. degrees in economics from the New School for Social Research in New York City.
JJC Affiliations
Courses Taught
Introduction to Economics
Understanding U.S. Economic Data
Economics of Labor
Political Economy of Racism
Statistics for Economics
Economics of Justice
Seminar in Economics: Senior Capstone
Social Innovation
Political Economy of Gender in the U.S.: Centering Black Women (graduate class)
Scholarly Work
Books (Peer Reviewed):
Holder, Michelle and Alan Aja. (2021). Afro-Latinos in the U.S. Economy. Lanham: Lexington Books (imprint of Rowman & Littlefield).
Holder, Michelle. 2017. African American Men and the Labor Market during The Great Recession. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Journal Articles and Economic Policy Reports (Peer Reviewed):
Holder, Michelle, Janelle Jones, and Thomas Masterson. 2021. “The Early Impact of COVID-19 on Job Losses Among Black Women in the U.S.” Feminist Economics Vol. 27 No. 1 & 2, DOI: 10.1080/13545701.2020.1849766
Holder, Michelle. 2020. The Double Gap and the Bottom Line: African American Women’s Wage Gap and Corporate Profits. Report for The Roosevelt Institute, New York, NY. Accessed September 2020 at
Holder, Michelle. 2018. “Revisiting Bergmann’s Occupational Crowding Model.” Review of Radical Political Economics Vol. 50 No. 4: 683-690.
Holder, Michelle. 2013. "Introduction to Articles on Black Women and Work." Review of Black Political Economy Vol. 40 No. 1: 23-25.
Rankin, Nancy and Michelle Holder. 2012. Upgrading Security: Unionization and Changes in the Workforce, Wages, and Standards in the NYC Security Industry, 2004-2011. Community Service Society of New York Policy Report.
Holder, Michelle. 2012. Women, Blacks, and Older Workers Struggle in Post-Recession New York City. Community Service Society of New York Policy Report.
Holder, Michelle. 2010. Unemployment in New York City during the Recession and Early Recovery. Community Service Society of New York Policy Report.
Ghilarducci, Teresa, Michelle Holder, Jeff Madrick, Nikolaus Papanikolaou, and Jonathan Schlefer. 2008. "The Promise of Public Investment." in Infrastructure for America’s Economy: Evaluating the Evidence. New York: New School for Social Research, Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis Report: 21-31.
1997. The New York City Region in the 1990s: A Look at Economic Performance Compared to the Nation’s Largest Cities. Office of the State Deputy Comptroller for the City of New York. Michelle Holder was a contributing writer.
1996. The New York City Economy: Recent Trends and the Labor Market Implications of Welfare Reform.” Office of the State Deputy Comptroller for the City of New York. Michelle Holder was a contributing writer and researcher to this report.
Op-Eds, Opinion Pieces, and Other:
Holder, Michelle and Shaun Harrison. 2021. “What happened to the federal minimum wage debate? Washington Center for Equitable Growth Blogpost, December 23. A
Holder, Michelle. 2021. “Addressing the ‘double gap’ faced by Black women in the U.S. economy.” Washington Center for Equitable Growth Blogpost, November 30.
Holder, Michelle. 2020. “The kids might be alright, but what about the moms?” The Hill, October 20, accessed February 2021.
Bozarth, Kendra and Michelle Holder. 2020. “To Address Black Unemployment, We Need a Better Normal.” Roosevelt Institute Economic Inclusion Blog (April 30) accessed May 2020.
Holder, Michelle. 2020. “Before COVID-19, Corporate America Shortchanged Black Women $50 Billion Annually: Why All Women Should Care.” Ms. Magazine, April 7, accessed May 2020.
Holder, Michelle. 2012. "Letter to the Editor" Crain’s New York Business ." (August 27).
Holder, Michelle. 2012. "Half of Recovery Jobs Offer Low Wages. So Raise Them!" City Limits (April 25).
Holder, Michelle. 2005. Katrina: Scenes Reminiscent of Dogs Biting and Fire Hoses on Full Blast. Dēmos: A Network for Ideas and Action Democracy Dispatch #61, September 28.
Honors and Awards
Awards, Fellowships, and other Recognitions
- Profiled in Impact: The Research Magazine for John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 2021. Accessed Mar. 2022.
- Senior Fellow, New School for Social Research Schwartz Center for Economic Policy Analysis (SCEPA)-2020-2021
- Profiled in Impact: The Research Magazine for John Jay College of Criminal Justice, 2020. Accessed Feb. 2021.
- Cited as an expert on worker power by the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, Washington D.C., August 2020. Accessed Feb. 2021.
- Named by Fortune Magazine as one of 19 Black Economists to Watch, June 2020. Accessed Feb. 2021.
- Cited in “Expert Focus: Equity and Well-Being During the Coronavirus Recession,” Washington Center for Equitable Growth, Washington D.C., April 2020. Accessed Feb. 2021.
- International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE) Travel Grant, March 2020
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York “Faculty Fellowship Publication Program,” Spring 2017
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York PSC-CUNY Research Award, 2016-2017
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York “Discover, Design, and Develop” (D3) Faculty Fellowship, Spring 2016
- John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York “Faculty Distinguished Teaching Award,” Spring 2015
- National Science Foundation (NSF) and Duke University Economics Department “Diversity Initiative for Tenure in Economics” Fellowship, 2014-2015
- International Association for Feminist Economics (IAFFE) Rhonda Williams Travel Grant, June 2014
Research Summary
Michelle Holder's research focuses on the status and position of the Black community and women of color in the U.S. labor market.