Marketplace

While a group of GOP-led states is currently pushing against NASDAQ board diversity requirements, some corporations have already ramped up their diversification efforts. The number of directors from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups jumped by 25% in 2021, and women now make up almost 30% of directors among Russell 3000 Index companies. The shift, while slow, hints at the changing values of companies and their investors. We’ll also hear from recruiters experiencing a boom in business, head to Albuquerque as it pilots a zero-fare bus program and check in with small retailers catching a breath after holiday shopping.

California is home to nearly one-quarter of the country’s homeless population, a count that has likely grown during the pandemic. Last year, the mayor of Sacramento — home to 11,000 people without homes — proposed a radical solution to the city’s homelessness crisis: treat housing as a legal right. Housing advocates largely support the proposal, except for a controversial part requiring homeless residents to move to a temporary shelter or be removed from their current locations. Also on today’s program, big banks delay their back-to-office plans, the strategies behind some brands’ familiar chimes and why energy companies are racing to liquefy natural gas.

Even if it may not feel like it amid spiking COVID-19 cases, we are in a very different world — and economy — than the one we were in a year ago. Today, we’re taking a look back at 12 months of inflation, supply chain headaches and child care issues. We’ll also look at what interest rates and consumer spending might be like as we continue to redefine “going back to normal” in 2022. Plus: an argument for ethical AI, examining a piece of “must-pass” legislation and the reflections of a parade organizer.

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In late November, commissioners in Montgomery County — located north of Houston — voted to return $7 million in unused federal rent relief. But some renters there are still facing eviction, and many have found it difficult to access county- and state-level COVID relief funds. As the federal government works to reallocate rent relief, we pay a visit to Montgomery County to see how officials, activists and renters are responding. But first, a look at what 2022 might bring for the job market, how restaurants and bars are planning for a second New Year’s Eve with COVID and why a big-ticket bailout for the U.K.’s hospitality industry still might only be a drop in the bucket.

A little over a year ago, the first American received a COVID-19 vaccine. Now, we’re averaging more than 250,000 positive COVID cases per day. This year has been … a lot. Consumers and workers are more resilient but are tired or burned out. Counselors and clinicians are overwhelmed with the scale of grief they’ve been tasked with addressing. Today, we’ll talk about the psychological toll the pandemic has taken, how to grieve the lives we once knew and how to live with this continued uncertainty. Plus: The huge price tag of returning those unwanted holiday gifts, a new holistic approach to preventive care coming to California and a look at Japan’s hydrogen-focused plan to reach net-zero emissions by 2050.

The pandemic has exacerbated the country’s opioid crisis. More than 100,000 people in the United States died from drug overdoses last year in the highest one-year death toll on record. Today, we take a look at a recently expanded program in California, one that utilizes medically assisted treatment in emergency rooms and is becoming a model for other programs around the nation. We’ll also hear about the questions Moderna’s shareholders are raising regarding global vaccine equity, take a look at the future of streaming services and examine Brexit’s impact on the United Kingdom’s role as a hub for plundered antiquities.

At the start of 2022, more than 50 jurisdictions are slated to raise their minimum wage rates, many to $15 an hour or more. Despite widespread support for increased minimum wages and years-long activism, efforts to boost the minimum wage at the federal level have largely stalled. But even as many employers independently raise pay amid a tight labor market, inflation continues to chip away at the gains made by many workers. Also on today’s program: A look back at the week, what consumer spending looks like amid the arrival of omicron, how the surge in electric vehicle demand impacts the Democratic Republic of the Congo and a festive take on The Numbers.

It won’t appear as an additional tax or fee on a receipt, but if you’re single in the U.S., you’re paying more than your married peers. That’s because policies and programs, from Social Security to the tax code, were written when it was assumed that Americans would get and stay married. Today, we’ll hear from journalist Anne Helen Petersen about how your relationship status can dictate your economic outlook and whether policies are likely to change with the changing population. Plus: Consumer confidence creeps up despite omicron, a historically Black college gives students a generous gift with no strings attached, and how hard-to-find COVID tests illustrate the challenges of relying on a private industry during a public health crisis.

How much pull on the economy can one man have? Quite a bit, it turns out. On Sunday, Sen. Joe Manchin, a Democrat, announced that he would not be supporting the Build Back Better Act, citing inflation concerns. The bill, a foundational part of President Joe Biden’s agenda, has billions slated for social spending programs and addressing the climate crisis. Today, we’ll see where that leaves climate scientists and take a closer look at the impact government spending has on inflation. Plus, we’ll hear about a new lender for native farmers and ranchers, see what loan payment pauses have meant for students and look at the art and imperfect science of economic forecasting.

After devastating tornadoes swept through Kentucky last week, killing dozens and destroying thousands of homes, displaced residents are left wondering where to go. Kentucky already had a shortage of affordable housing, with 30% of the state’s renters at or below the poverty line. On today’s show, we hear from Adrienne Bush, executive director of the Homeless & Housing Coalition of Kentucky, about the need for investment and policy changes to ensure short- and long-term recoveries. We’ll also hear how American consumer demand is adding to supply chain disruptions, why holiday shipping is on a smoother track than last year and what a mistletoe auction in small-town Britain tells us about the U.K.’s economic recovery.