Nik Theodore
Professor and Department Head
Director, Center for Urban Economic Development
Department of Urban Planning and Policy
Pronouns: He/Him/His
Contact
Building & Room:
215 CUPPA Hall, MC 348
Address:
412 S. Peoria St., Suite 231
Office Phone:
Email:
CV Link:
About
Nik Theodore is a Professor in UIC’s Department of Urban Planning and Policy. His work focuses on economic restructuring, labor standards, and worker organizing. His research has been published in economics, public policy, and urban studies journals including: Cambridge Journal of Economics, International Journal of Urban and Regional Research, Urban Geography, European Urban and Regional Studies, Economic Development Quarterly, Political Geography, and others. His research on employment issues has been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Time, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, CNN, BBC, PBS’s NewsHour, All Things Considered, MarketPlace, and others. Prior to joining UIC he was an Atlantic Fellow in Public Policy at the University of Manchester (England). He is also an editor of Antipode: A Radical Journal of Geography.
In 2014, Professor Theodore was named “Highly Cited Researcher” by Thomson Reuters.
Projects
Raising Labor Standards in a Volatile Economy
Economic growth is not what it used to be—especially for workers employed at the bottom of the labor market. The 1990s were the longest and most robust period of economic growth in U.S. history. Yet even though this period brought sustained job growth and progressively tightening labor markets, it coincided with a pronounced erosion of employment standards for workers holding low-wage jobs. The succession of deep recessions and protracted jobless recoveries that followed the 1990s boom have witnessed the further entrenchment of “low-road” employment practices across the economy, and workers in diverse sectors including construction, domestic work, retail, and manufacturing have seen wages stagnant and workplace conditions deteriorate.
The worker center movement in the U.S. has emerged in response to these conditions. Along with their labor union, workforce development, and policy advocacy partners, worker centers are improving wages and working conditions in a range of low-wage industries. With support from the Ford Foundation, the LIFT Fund and New World Foundation, and under the direction of Professor Nik Theodore, researchers at GCI are providing support to the National Day Laborer Organizing Network (NDLON), National Domestic Workers Alliance (NDWA), and other workers’ rights organizations. Activities include documenting conditions in low-wage industries, evaluating organizational performance, and strengthening enforcement of labor standards.