Current Initiatives
US Transportation & Infrastructure Development
With generous support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION
In 2024, the Opportunity Lab is launching a new body of research addressing critical questions surrounding transportation and infrastructure development in the United States. Led by Cailin Slattery and Nick Tsivanidis, both Assistant Professors of Economics at the Haas School of Business, this initiative will support research aimed at identifying drivers to the high cost of transportation development in the US (Slattery), and examining how building height auctions may allow governments to better capture increased land value in areas surrounding infrastructure development (Tsivanidis).
Innovations in Cash Assistance for Children
With generous support from the Doris Duke Foundation
In 2022, the Opportunity Lab partnered with the Urban Institute and the California Policy Lab to lead a series of new research projects on the impact of the 2021 expansion of the Child Tax Credit. In addition to producing important new findings on how this expansion of cash assistance benefitted families, the initiative is also bringing together a new consortium of researchers and stakeholders to develop a new set of priorities for research on cash assistance, and how we can use state and federal safety net policy to promote long-term economic security for families with children. Led at UC Berkeley by Hilary Hoynes, this initiative will provide important new guidance for the next generation of research on child and family economic security.
Racial Equity in the Labor Market
WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE URBAN INSTITUTE AND THE WORKRISE NETWORK
Beginning in 2021, the Opportunity Lab is launching a major new initiative on the role of state and federal wage and employment policy in reducing racial disparities in the labor market and promoting greater equity of economic opportunity. Led by Ellora Derenoncourt and Claire Montialoux, the Initiative on Racial Equity in the Labor Market is supporting multiple new research projects, steering new graduate-level portfolios, and offering an important new evidence base to guide the development of smart employment and safety net policy for a more equitable future.
Inequality and Place
WITH GENEROUS SUPPORT FROM THE SMITH-RICHARDSON FOUNDATION
The Initiative on Inequality and Place - also known as the Place-Based Policy Initiative - supports an emerging body of research focused on geographic disparities in income and employment within regions and across the country. In particular, the project focuses on understanding the extent to which locally- and regionally-targeted policies and investments can make a difference in reducing poverty, equalizing opportunity, and improving long-term outcomes for those living in persistently low-income areas.
Equity in Energy and Environmental Economics
With generous support from the ALFRED P. SLOAN FOUNDATION
In partnership with the Energy Institute at Haas, the Opportunity Lab is excited to launch a new initiative aimed at developing solutions to the environmental harm that is disproportionately borne by low-income communities and communities of color. Led by Meredith Fowlie, Solomon Hsiang, and Reed Walker, the program will drive new research in this critical field while also expanding training for first-generation students and underrepresented students at UC Berkeley.
Labor Science
With generous support from SCHMIDT FUTURES
The Labor Science Initiative at Berkeley is establishing exciting new linkages between the fields of Computer Science, Machine Learning, and Economics and Public Policy. By building a new cohort of researchers who are fluent in the tools of both disciplines, the initiative is developing new methods for analyzing labor markets, and generating new insights about inequality in the workforce.
Beyond the initiatives described above, O-Lab provides ongoing support to faculty and students working across our six core Research Areas. More information about ongoing research and publications in these areas can be found by viewing the "Research and Policy Briefs" and "Research Overview" pages.