Blog post in collaboration with The Urban Institute, summarizing key takeaways from O-Lab’s convening on Enhancing Child Well-Being with Cash Assistance.
David Card lectures at Emory University
“Minimum wage is one of these super polarizing issues, and with more polarization, it’s become a super symbolic issue.” A recent article in The Emory Wheel recaps David Card’s public talk at Emory University. Read more here.
Michael Reich in Berkeley News
“A minimum wage increase doesn’t kill jobs,” says Michael Reich. A new article from Berkeley News highlights a recent working paper by Reich and coauthors at IRLE on the impact of minimum wage laws on small businesses, which finds that higher wages eases employee recruitment and retention. Read the news piece here, and check out the full working paper.
Research in Review: The Minimum Wage
Hilary Hoynes in VoxEU
How does losing access to nutritional support impact families? A VoxEU column highlights research from O-Lab Faculty Director Hilary Hoynes and coauthors on the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). Researchers find that after losing access to the program, adult women consume less to shield children from nutritional losses. Read the article here.
Michael Reich on State Minimum Wage Increases
In CNN, Michael Reich discusses recent state minimum wage increases in the context of existing high inflation, suggesting that recent minimum wage increases will not necessarily result in dramatic increases in prices and labor costs in low-wage sectors. Read more here.
Hilary Hoynes and Reed Walker on the Future of Family
Hilary Hoynes and Reed Walker were recently cited in a New York Times op-ed by Paul Krugman on the importance of the Biden administration’s new support for child care and education. Among the cited work was Hoynes’ research on SNAP benefits and other safety net investments in children.
Promoting Economic Well-Being During COVID-19 through the Unemployment Insurance Program
Literature review by Ellora Derenoncourt, Claire Montialoux, and Joseph Broadus.
Hilary Hoynes in Equitable Growth
Each piece of legislation considered by the US Congress receives a score from the Congressional Budget Office, which estimates the cost of the legislation within a ten year budget window. However, this approach neglects the long-term benefits of income support and social safety net programs, writes Hilary Hoynes in a new piece for Equitable Growth. Read the full article.
Hilary Hoynes on the Impact of the Expanded Social Safety Net
A recent New York Times article by Jason DeParle analyzes how recently expanded social safety net programs have powerfully reduced child poverty. DeParle features commentary from Hilary Hoynes, who insists, “When we spend money, we make gains,” she said. “Providing more resources to low-income families changes children’s life trajectories.” Read the article here.
Michael Reich on the California Living Wage Act
A new Opinion piece published in the Los Angeles Times cites research from affiliate Michael Reich on the California Living Wage Act to substantiate calls for a minimum wage increase. Reich found that the Act would have a negligible contribution to inflation – but as the measure failed to qualify for the 2022 ballot, LA Times author Isaac Lozano suggests a wage increase is in the hands of the state legislature. Read the article here.
Hilary Hoynes testifies to the House Budget Committee
O-Lab Director Hilary Hoynes testifies to the House Budget Committee, reviewing research that shows safety net programs for children are cost-effective investments with long-term impacts on children’s life outcomes. Read the report and watch the hearing here.
New Student Research Builds Evidence on Different Dimensions of Inequality
Program Manager Joe Broadus recaps new student research on how employment policy can advance or reduce racial disparities in the labor market and promote equitable economic growth.
Hilary Hoynes on Investing in Children
A new New York Times Opinion piece by Bryce Covert argues that the United States should do more to keep young people out of poverty through expanded social programs. O-Lab Faculty Director Hilary Hoynes notes that, compared to other countries, the United States spends far less money on reducing its child poverty rate – despite the proven success of programs that target poverty among the elderly, like Social Security. Read more here.
Jesse Rothstein on Job Prospects for the College-Educated
College-educated workers struggle to reach the middle class more so than previous generations, impacting politics and labor activism. A New York Times article by Noam Scheiber discusses associated consequences for unionization, featuring research from Jesse Rothstein that finds that job prospects for the college-educated had not recovered ten years after the Great Recession. Read more here.
Solomon Hsiang on Estimating the Social Cost of Carbon
Sol Hsiang recently co-authored a study published in Nature quantifying the social costs of carbon emissions by “characterizing how additional CO2 emissions today impact future economic outcomes through altering the climate.” Read the publication here.
Hilary Hoynes on the Benefits of Anti-Poverty Programs
Hilary Hoynes was recently featured in a NY Times article by Paul Krugman for her research on the impact of America’s anti-poverty programs on children living in poverty. Her findings showed that “unlike tax cuts for the rich, aid to poor children would largely pay for itself” purely in fiscal benefits alone, on top of the educational and health benefits these programs offer. To learn more, check out full article here.
Do Financial Concerns Make Workers Less Productive?
Research brief summarizing work by Supreet Kaur, Sendhil Mullainathan, Suanna Oh, and Frank Schilbach.
Hilary Hoynes on What the Expanded Child Tax Credit Means for American Families
Hilary Hoynes recently co-authored an article in Quartz on how the Biden administration’s expanded child tax credit will lift millions of children out of poverty. Hoynes also discusses research surrounding other long-term benefits of the program, including improved health and educational outcomes.
Jesse Rothstein on why people are dropping unemployment benefits before they run out
Jesse Rothstein recently appeared on NPR’s Marketplace podcast explaining why a large number of people with pandemic unemployment benefits were choosing to take up employment before their benefits ran out.