Auguste, D., Roll, S., & Despard, M. (2024). Democratizing the economy or introducing economic risk? Gig work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Work and Occupations, 51(4), 550–606. https://doi.org/10.1177/07308884231202032
Author: Social Policy Institute
Data for Social Impact Initiative Launches Data Equity Learning Cohort
To build connection and capacity for social sector leaders in equitable, collaborative data practice, Data for Social Impact (DSI), an initiative of the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, launched a Data Equity learning cohort in January 2024 in collaboration with Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP) of the University of Pennsylvania. […]
Fostering Inclusive Policy Research: Embracing a Participatory Approach
By Katie Ragsdale & Katie Kristensen At the Social Policy Institute (SPI), we are deeply committed to fostering inclusive and impactful policy research. We recognize that the traditional top-down approach to policymaking often neglects the voices and experiences of communities and stakeholders most impacted by the problem at hand. Over the past two years, we […]
STEM training, apprenticeships increase work satisfaction (Links to an external site)
Participation in a science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) apprenticeship program increased job happiness, finds a new study from the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis. This article reflects work originally conducted by the Social Policy Institute at Washington University. The Institute integrated with the Center for Social Development in January 2025.
Participatory Research for Guaranteed Income: In Her Hands
By Katie Ragsdale, Katie Kristensen, Dr. Leah Hamilton, and Dr. Latrice Rollins The Social Policy Institute (SPI) seeks to shift to a participatory approach throughout its research and programming. Our working definition of a participatory approach draws on the theory and practice of Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR). While CBPR is not always feasible or appropriate […]
Expanded Child Tax Credits: A Transformational Opportunity to Help Families Put Food on the Table
Beaudoin, S., Lacko, A., Ashbrook, A. (2023). Expanded Child Tax Credits: A transformational opportunity to help families put food on the table (FRAC Research Brief). Food Research and Action Center. https://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/Expanded-Child-Tax-Credits-Research-Brief.pdf
Municipal Officials’ Perspectives on Policymaking for Addressing Obesity and Health Equity
Parks, R. G., Thomas, F., Morshed, A. B., Dodson, E. A., Tian, R., Politi, M. C., Eyler, A. A., Thomas, I., & Brownson, R. C. (2023). Municipal officials’ perspectives on policymaking for addressing obesity and health equity. Evidence & Policy, 19(3), 444-464. https://doi.org/10.1332/174426421X16793276974116
Connecting the Dots between Barriers to W.I.C. Access and Adult and Child Food Insecurity: A Survey of Missouri Residents
Abstract Background. Previous research has explored the impact of W.I.C. on recipients’ health, but less is known about the connection between barriers to W.I.C. access and health outcomes. We fill in a gap in the literature by studying the relationship between barriers to Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (W.I.C.) access and adult […]
How Did Reskilling During the COVID-19 Pandemic Relate to Entrepreneurship and Optimism? Barriers, Opportunities, and Implications for Equity
Abstract With shorter durations and fewer barriers to entry, reskilling programs may serve as vehicles for social mobility and equity, as well as tools for creating a more adaptive workforce and inclusive economy. Nevertheless, much of the limited large-scale research on these types of programs was conducted prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Thus, given the […]
The Case for Early Wealth Building Accounts
Abstract Aspen FSP research on the Future of Wealth has shown that to succeed in the United States economy, people need to enter adulthood–a life stage when many critical investments are made – with a substantial amount of money to invest in themselves and their future. The importance of what we’re calling “investable sums” in young adulthood […]
How Would Americans Respond to Direct Cash Transfers? Results from Two Survey Experiments
Abstract Universal basic income has gained renewed interest among policy makers and researchers in the United States. Although research indicates that unconditional cash transfers produce diverse benefits for households, public support lags in part because of predicted unemployment and frivolous spending. To understand how Americans would reorganize their lives around unconditional cash transfers, this article […]
COVID-19-Related Fear among Youth in Israel
Abstract The present study sought to expand the now expansive research on COVID-19 by examining COVID-19-related fear among adolescents in Israel, focusing on demographic variables, COVID-19-related variables (e.g., exposure and vaccination), psychosocial variables (e.g., adolescent wellbeing and perceived social support), and technology usage (e.g., amount of time spent on social media). Data from parents were […]
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Housing Instability During the COVID-19 Pandemic: the Role of Assets and Income Shocks
Chun, Y., Roll, S., Miller, S., Lee, H., Larimore, S., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2023). Racial and ethnic disparities in housing instability during the COVID-19 pandemic: The role of assets and income shocks. Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy, 6(2), 63–81. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41996-022-00109-5
Perceptions of School Quality and Student Learning During the Pandemic: Exploring the Role of Students, Families, Schools, and Neighborhoods
Abstract Given the inequitable distribution of resources across school, neighborhood, and home contexts in the United States, lower resourced students may have had fewer opportunities to learn during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic, which may have caused previous disadvantages to accumulate during the pandemic. Nevertheless, research has yet to comprehensively explore how school, neighborhood, and […]
Free Online Course Focuses on Cultivating Collaborative and Equitable Data Practices
Data for Social Impact has launched a free online course for social sector professionals. While many courses develop technical data skills, this course—designed with, by, and for social sector leaders—supports organizations in cultivating equitable, collaborative data practices. Each module includes worksheets, resource lists, and tangible tools for participants, allowing them to bring the conversation back […]
“It helped us more than I could have imagined”: How the 2021 Expanded Child Tax Credit Supported Families Raising Children with Disabilities
Summary The 2021 expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) provided temporary enhancements to the existing CTC for the tax years 2021 and 2022. Under the expanded credit, families with children under the age of 18 were eligible to receive a credit of up to $3,000 per child ($3,600 for children under the age of 6). In […]
Coping with COVID-19: Differences in hope, resilience, and mental well-being across U.S. racial groups
Abstract Objectives To explore if the COVID-19 pandemic revealed differences across racial groups in coping, resilience, and optimism, all of which have implications for health and mental well-being. Methods We collect data obtained from four rounds of a national sample of 5,000 US survey respondents in each round from April 2020 to February 2021. Using […]
Does Frequency or Amount Matter? An Exploratory Analysis the Perceptions of Four Universal Basic Income Proposals
Abstract Advocates for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) argue that it would provide citizens with a basic foundation for financial security, boost the economy, alleviate poverty, encourage entrepreneurship, reduce crime, and insulate the employment sector against job losses due to automation. Still, the idea lags in popularity in the United States compared to existing cash […]
Emergency Savings among Persistently Poor Households: Evidence from a Field Experiment
Abstract Low-income households struggle to accumulate emergency savings, which increases economic vulnerability in the face of unexpected events like expensive car repairs. This vulnerability may be even greater among persistently low-income households, which might benefit most from building emergency savings using tax refunds. This study examined the effects of randomly assigned behavioral interventions that incorporated […]
Can behavioral nudges and incentives help lower-income households build emergency savings with tax refunds? Evidence from field and survey experiments
Abstract Tax refunds are an opportunity for lower-income households to accumulate emergency savings so they have cash on hand to cover expenses when income is insufficient. Our field experiments testing different behavioral interventions to encourage refund saving via online tax filing show small effect sizes (0.12–0.14) and a low aggregate savings rate (12%) that might […]
Washington University Study Examines Role of Tighter School Security on Academic Performance (Links to an external site)
Jason Jabbari, associate director of community partnerships, spoke about findings from a report he co-authored on the correlation between school security and academic performance.
COVID-19 Safety Concerns, School Governance Models, and Instructional Modes: An Exploration of School Quality Perspectives during the Pandemic
Abstract This paper explores how parents’ COVID-19 safety concerns relate to school governance models (SGMs), instructional modes (i.e. in-person, hybrid, online), and perceptions of school quality during the pandemic. Leveraging two waves of household survey data across 47 states and the District of Columbia, we first conduct a series of multinomial regression analyses to explore […]
Intersecting Race and Gender Across Hardships and Mental Health During COVID-19: A Moderated-Mediation Model of Graduate Students at Two Universities
Abstract While the effects of the pandemic on the mental health of college students can vary across race and gender, few studies have explored the role of hardships and university assistance in these disparities, as well as how these disparities can manifest themselves differently across intersections of race and gender. We address this gap by […]
5 Ways Public Health Keeps Communities Healthy (Links to an external site)
Tyler Frank, doctoral research assistant, published this blog on GoodRX Health discussing how public health helps promote social justice, equity, and collective action, and how it keeps communities safe.
Human-centered approach to benefits research for health care field
By Kourtney Gilbert, program coordinator, SPI As researchers, we work a lot with numbers on a page. These numbers often feel distant from the people they represent, or the policy and practices we hope to inform. For this reason, when the Social Policy Institute launched its Building on Benefits research project aimed at better understanding […]