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Is federal broadband funding going to states that need it most?
In the first of a three-part series on digital inclusion, we discuss the details of recent federal broadband funding and its connection to the level of broadband availability.
Working Paper
Relieving Financial Distress Increases Voter Turnout: Evidence from the Mortgage Market
Borrowers who refinanced mortgages between 2009 and 2012, a period marked by mortgage distress and dislocated housing markets, but also falling interest rates, were more likely to vote in the 2012 general election than similar borrowers who did not refinance. We exploit an eligibility cutoff in the Home Affordable Refinance Program (HARP) to identify a causal relationship. Consistent with the resource model of voting, the effect of refinancing on turnout is strongest among borrowers with lower incomes and larger debt service reductions. Our findings shed new light on an important channel ...
How valuable is a short-term credential for a job seeker? It’s complicated
Employer demand for short-term credentials is rising. But the likelihood of such credentials leading to higher wage offers depends on the industry and can change over time.
Discussion Paper
Who Has Been Evicted and Why?
More than two million American households are at risk of eviction every year. Evictions have been found to cause prolonged homelessness, worsened health conditions, and lack of credit access. During the COVID-19 outbreak, governments at all levels implemented eviction moratoriums to keep renters in their homes. As these moratoriums and enhanced income supports for unemployed workers come to an end, the possibility of a wave of evictions in the second half of the year is drawing increased attention. Despite the importance of evictions and related policies, very few economic studies have been ...
Young adults are disconnected from work and school due to long-term labor force trends
The sharp rise during the pandemic in young people who are neither in school nor working—often referred to as “opportunity youth”—is the exacerbation of a problem that has gradually worsened in the past two decades.
Labor market recovery and wage growth unequal across age groups after pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic severely depressed U.S. labor force participation. Although the pandemic has eased, people ages 20–24 and those over 55 have been less likely to return to the workforce.
Greater Hispanic Outreach Can Improve Take-Up of Earned Income Tax Credit
Despite the Earned Income Tax Credit’s many benefits, a large percentage of qualified workers do not claim it.
EITC increases labor force participation among married Black mothers
Research has shown that the Earned Income Tax Credit, the largest of the U.S. antipoverty programs, boosts labor force participation among single mothers. It does not, in the aggregate, have the same effect on married mothers.
COVID-era eviction moratoriums improved financial well-being...while they lasted
This analysis leverages new eviction and credit data from Dallas County, Texas, to explore the impact of the moratoriums and to examine trends that surfaced once the moratoriums ended.
Economy's Essential Early Care and Education Industry but Still Faces Labor Shortfall
When the pandemic first struck and many child care centers closed, ECE worker unemployment spiked. Now that two years have passed since the onset of COVID-19 in the United States, to what extent has the industry recovered?