Highlighted Publications




 

Schneider and Harknett (2026) examine whether state and local paid sick leave laws affect workers who are not legally covered through spillovers within large, multi-state firms. They ask whether firm-level exposure to paid sick leave mandates leads companies to extend paid sick leave to workers in non-mandate locations. They analyze linked employer–employee survey data from the Shift Project, combined with administrative data on firm locations and mandate coverage. They find

Anders and Rafkin (2025) examine whether expanding SNAP income-eligibility limits increases program use among households that were already eligible. Using administrative SNAP Quality Control data from 1996–2016, they track state-level changes in eligibility thresholds and their effect on participation. They find that a 10-percentage-point increase in the income limit raises take-up among always-eligible households by about 1–2 percent. For every newly eligible person who enro

Bowden, Rodriguez, and Weingarten (2025) examine whether relaxing high-school grading standards reduces student effort and learning. They use statewide administrative data from North Carolina (2013–2019), linking exact birthdates, course grades, absences, and ACT scores. They find that the shift to a more lenient 10-point scale mechanically raised GPAs by about 0.13 points (roughly 4.8%) but caused meaningful declines in effort: absences rose 22% (about 1.3 days) and numeric

Crema (2025) investigates whether charter school openings increase racial segregation within traditional public school classrooms. She analyzes North Carolina administrative data covering 97 charter openings from 1997–2015, along with classroom-level records showing the racial composition of students in grades 1–5. She finds that segregation in nearby public schools rises as soon as a charter opening is announced, before any students transfer. Classroom segregation increases