Highlighted Publications




 

Gonçalves, Jácome, and Weisburst (2026) examined whether immigration enforcement policies reduce public safety by discouraging crime victims from reporting crimes to police. They studied the Secure Communities program, which increased cooperation between local law enforcement and federal immigration authorities. The authors used data from the National Crime Victimization Survey, Immigration and Customs Enforcement records, FBI crime data, Census data, and police department re

Han, Heblich, Timmins, and Zylberberg (2025) examined whether urban trees increase property values and reduce heat, pollution, and energy use in cities. They analyzed detailed land-cover data, satellite temperature records, energy consumption data, pollution measures, and more than 450,000 housing transactions in Toronto between 2007 and 2020. They used the spread of the invasive Emerald Ash Borer beetle, which killed large numbers of ash trees, as a natural experiment to mea

Gabbay et al. (2026) examined whether children living above the standard Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) income eligibility threshold still experience food insecurity. They analyzed data from the 2024 National Survey of Children’s Health, focusing on more than 33 million US children living in households above 200% of the federal poverty level. They found that about 659,000 children in these households experienced food insecurity, with nearly half living betwe

Wu and Meyer (2025) examined how automating welfare caseworker services affected enrollment in SNAP, TANF, and Medicaid programs in Indiana. Their primary research question asked what happens to welfare participation and program targeting when automated systems replace face-to-face caseworker assistance. They analyzed administrative records covering nearly 3 million welfare recipients linked to IRS income data during Indiana’s phased rollout of an IBM automation system betwee