Highlighted Publications




 

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

Susanto and Harris (2026) examined how California’s prison population has changed in recent years and what those changes reveal about incarceration patterns by race, gender, age, offense type, and prison spending. They analyzed California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR) prison population data and California state budget data from 2010 through 2025. They found that California’s prison population fell to about 90,600 inmates in 2025, a 27% decline since 2019

Halpern-Meekin et al. (2026) ask how financial resources shape the emotional and relational rewards of motherhood among low-income mothers. They analyze semi-structured interviews with 80 mothers from the Baby’s First Years study; 40 received $333 per month and 40 received $20. They find that mothers used money not only for needs, but also to create meaningful moments of connection with children. The most common positive parenting experiences were spending time with children

Avdeev (2025) examines whether exposure to international students affects the long-term outcomes of native students. He uses administrative and survey data from the Netherlands covering about one million students over three decades. The study finds that a 10 percentage point increase in international student share raises natives’ likelihood of cohabiting with non-natives by 5.9%, marrying a non-native by 4.2%, and emigrating by 4.0%. It also increases pro-migration attitudes