This study examines if subsidizing public transit fares can address barriers to employment. In collaboration with the Seattle Department of Transportation and a temporary staffing agency called Uplift Northwest, the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic...

Unemployment rates worldwide have risen due to the COVID-19 pandemic, especially for at-risk populations in underserved communities. Additionally, the labor market is shifting with a larger emphasis placed on the use of artificial intelligence (AI)...

The Covid-19 crisis has exposed the high costs associated with low-wage, essential healthcare work, for both workers and consumers. In low-wage healthcare, where patient care often relies on a high-turnover workforce, improving the quality of jobs is likely to...

In Compton, California, low-income individuals face high rates of food insecurity, difficulty making timely rent and bill payments, and a poverty rate and unemployment rate over 20 percent. In our project, we plan to test whether and how guaranteed income for...

Building on behavioral economics research that finds poverty impedes problem-solving capacity, Mobility Mentoring is a comprehensive coaching program developed by Economic Mobility Pathways (EMPath) that helps low-income clients acquire the resources, skills...

Income inequality in the US is high and on the rise, and a growing wage gap among workers with different levels of educational attainment has been a major contributor (Goldin and Katz 2008; Autor 2019; Autor, Goldin, and Katz 2020). Sectoral employment...

In Compton, California, low-income individuals face high rates of food insecurity, difficulty making timely rent and bill payments, and a poverty rate and unemployment rate over 20 percent. In our project, we plan to test whether and how guaranteed income for...

Approximately one in ten workers participate in non-traditional work arrangements (temporary, on-call, contract, and independent contractors), which often do not include employer-provided benefits. One promising policy solution is a system of portable benefits...

Low-income Americans have a higher risk of suffering from common mental illnesses, and lower rates of receiving treatment. More generally, the majority of Americans suffering from common mental illnesses such as depression and anxiety do not receive any...

The Covid-19 crisis has exposed the high costs associated with low-wage, essential healthcare work, for both workers and consumers. In low-wage healthcare, where patient care often relies on a high-turnover workforce, improving the quality of jobs is likely to...

Nearly a third of Americans cannot pay their bills on time. For many families, the issue is not insolvency, but rather the short-term illiquidity created by the pay cycle. Recognizing this, financial technology apps have begun to give workers on-demand access...

This project was withdrawn prior to data collection. LEO plans to conduct a randomized controlled trial evaluation of the i.c.stars Internship and Residency Program for underserved young adults. Interns complete a 4-month boot camp during which they build...

Every year thousands of officers in the United States Army participate in a matching market for transfers to new units within the military. Currently, this officer to unit matching is implemented manually by the US Army’s Human Resources Command. This matching...

Why don’t low-income workers move to higher-paying jobs? One explanation is that they have inaccurate or uncertain perceptions about job opportunities. This project investigates whether tailored information can increase workers’ transitions, employment, and...