February 2021 North America Newsletter

Good afternoon,

It has been over a year since the first case of Covid-19 was reported in the United States. Since then, state and local governments have been at the forefront of responding to Covid-19, working to identify and implement policies to mitigate the negative impact of this crisis on their community’s economic, social, and overall well-being. To support policymakers in their efforts, J-PAL North America has launched our fifth State and Local Innovation Competition to promote the use of rigorous research in addressing these challenges and supporting their communities, especially those experiencing poverty.

In this month’s newsletter, we feature new research that illuminates the impact of Covid-19 on lifestyle habits and mental wellbeing, as well as one example of how local agencies can leverage rigorous research to help low-income adults overcome financial hardship. Amid the financial strain experienced by many low-income Americans today, it was heartening to see rigorous evidence on New York’s Paycheck Plus Program be brought to the forefront of policy conversations around a nationwide expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit. We look forward to forging more partnerships with state and local governments to spur innovative evaluations such as this to support individuals and communities experiencing poverty.

Thank you for reading. We would love your input on our newsletter—please take our five minute survey to let us know what content you find most useful.

 

Mary Ann Bates
Executive Director, J-PAL North America

J-PAL North America calls for proposals from state and local governments

This month, J-PAL North America announced the fifth round of the State and Local Innovation Competition.The competition supports US state and local governments in using rigorous research to generate new and applicable lessons about which policies and programs work, which work best, and why. Selected state and local partners will receive up to one year of pro bono technical support from J-PAL North America staff, up to $50,000 in flexible pilot funding, matchmaking with researchers in J-PAL’s network, and opportunities to participate in J-PAL trainings and events. Past selected partners are currently conducting randomized evaluations on a range of programs and policies, including a professional mentor and social service navigator program in Rochester, New York and random assignment of Medicaid managed care plans in South Carolina. Learn more about the competition by visiting our website and checking out our blog post on our recent State and Local Webinar Series. The deadline for applications is April 30, 2021. To receive future updates on the Innovation Competition and J-PAL North America’s work with state and local governments, sign up for our mailing list.

Evidence on boosting the EITC for workers without dependent children

In a recent op-ed, J-PAL North America Co-Scientific Director Lawrence Katz and MDRC’s Cynthia Miller argue that an expansion of the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) for adults without dependent children—recently proposed as part of the Biden administration’s relief package—can be an effective strategy to support low-income workers. The piece highlights key takeaways from randomized evaluations of MDRC’s Paycheck Plus program led Katz, Miller, and co-investigators, testing the impact of increasing the generosity of the EITC for workers without dependent children. The study found that the expanded credit, which increased the maximum credit from $510 to $2,000, led to income increases. In New York, the program led to modest increases in employment rates and reduced severe poverty. Meanwhile, effects in Atlanta were more muted, potentially due to larger marketing and take-up challenges. In both cities, researchers found an increase in tax filing—a secondary outcome that can potentially lead to faster receipt of stimulus payments.

New research on the link between physical activity and mental health

A recently published study, funded by J-PAL North America’s Education, Technology, and Opportunity Initiative and Covid-19 Recovery and Resilience Initiative, found a strong association between major disruptions to physical activity and mental health for college students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Researchers also found that, despite this link, increasing physical activity through a short-term intervention did not help improve mental health.

In the study, Sally Sadoff, a researcher in the J-PAL network, and co-investigators used a longitudinal dataset linking biometric and survey data from college students before and during the pandemic. Researchers found that 61 percent of study participants were at risk of clinical depression, double the rate before the pandemic, and many individuals experienced dramatic changes in physical activity, sleep, and time use (e.g., significant increases in screen time). Those who maintained their exercise habits were at a significantly lower risk of depression than those who experienced large declines in physical activity. In light of this connection between exercise and mental health, researchers randomized a group of individuals to receive incentives to exercise. Although participants who received the intervention experienced a boost in physical activity, researchers found no meaningful changes in their mental wellbeing. These results suggest that a more intensive intervention may be needed to reap the benefits of physical activity on mental health, including a longer intervention period or more rigorous physical activity.