Working Papers

For How Long Does Higher Cash Assistance Eligibility Reduce Financial Hardship?
Evidence from the Household Pulse Survey
(Paper) (Presentation Slides)

Abstract: This paper investigates the temporal heterogeneity in the effect of higher cash assistance eligibility on financial hardship, a measure that captures respondents’ perceived difficulty in paying for usual household expenses. I utilize multiple quasi-experimental contexts created by the differential generosity in cash assistance provided through the tax system between 2021 and 2022 for households with and without children. I use data from the United States Census Bureau’s Household Pulse Survey, which has regularly gathered data on self-reported financial hardship since August 2020. For identification, I employ an event study design. Results suggest that the longevity of the effect ranges from a couple of weeks to several months, depending on the generosity and frequency of payments. Findings also suggest that the effect of smaller monthly payments on financial hardship is identical to larger yearly lump-sum payments. In addition, the magnitude of the effect appears to be higher among single-mother households.

Economic Security of People with Disabilities During the Pandemic ​(with J. Michael Collins and Carly Urban)
(Paper) 

Abstract: This paper investigates the degree to which people with disabilities experienced different economic outcomes after the COVID-19 pandemic relative to people without disabilities. Based on evidence across two surveys with different measures of disability, we find that like many low-and moderate-income families, people with disabilities show only small financial impacts initially as the pandemic began; this is likely due to a wide array of policy efforts. However, a third survey shows that as the pandemic progressed, people with disabilities faced more financial challenges relative to people without disabilities, especially paying for food and housing expenses after pandemic supports ended in 2021. The long-run financial well-being among people with disabilities may continue to be impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic for years to come. Our results suggest that programs and policies targeted to people with disabilities should closely monitor the economic well-being of program participants for signs of accumulated hardships and distress.


Publication

The Effect of State Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) Eligibility on Food Insufficiency during the COVID-19 Pandemic
Published in Review of Economics of the Household

Abstract: This paper uses data from the Household Pulse Survey to examine whether and for how long the eligibility to receive state Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) benefits reduced self-reported household food insufficiency among lower-income households with dependent children during the COVID-19 pandemic. The results of models estimated using difference-in-differences (DD) and difference-in-difference-in-differences (DDD) methods suggest that state EITC eligibility, on average, reduced food insufficiency by about 3 percentage points between March 2021 and early October 2021. However, the results of models estimated using an event study method show that the effect was not visible in all the post-March bimonthly periods. Overall, this paper finds some evidence to suggest that state EITC eligibility reduced food insufficiency over a short period.


​Research In Progress

​(1) Medicaid-Expansion-Induced Health Insurance Coverage and Financial Wellbeing