Job Market Paper

How Long Does the Association Between Higher Cash Assistance Eligibility and Financial Hardship Last?
Evidence from the Household Pulse Survey
(Paper)

Abstract: This paper explores the temporal heterogeneity in the association between higher cash assistance eligibility and financial hardship for lower-income households. 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. I utilize four quasi-experimental contexts created by the differential eligibility in cash assistance provided through the tax system between 2021 and 2022 for households with and without children. Findings of the models estimated using an event study approach suggest that the negative association between higher cash assistance eligibility and financial hardship lasts between a couple of weeks to several months, depending on both the generosity and the frequency of payments. The association seems to persist over a more extended period in relation to smaller monthly payments than larger yearly lump-sum payments. These findings have implications for the design of cash assistance programs and theoretical understanding of financial hardship. 

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.

Working Paper

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.

​Research In Progress

​(1) Affordable Care Act Medicaid Expansions and Self-Reported Indicators of Financial Health

(2) Self-Reported Mental Health and the Dobbs Decision: Variation by State Abortion Laws (with J. Michael Collins)
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(3) Parenthood and Mental Health: A Comparative Study of LGBTQ and Heterosexual Parents (with Akarshik Banerjee)