AEI scholars will engage in a body of work focused on the experiences of low-income individuals and families, including the economic consequences of COVID-19. A grant from Ascend supports research on the following issues: unemployment benefit policies and reforms enacted in response to the pandemic and their effects on income, employment, and job creation; the relationship between paid leave, childcare, and safety net policies on the economic stability of low-income families and children; and the implications of parental employment and government benefit use on the long-term trajectory of poor children from single-mother families. These findings will be disseminated to policymakers, other researchers, and the general public. In the wake of our nation’s current public health and economic crisis stemming from the pandemic, this proposed work seeks to promote policies that better prepare families for economic shocks, encourage work and promote future job creation, and remove barriers by providing opportunities for lower-income Americans to flourish.
