IRP Book Talk: Zach Parolin on “Poverty in the Pandemic: Policy Lessons from COVID-19”
Release Date: 09/07/2023
Colleen Heflin on SNAP and Reauthorization of the Farm Bill
Poverty Research & Policy
The federal Farm Bill expired at the end of September 2024 and was not reauthorized. Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been extended through a Continuing Resolution, but that is a stopgap measure. For this episode, joins us to discuss the recent policy brief that she co-authored with Camille Barbin, titled, “” Colleen Heflin is a Professor of Public Administration and International Affairs in the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University. She is also a Senior Research Associate in the Center for Policy Research and the...
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Anne Sebert Kuhlmann on the Impact of Menstrual Poverty on Vulnerable Individuals
Poverty Research & Policy
Menstrual poverty, or unmet menstrual hygiene needs, is defined as a lack of appropriate menstrual products in necessary quantities; access to soap and water for proper hygiene; or ways to dispose of or wash used sanitary materials. The experience of menstrual poverty can have far-reaching impacts on mental and physical health, the ability to work, and consistent school attendance. For this episode, discusses her research on the impacts of menstrual poverty, and what practice and policy options are available to alleviate the burden on menstruating people. Reference Papers:
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Katherine Michelmore On Effects of the Expanded Child Tax Credit on Housing Stability for Low-Income Families
Poverty Research & Policy
When the Child Tax Credit (CTC) was expanded in 2021 in response to the COVID-19 crisis, it provided more support to parents and on a monthly basis. In addition, some very low-income families were eligible to access the CTC for the first time. In this episode, Dr. Katherine Michelmore shares insights from the paper that she co-authored with Natasha Pilkauskas and Nicole Kovski, titled, “.” Katherine Michelmore is an Associate Professor in the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy at the University of Michigan. A leading scholar and educator on the social safety net, education...
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Greg Wilson on Racialization in the Nonprofit Sector
Poverty Research & Policy
Black-Led Organizations (BLOs) are organizations led by an Executive Director and have a majority of full-time employees identifying as African American. BLOs face challenges (e.g., limited funding, diminished agency, exploitation) which can be explained through the framework of racialization. In this episode, Dr. Greg Wilson discusses his research paper titled “An Invisible Impediment to Progress: Perceptions of Racialization in the Nonprofit Sector” that analyzes racialization of BLOs in Madison, Wisconsin. Dr. Greg Wilson is an Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University, a...
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Anna Godøy and Jennie Romich on the Impacts of Increasing the Minimum Wage for Working Parents and Child-Care Workers
Poverty Research & Policy
Minimum wage workers, especially those with children, face barriers to affordable child care. Child care costs can prevent working parents who earn minimum wage from participating in the labor market. Alternately, many child-care workers also face financial barriers because they, too, earn minimal wages. Therefore, increasing the minimum wage would alleviate financial burdens for both parents and child-care workers. In this episode, both Dr. Anna Godøy and Dr. Jennie Romich discuss their research on minimum wage and its effects on parental labor supply and the child care sector. Anna Godøy...
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Carl Gershenson On Eviction and the Rental Housing Crisis in the Rural United States
Poverty Research & Policy
There are more than 17 million renters in the rural Unites States. While popular perceptions of eviction may be that they are predominantly an urban issue, low-income rural renters face some unique challenges in finding and maintaining secure housing. shares insights from his extensive work on eviction, and in particular from the paper that he co-authored with Dr. Matthew Desmond, titled “.” Carl Gershenson is Lab Director at The Eviction Lab at Princeton University. His research focuses on the causes and consequences of housing instability, with a special focus on how eviction leads to...
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José Loya On How Race, Gender, And Age affect Access To Mortgage Credit And The Implications For Inequality
Poverty Research & Policy
Homeownership is one of the most common ways to accumulate wealth and promote intergenerational economic mobility in the United States. But even with laws and policies designed to ensure equal access to housing and financing, access to mortgage credit is far from equal. Factors like the race, gender, and age of the applicant can result in less favorable loan terms and higher rates of denial and default. discusses his research on how different demographic factors affect access to mortgage financing, and what policy and practice approaches might help to lessen inequity in this area. José Loya...
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Marci Ybarra on Challenges for Latina Mothers Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Poverty Research & Policy
COVID-19 interrupted life on multiple levels for many people regardless of race, economic class, or citizenship. For Latina mothers who either lacked legal status or were part of a mixed-status household, the pandemic intensified the challenges they faced even before this health and economic crisis. In their paper, “No Calm Before the Storm: Low-Income Latina Immigrant and Citizen Mothers Before and After COVID-19,” Dr. Marci Ybarra and Francia Mendoza Lua share insights gained through interviews with Latina moms in Chicago before and during the pandemic. Dr. Ybarra is...
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Jesse Rothstein On Ways To Reduce Intergenerational Poverty
Poverty Research & Policy
Experiencing poverty in childhood can hinder a person’s opportunities throughout their own lifetime, and those of their children and grandchildren as well. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine recently released a report titled “.” For this episode, we're joined by Jesse Rothstein, who served as a member of the committee that produced the report. He shares the research and findings on several of the key drivers of intergenerational poverty that the committee identified and examined, as well as what policy approaches may help to interrupt the cycle and why that...
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Maretta McDonald on Wealth Inequality and Housing Values of Black Meccas in the New South
Poverty Research & Policy
Black Meccas are cities where it appears that Black communities thrive more-so than other places in the United States. However, the housing values of Black-owned properties in these areas are substantially lower compared to their white counterparts, revealing the presence of wealth inequality even in cities where Black people are thought to experience better overall economic well-being. In this episode, Dr. Maretta McDonald discusses her recent co-authored paper Maretta McDonald is a 2022-2024 IRP National Poverty Fellow and an Affiliate Faculty of Sociology at Virginia Tech. Her...
info_outlineIn his new book, Dr. Zachary Parolin explores three perspectives on poverty—poverty as a risk factor, poverty as an expression of access to current resources, and poverty as a stratifying factor—and how they affected people during the COVID-19 pandemic. He advocates for policy approaches that will both prepare us for the next large-scale economic disruption and provide timely assistance when upheaval occurs, and makes the case for more frequent, and more nuanced poverty measures.
Zach Parolin is an Assistant Professor of Social Policy at Bocconi University in Milan, Italy, and a Senior Research Fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Poverty and Social Policy. His new book, “Poverty in the Pandemic: Policy Lessons from COVID-19,” was published by the Russell Sage Foundation.