Poverty Research & Policy
116 episodes - English - Latest episode: 26 days ago - ★★★★★ - 23 ratingsThe Poverty Research & Policy Podcast is produced by the University of Wisconsin-Madison's Institute for Research on Poverty (IRP) and features interviews with researchers about poverty, inequality, and policy in the United States.
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Episodes
Chloe Gibbs on Full-Day Kindergarten and its Impact on Academic Achievement
March 11, 2021 19:54 - 19 minutes - 21.4 MBIn the last few decades, there has been a major expansion in the number of states and localities offering full-day kindergarten. In this podcast episode, economist Chloe Gibbs of the University of Notre Dame talks about how these expansions impacted academic achievement and outcomes at the school district level.
Timothy Smeeding on Proposals for a Refundable Monthly Child Tax Credit
March 05, 2021 00:02 - 23 minutes - 17.9 MBIn this episode, Timothy Smeeding talks about proposals from Senator Mitt Romney and from Democratic leadership for a fully refundable monthly child tax credit or child allowance and how these types of policies could reduce child poverty and help working parents in the pandemic and beyond. Smeeding is the Lee Rainwater Distinguished Professor of Public Affairs and Economics at the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was Director of the Institute ...
Jacob Faber on How a New Deal Era Program Shaped America's Racial Geography
February 17, 2021 17:12 - 16 minutes - 19.5 MBIn this episode we hear from Jacob Faber of New York University about a federal government program called the Home Owners' Loan Corporation that started in the 1930s and how the decisions made in that program promoted residential segregation that is still with us today.
Pamela Oliver on What the Numbers Say About How to Reduce Imprisonment, Part 2
February 01, 2021 14:07 - 15 minutes - 13.2 MBThe goal of reducing incarceration has been gaining traction for at least the last decade in the United States. In an interview we did with sociologist Pamela Oliver in late 2020, she talked about how we got to where we are today when it comes to U.S. imprisonment (Part 1) and the impact that different reforms would have on reducing the U.S. prison population (Part 2). The interview is based on a paper Professor Oliver wrote for the Marquette Law Review (Volume 103, Issue 3).
Pamela Oliver on What the Numbers Say About How to Reduce Imprisonment, Part 1
January 25, 2021 19:58 - 15 minutes - 13.6 MBThe goal of reducing incarceration has been gaining traction for at least the last decade in the United States. In an interview we did with sociologist Pamela Oliver in late 2020, she talked about how we got to where we are today when it comes to U.S. imprisonment and the impact that different reforms would have on reducing the U.S. prison population. This is part 1 of the interview. The interview is based on a paper Professor Oliver wrote for the Marquette Law Review (Volume 103, Issue 3...
Pamela Oliver on What The Numbers Say About How to Reduce Imprisonment, Part 1
January 25, 2021 19:58 - 15 minutes - 13.6 MBThe goal of reducing incarceration has been gaining traction for at least the last decade in the United States. In an interview we did with sociologist Pamela Oliver in late 2020, she talked about how we got to where we are today when it comes to U.S. imprisonment and the impact that different reforms would have on reducing the U.S. prison population. This is part 1 of the interview. The interview is based on a paper Professor Oliver wrote for the Marquette Law Review (Volume 103, Issue 3...
Carolyn Heinrich on Whether the Labor Market Offers the Same "Credit" for Online Learning
January 11, 2021 20:49 - 32 minutes - 37.8 MBIn this episode, Carolyn Heinrich of Vanderbilt University talks about a study she conducted with Jennifer Darling-Aduana, Annalee Good, and Huiping (Emily) Cheng that looked at the use of online education products in high schools to help students who were falling behind. Heinrich describes her team's observations of online course-taking and the longer-term academic and labor market outcomes of students in online settings versus those in traditional instruction. They find that, on average, s...
The Anti-Poverty Intern: Episode 2: Eleanor Pratt
November 17, 2020 14:49 - 18 minutes - 14.5 MBIn this episode we hear from Eleanor Pratt, a grant writer with the Heartland Alliance and recent graduate of the La Follette School of Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Pratt talks about the importance of developing writing and editing skills, what she's learned from her experiences, and the challenge of doing anti-poverty work.
The Anti-Poverty Intern: Episode 1: Troy M. Williams
October 20, 2020 15:32 - 25 minutes - 22.7 MBFor the first episode of the Anti-Poverty Intern, host Simon Guma talks to UW–Madison PhD candidate Troy M. Williams. They discuss Williams’ path to pursuing a PhD at UW–Madison’s School of Human Ecology, advice for students and researchers who are engaging with members of their communities, and the challenges of working in institutions that still have a lot of work to do when it comes to issues of race.
Eric Chyn on the Impacts of Removing Children from Abusive or Neglectful Homes
August 14, 2020 03:25 - 13 minutes - 15.2 MBIn this episode we hear from economist Eric Chyn about the impact of home removal—for reasons like neglect or abuse—on children’s later outcomes. In a paper he co-wrote with Anthony Bald, Justine Hastings, and Margarita Machelett, their perhaps surprising main result is that temporary home removal increases later test scores and reduces grade repetition for young girls, but doesn't show any significant impacts for young boys. Dr. Chyn is an assistant professor of economics at Dartmouth Co...
Troy M. Williams and Simon Guma on Community Engagement and Institutional Change
July 16, 2020 16:46 - 26 minutes - 26.9 MBIn this episode, IRP and Morgridge Center for Public Service media intern Simon Guma talks to Troy M. Williams. They discuss Williams' path to pursuing a PhD at UW-Madison's School of Human Ecology, advice for students and researchers who are engaging with members of their communities, and the challenges of working in institutions that still have a lot of work to do when it comes to issues of race.
Stephanie Canizales on the Experiences of Undocumented and Unaccompanied Youth Workers
June 27, 2020 19:51 - 25 minutes - 29.1 MBIn this episode, Stephanie Canizales of the University of California, Merced discusses her work talking to undocumented and unaccompanied youth workers in Los Angeles about their experiences and struggles with work and social integration in the United States. Read the transcript at https://www.irp.wisc.edu/resource/stephanie-canizales-on-the-experiences-of-undocumented-and-unaccompanied-youth-workers/
Mario Small on How Social Networks and Social Capital Matter for Human Services Programs
May 19, 2020 17:24 - 30 minutes - 18.9 MBMario Luis Small of Harvard University talks about social networks and social capital and about some of his work looking at those things in the context of programs like Head Start. Read the transcript at https://www.irp.wisc.edu/resource/mario-small-on-how-social-networks-and-social-capital-matter-for-human-services-programs/
Sarah Halpern-Meekin on "Social Poverty"
April 15, 2020 17:08 - 33 minutes - 38.9 MBThis episode features Professor Sarah Halpern-Meekin, who discusses work from her 2019 book, Social Poverty. Halpern-Meekin is a sociologist at UW-Madison’s School of Human Ecology and La Follette School of Public Affairs.
Sarah Halpern-Meekin on "Social Poverty"
April 15, 2020 17:08 - 33 minutes - 38.9 MBThis episode features Professor Sarah Halpern-Meekin, who discusses work from her 2019 book, Social Poverty. Halpern-Meekin is a sociologist at UW-Madison’s School of Human Ecology and La Follette School of Public Affairs.
Peter Blair on Occupational Licenses and What They Signal in the Job Market
March 30, 2020 22:01 - 22 minutes - 25.8 MBIn this episode, Peter Blair of Harvard University talks about a paper called “Job Market Signaling through Occupational Licensing” he wrote with Bobby Chung that looks at how licenses people need for jobs contribute to differences in pay and if the story is different depending on someone’s race or gender. He also talks about culture challenges in the economics profession, mentoring, and how growing up in the Bahamas influenced some of his goals as an economist.
Jessica Calarco on Parents and the Power of Privilege in Schools
February 24, 2020 21:52 - 19 minutes - 20.9 MBWe’ve all heard stories about the rise in helicopter parenting—parents who do their kids’ homework, drop off things at school for them that they’ve forgotten, and intervene to smooth the path for their children. It’s become so common that many schools now have rules against this kind of parental behavior. But our guest for this episode, sociologist Jessica Calarco of Indiana University, says that for many privileged parents and families, these rules just don’t seem to apply. She set out to f...
Angela Guarin: Do Low-Income Noncustodial Fathers "Trade" Earlier Families for New Ones?
February 12, 2020 21:49 - 15 minutes - 16.4 MBFor this episode, we hear from Angela Guarin about a paper she wrote with Lonnie Berger, Maria Cancian, and Dan Meyer that tries to understand how low-income noncustodial fathers who have children in more than one household make decisions when it comes to supporting their children. Guarin is a postdoctoral fellow at Los Andes University in Colombia and was a graduate research fellow at the Institute for Research on Poverty while earning her Ph.D. in social welfare at the University of Wiscon...
Lars Højsgaard Andersen on the Consequences of Lowering Welfare Benefits for Migrants and Their Families
January 06, 2020 23:01 - 29 minutes - 29.9 MBFor this episode, we hear from Lars Højsgaard Andersen of Denmark’s Rockwool Foundation about a policy change in Denmark that aimed to increase employment among refugees to the country by reducing public benefits. The policy change brought a number of consequences — some intended, some not — that could inform similar policies being implemented in other countries.
Michael Strain: The American Dream Isn't Dead
November 13, 2019 17:25 - 18 minutes - 18.6 MBThis episode features Michael Strain, the Economic Policy Director at the American Enterprise Institute, who gave a talk at IRP earlier this year titled “The American Dream isn’t Dead.” It’s a provocative title and Strain says that this line of work is growing out of concerns he has about the narrative around the American Dream.
Leslie Hodges on Unemployment Insurance and Material Hardships
October 15, 2019 15:34 - 15 minutes - 16.5 MBIn this episode, we hear from IRP postdoctoral scholar Leslie Hodges about the Unemployment Insurance program and how the program might mitigate economic distress, including poverty and material hardships, when someone loses a job.
Brian Thiede on the Rural Economy and Barriers to Work in Rural America
September 30, 2019 19:42 - 20 minutes - 20.8 MBThere has been renewed interest in issues facing the U.S. rural economy in recent years. In this episode, Penn State sociologist and demographer Brian Thiede breaks down some of the key changes that have taken place in the rural labor market and discusses potential policy responses to barriers to work faced by rural Americans.
Aaron Sojourner and Matt Wiswall on the Value of Investments in Quality Child Care
August 05, 2019 19:19 - 19 minutes - 20.2 MBIn this episode, we hear from economists Aaron Sojourner and Matt Wiswall about the value of investments in quality child care and how we can think about tradeoffs when it comes to child care subsidies and related policies.
Damon Jones on Whether a Modest Basic Income Might Lead People to Work Less
July 18, 2019 18:22 - 23 minutes - 25.3 MBThe idea of a universal basic income has been gaining traction in recent years, but we don’t have much evidence about what a large-scale universal basic income policy would do. In this episode, University of Chicago economist Damon Jones talks about the idea of a universal basic income and discusses a study he did with Ioana Marinescu that looked at the Alaska Permanent Fund to better understand the labor market effects of universal and permanent cash payments.
Marci Ybarra on the Administrative Burdens of Research in Non-Profit Settings
May 28, 2019 19:39 - 16 minutes - 17.5 MBThe concept of administrative burden focuses on how bureaucracy, complex paperwork, and confusing regulations can reduce the effectiveness of public programs and limit the rights of citizens. In this podcast episode, University of Chicago professor Marci Ybarra argues that research conducted in non-profit settings can introduce similar types of burdens by putting additional demands on those being served and on workers, and by changing the incentives for agencies themselves.
Walter Stern on Race and Education in New Orleans: Creating the Segregated City
April 26, 2019 17:06 - 27 minutes - 28.3 MBIn this episode, we hear from Walter Stern, an assistant professor in the History and Educational Policy Studies departments at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He discusses his recent book called Race and Education in New Orleans: Creating the Segregated City. His book, which focuses on the period from 1764-1960, looks at the role that schools played in the segregation of American cities with a particular focus on New Orleans.
Maria Cancian and Dan Meyer on Final Results from the CSPED Impact Evaluation
March 14, 2019 15:24 - 41 minutes - 38.3 MBIn this episode, Maria Cancian and Daniel Meyer discuss the Child Support Noncustodial Parent Employment Demonstration or CSPED, a large, eight state experiment that aimed to see if a different approach to child support could lead to better outcomes. Over the course of the episode, they talk about how the CSPED project came to be, what it looked like for child support offices to change their approach to child support services for this demonstration, and what they learned. Cancian is the...
Jordan Conwell on Parental Income, Race, Gender, and Children's School Readiness
February 01, 2019 20:59 - 18 minutes - 20.9 MBIn this podcast episode, sociologist Jordan Conwell of the University of Wisconsin-Madison talks about a study he did that aims to help us understand racial income inequality by looking for differences in how children of different races and genders, but the same family income, fare in early educational measures.
Lenna Nepomnyaschy on the Role of Fathers in Reducing Inequalities in Child Outcomes
January 15, 2019 17:22 - 14 minutes - 16 MBIn this podcast episode, Lenna Nepomnyaschy of the Rutgers School of Social Work talks about a study she did with Dan Miller, Maureen Waller, and Allison Dwyer Emory that looks at how father involvement matters for reducing socioeconomic inequalities in child outcomes.
Jacob Bastian on the Real Costs of the EITC
November 27, 2018 19:05 - 11 minutes - 11.9 MBIn this episode, Jacob Bastian of the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy discusses his research with the Census Bureau's Maggie Jones on the real public costs of the Earned Income Tax Credit.
Michael Light on Rates of Violence and the Consequences of Segregation
November 02, 2018 16:08 - 21 minutes - 22.4 MBIn this episode, University of Wisconsin-Madison sociologist Michael Light talks about a paper he co-authored with Julia Thomas looking at the consequences of segregation and whether whites benefit from segregation when it comes to rates of violence.
Beth Vaade, Kerry Lawton, and Eric Grodsky on Research-Practice Partnerships in Education
September 07, 2018 15:16 - 46 minutes - 46.7 MBIn this episode of the Poverty Research and Policy Podcast, Beth Vaade of the Madison Metropolitan School District, Kerry Lawton of the Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction, and Eric Grodsky, a professor of Sociology and Educational Policy Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, discuss their experiences developing and working in research-practice partnerships in education.
Heather Hill on Why Disruptions in Income Might Matter for Child Development
August 01, 2018 13:15 - 24 minutes - 25.3 MBIn this podcast episode, Heather Hill of the University of Washington's Evan's School of Public Policy and Governance discusses her research on income dynamics and why income disruptions might matter for children's cognitive, social, and emotional outcomes.
Maria Cancian On Changing Families And Changing Child Support Policies
July 05, 2018 16:03 - 21 minutes - 17.4 MBIn this podcast episode, University of Wisconsin–Madison Professor of Public Affairs and Social Work Maria Cancian talks about the changing demographics of U.S. families and the challenges this creates for the child support system.
Kathleen Moore on the Housing Choice Voucher Program and Rental Market Discrimination
April 02, 2018 17:00 - 20 minutes - 16.7 MBIn this podcast episode, IRP National Poverty Fellow Kathleen Moore talks about the Housing Choice Voucher Program and her research about how landlords respond to inquiries from potential renters who hold housing vouchers. Transcript
Brad Wilcox On The “Success Sequence” For Millennials
March 05, 2018 18:00 - 20 minutes - 16.3 MBIn this podcast episode, Brad Wilcox of the University of Virginia and the National Marriage Project talks about the "Success Sequence" and how, for millennials, finishing their education, obtaining a full-time job, and getting married before having children may help families avoid poverty.
Mustafa Hussein: Can Your Neighborhood Affect Your Health?
January 08, 2018 18:00 - 16 minutes - 13.5 MBIn this podcast episode, Mustafa Hussein of the School of Public Health, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee discusses his research on how differences in socioeconomic status can lead to differences in health and, specifically, how much a person's neighborhood contributes to their health outcomes.
Robert Doar on "A Safety Net That Works"
December 01, 2017 18:00 - 15 minutes - 12.4 MBIn this podcast episode, Robert Doar of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) discusses the AEI volume he edited called A Safety Net that Works and the approaches he and his coauthors in the volume propose to improve the effectiveness of the safety net.
Claudia Persico on How Exposure to Toxic Waste Sites Before Birth Affect Children’s Development
November 01, 2017 17:00 - 17 minutes - 14 MBIn this podcast episode, Claudia Persico, Assistant Professor of Educational Leadership & Policy Anaysis at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, discusses a study she conducted with David Figlio and Jeffrey Roth that looks at the effects of prenatal exposure to a Superfund site on later learning outcomes.
Tashara Leak on Childhood Obesity in the United States
October 10, 2017 17:00 - 12 minutes - 10 MBIn this podcast episode, Tashara Leak, an Assistant Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Cornell University, discusses trends, health risks, and socioeconomic factors associated with childhood obesity as well as promising programs that could help families and communities address childhood obesity.
Jason Houle on Student Loan Debt and the Reproduction of Racial Wealth Inequality
September 01, 2017 17:00 - 19 minutes - 15.4 MBIn this podcast episode, sociologist Jason Houle of Dartmouth College discusses the growth of student loan debt and its implications for racial and economic inequalities in the United States.
Julie Poehlmann-Tynan on Attachment Behaviors In Children With Incarcerated Fathers
August 01, 2017 17:00 - 19 minutes - 15.6 MBIn this episode, child psychologist Julie Poehlmann-Tynan of the University of Wisconsin–Madison talks about a new study on attachment in children who have an incarcerated father and discusses some of the factors that may lead to differences in kids’ attachment behaviors.
Scott Winship on Extreme Poverty after Welfare Reform
July 01, 2017 17:00 - 14 minutes - 11.4 MBIn this podcast episode, Scott Winship discusses his research about poverty trends in the United States, arguing that welfare reform in 1996 did not lead to an increase in the numbers of those in extreme poverty and that fewer people are living on $2-a-day or less than has been previously reported.
Abigail Sewell on Mortgage Markets And The Roots Of Racial Health Disparities
June 01, 2017 17:00 - 15 minutes - 12.4 MBIn this podcast, Abigail Sewell of Emory University discusses her research on how political and economic processes underlying mortgage markets may be at the root of some racial disparities in health.
Joe Soss on How Governments and Corporations Made the Criminal Justice System Profitable
May 01, 2017 17:00 - 21 minutes - 16.9 MBIn this podcast, Joe Soss of the University of Minnesota Humphrey School of Public Affairs discusses how criminal justice system practices including fines, fees, civil asset forfeiture, and the bail and prison industries led to the creation of what he calls a predatory system of governance.
Harry Brighouse on the Costs of Raising a Child
April 03, 2017 17:00 - 16 minutes - 12.8 MBIn this podcast, University of Wisconsin–Madison philosophy professor Harry Brighouse discusses how to think about the costs of raising a child beyond traditional measures, illustrating what philosophers can do for social scientists who study poverty.
Anna Gassman-Pines: Does the timing of SNAP benefits affect kids' performance on tests?
March 03, 2017 18:00 - 13 minutes - 11 MBIn this podcast episode, Anna Gassman-Pines of Duke University talks about a study she completed that links the timing of SNAP benefits in a household to children’s end-of-grade achievement test scores.
Julien Teitler on how resources matter for health and quality of life
February 03, 2017 18:00 - 11 minutes - 9.32 MBColumbia University professor Julien Teitler discusses a study he conducted with Melissa Martinson, Rayven Plaza, and Nancy Reichman about how income disparities affect cardiovascular health across the lifespan.
Nicole Deterding: Does it Matter Where You Get Your Two-Year Degree?
January 04, 2017 12:00 - 11 minutes - 9.52 MBIn IRP’s 50th podcast episode, IRP National Poverty Fellow Nicole Deterding talks about research she and her colleague, David Pedulla of Stanford University, conducted that examines employers’ responses to degrees from for-profit versus non-profit two-year colleges in the early phases of the hiring process.
Tim Maloney on Using Predictive Analytics to Assess Risk for Child Maltreatment
December 05, 2016 14:00 - 14 minutes - 11.5 MBTim Maloney of Auckland University of Technology’s Centre for Social Data Analytics talks about using administrative data to help child welfare agencies predict the probability of substantiated maltreatment of children.