The Family Stability and Economic Mobility Research Pilot Project

Overview

<p>The Urban Institute (Urban), in partnership with UC Berkeley Opportunity Lab, and funder Doris Duke Charitable Foundation (DDCF) are developing a new research consortium with an aim to launch later in 2022. Under the pilot phase of the consortium, Urban seeks to award up to 3 (three) $30,000 research grants to support early-career researchers in conducting timely research on expansions of the safety net in response to the COVID-19 pandemic that support family economic security and mobility that answers questions of relevance to the current policy debate. Policies of interest include the temporary expansion of the Child Tax Credit and the multiple rounds of Economic Impact Payments and questions include but are not limited to:</p> <p>Child and family wellbeing: How did these policies affect children in families? How are families in diverse circumstances using the credit?</p> <p>How did the expanded credit affect the following:</p> <ul> <li>Educational, health, and justice system involvement outcomes for children and youth</li> <li>Parents’ decisions about living arrangements, caregiving, educational options, and school and community involvement</li> <li>Families’ ability to meet basic needs and avoid crises such as eviction, job loss, and unmet medical needs</li> <li>Measures of economic wellbeing such as debt, debt in collections, and savings</li> <li>Incidence of child neglect and involvement in the child welfare system</li> <li>Parent and child mental health</li> <li>Employment: How did these policies affect employment outcomes and the labor market, nationally and in diverse geographies? Does the provision of these pandemic assistance programs make it more likely that parents will leave or enter the workforce? Are there impacts on job quality? Do the expanded credit and other policies reduce obstacles to employment including lack of childcare, transportation, and unmet health needs? How does the credit affect employment and other outcomes for parents with mental health, substance abuse and/or co-occurring issues?</li> <li>Tax credit access and policy challenges: How successful were these policies in reaching all eligible families? Did the tax credit reach the most vulnerable families, non-filers, and how does tax credit access vary across race, ethnicity, and place in the U.S.? What outreach efforts had the most success in encouraging eligible families to apply for the credit, and where? Do advance CTC payments increase the incidence of erroneous payments? What policy design changes can address risks of overpayment, burdens on families, and better account for income volatility and complex family structures that do not align with current tax filing requirements? How can program administration be improved to ensure that the lowest income families have access to the full benefit when it is most useful?</li> <li>Places: How do these policies affect measures of community wellbeing? Does the enhanced credit improve the capacity of governmental and philanthropic place-based initiatives to promote inclusive economic development and other goals?</li> </ul> <p>In approaching all of the above topics, research questions could seek to address: how do these outcomes differ by race, ethnicity, gender, disability status, immigration status, age, and whether families live in urban, rural, or suburban areas? How could complementary and alternative policies improve measures of family economic security and mobility?</p>