Data for Social Impact, an initiative of the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, has launched a free online course for social sector professionals. While many courses develop technical data skills, this course—designed with, by, and for social sector leaders—supports organizations in cultivating equitable, collaborative data practices. Each module includes worksheets, resource […]
Following President Biden’s call to restore the Child Tax Credit, ABC27 cited SPI research demonstrating the positive effects of the policy.
$25,000 was awarded to Operation Food Search in order to broaden the Fresh RX program
Bank of America has awarded a grant to Operation Food Search, to expand the Fresh RX program.
Jenrose Fitzgerald, program coordinator, is speaking at data.org’s upcoming event on using data to amplify your organization’s impact.
Benefits Data Trust highlighted some key points their CEO, Trooper Sanders, made when he gave the Keynote Address at the DSSI Summit.
In November 2022, the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis hosted Data is for Everyone: A Data for Social Impact Summit. The summit’s goal was to build connection and capacity among social sector organizations to cultivate equitable, community-centered data practices. The event featured 21 local and national speakers across five panels. Each […]
Jason Jabbari, associate director of community partnerships, has been awarded a two-year grant to study social mobility and equity in programs.
AFCPE announced their award winners for 2022, and SPI research won Outstanding Research Journal Article of the Year.
Social Policy Institute research was cited in this opinion piece on social mobility and its impact on children in Israel.
By Oren Heller, research director, Israel; Yaniv Shlomo, Data Analyst, Israel; Hayley Kalb, communications assistant; Michal Grinstein-Weiss, founding director Food insecurity is a national problem with short and long-term consequences that harm the economy and society. This problem was exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, as the labor market changed, affecting the disposable income of many […]
Tyler Frank, doctoral research assistant, published this blog on GoodRX Health discussing how public health helps promote social justice, equity, and collective action, and how it keeps communities safe.
I truly believe we can accomplish more by stepping outside of our own culture and seek to understand and learn from each other. This is what makes SPI’s global approach to its work so impactful. I look forward to hosting WashU colleagues in Israel next time.
By Kourtney Gilbert, program coordinator, SPI As researchers, we work a lot with numbers on a page. These numbers often feel distant from the people they represent, or the policy and practices we hope to inform. For this reason, when the Social Policy Institute launched its Building on Benefits research project aimed at better understanding […]
Social Policy Institute research will be presented in seven different panels during the APPAM conference Nov. 17 to Nov. 18, 2022. Below are the papers and discussions that will be presented by the SPI team, including staff and faculty affiliates.
Prioritizing affordability of care will be the first step to ensuring that a healthy life is feasible for everyone regardless of finances.
A Trans-Atlantic Policy Forum could bring together academic researchers,
policy makers, advocates, and corporate leaders in the U.S. and U.K. to develop
insights to fuel changes in public policies and corporate behavior to promote the
financial security of low- and moderate-income (LMI) individuals and families.
Laura Brugger and Elaine Maag share their research on the the CTC, specifically comparing immigrant groups to non-immigrant groups on how many receive the payment and how they use it.
The Wall Street Journal shares how money received from the student loan forgiveness program will help people achieve other financial goals.
Applications for the Graduate Policy Scholar program are now open to all graduate students at Washington University in St. Louis! The Graduate Policy Scholar program provides students from all fields of study with impactful opportunities and training in policy. Offered by the Social Policy Institute and the Clark-Fox Policy Institute, the yearlong program provides students […]
Oren Heller, Postdoctoral Research Associate, and Daniel Yeshua, Program Manager Financial hardship among the Muslim Arab community in Israel increases during Ramadan, a survey from the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis finds. This study, the first to examine the economic impact of Ramadan on the Muslim Arab population, can provide insight […]
As a part of the St. Louis Research Practice Collaborative (SRPC) and in partnership with St. Louis University, Jason Jabbari, research assistant professor with the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, has joined a team that received a $255k grant awarded by the James F. McDonnell Foundation for research on student mobility. […]
Congratulations to the fifth cohort of the Graduate Policy Scholars who were inducted as scholars this May. Students represented departments across the university, including Arts & Sciences, Brown School, School of Medicine, School of Law, and the Olin Business School. The students who completed this rigorous program learned and engaged with policy as they developed […]
On May 17 we’ll investigate how policy that starts with people and is grounded in evidence can transform the lives of individuals locally, nationally and globally.
Press release: May 11, 2022 According to a study by the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis, the convergence of college non-completion and student debt among borrowers lead to higher rates of material hardship, healthcare hardship, and financial difficulties than those with a high school degree, those with a college degree, and […]
By Dan Zhao, postdoctoral research associate, and Michal Grinstein-Weiss, director When disaster strikes, it is easy to neglect the people on the boundaries. When assessing the impact of adverse economic shocks, whether it be natural disasters, pandemics, or factory shutoffs, the focal point is on those who were directly devastated by the shock. However, the […]
In an exclusive with The Marker, the Social Policy Institute investigated the economic impact of Ramadan in Israel.
The Marketplace interviewed Elaine Maag, senior fellow of the Tax Policy Center and co-author of the Child Tax Credit report by SPI, on the impacts the credit had on the financial security of American families.
Three Social Policy Institute researchers will present their papers and host discussions at the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM) conference on March 28-29, 2022. Below are the papers and discussions presented by the SPI team. 10:15 a.m. (CT) on Monday, March 28, 2022 “Precarious Homeownership and Housing Inequity During the COVID-19 Pandemic” […]
Friends of SPI, I am delighted to announce three new Social Policy Institute associate directors! SPI has grown significantly since its launch in 2019 and our new associate directors will ensure we continue to generate important evidence and policy-passionate leaders needed to inform equitable policies and inclusive communities. I hope you will join me in […]
The launch of a series of free learning opportunities for increasing social sector impact, capacity and connection around data. About this event Social sector organizations can increase their impact and advance their missions by cultivating effective, ethical, and equitable data practices. Based on St. Louis social sector input, the Data for Social Impact initiative is […]
Who benefits from economic growth in St. Louis? Despite promises of job creation, increasing home values, new businesses, and representative leadership in St. Louis, the benefits of economic growth have not been equally, nor equitably, distributed. As the economy rebuilds itself from COVID-19 devastation, now is the time to consider how St. Louis can become […]
Forbes interviewed Dr. Leah Hamilton, SPI faculty affiliate, about the additional benefits of the CTC due to its lack of work requirement conditions for parents.
Given the novel and rapidly changing nature of the labor market, learning new skills quickly will become an increasingly important aspect of workforce development and social mobility. The Social Policy Institute investigates LaunchCode, a St. Louis boot camp with an apprenticeship model, as a viable option to increase wealth-building opportunities and upskill a more diverse labor […]
Thank you for being a valued member of the Social Policy Institute community this past year. I am extremely proud of our team—staff, faculty affiliates, funders and community partners—who work so hard to make the world more equitable for everyone. Our mission to make the world more equitable by applying innovative, evidence-based solutions to complex social problems […]
Social sector organizations can increase impact, both individually and collectively, by being more strategic in how they engage with data. There is no one-size-fits-all approach, but rather a range of processes and practices for individuals and organizations to consider as they grapple with complex challenges in their communities.
On Dec. 9, 2021, we learned how to influence policy and collaborate with like-minded people to activate change in our last Inclusive Growth in St. Louis event. After a year of events investigating why economic growth in St. Louis benefits some groups of people more than others and how we can change systems to support […]
The Tax Policy Center recently shared research from Laura Brugger, data analyst II of SPI, and Elaine Maag, principal research associate at the Urban Institute, on how immigrant families have accessed and used the Child Tax Credit.
Isolation as a result of COVID-19 exposure is a key public health protocol to mitigate the spread of the virus; however, new survey results indicate increased isolations are associated with anger, violence, difficulties sleeping, and prolonged screen time.
Speakers at the Inclusive Growth in St. Louis event series on Sept. 23 identified 15 strategies to proactively support and amplify diverse voices and perspectives as discussed by the speakers at the event.
Applications for the Graduate Policy Scholar program are now open to all graduate students at Washington University in St. Louis! The Graduate Policy Scholar program provides students from all fields of study with impactful opportunities and training in policy. Offered by the Social Policy Institute and the Clark-Fox Policy Institute, the yearlong program provides students […]
The Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis (SPI) released new findings on the impact of COVID-19 on housing hardship, the importance of employment and associated benefits, such as the Payment Protection Program, family hardships, and efficiency of public benefits designed to support households in need, such as SNAP, TANF, and unemployment insurance benefits.
Join us at 12:30 p.m. CT on Thursday, Sept. 23 for an event discussing strategies to create inclusive leadership.
Yung Chun, data analyst III at SPI, discussed the implications of the end of the eviction moratorium and the impact on renters with a reporter from the Sinclair Broadcast Group.
We know that liquid assets provide a safety net for short-term financial well-being, but how can we transition from short-term financial stability to longer-term financial health? Researchers, Jeremy Burke, Stephen Roll and Emily Gallagher shared their findings on the mitigation effect of liquid assets during a financial shock, the leading factors that contribute to long-term […]