As we are opening a near year, we are also experiencing the tragedy of the violence at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. It was a sad day in our nation’s history and highlights the ever-widening divisions within the country. Despite the shocking and unprecedented moment in American history, Congressional leaders were undeterred and […]
Tag: Social Policy Institute
A different dialogue: Lifting up community voices

By: Sarah Cowart, communications manager for Social Policy Institute; Pamela Chan, associate director for Social Policy Institute, and Daniel Barker, director of research and knowledge, Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth If you attended “Building an Inclusive Economy” on October 7 with the Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis (SPI) and Mastercard Center […]
Women in St. Louis worry about their careers as they step back to care for their families
St. Louis Public Radio highlighted survey results from Social Policy Institute’s Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey in the U.S. to elevate evidence that child care concerns are driving job losses and the ability to return to work during the pandemic. Atia Thurman, associate director from the Clark-Fox Policy Institute at Washington University added commentary about policy solutions.
Supporting Inclusive Households in Building Financial Security

Join us virtually for Supporting Inclusive Households in Building Financial Security, 12:30-2:00 p.m. (CT) on Dec. 10, 2020, for a discussion about the opportunities to equitably support the financial situations of households.
Challenges and Opportunities in Developing Child Savings Programs in Israel and Uganda: Oct. 15

From 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. (CT) on Oct. 15, join the Social Policy Institute (SPI), the International Center for Child Health and Development (ICHAD), and the Next Age Institute (NAI) for a discussion about asset building for long-term child development and CSA programs—with the particular focus on CSAs in Israel and Uganda, which differ greatly in their structure.
CityStudioSTL faculty course grant in partnership with SPI
The Sam Fox School and the Social Policy Institute at Washington University have awarded their first joint CityStudioSTL Faculty Course Grant to associate professor Catalina Freixas.
SPI researchers win top awards for papers at ACCI Conference

Yingying Zeng, Mathieu Despard, and Sophia Fox-Dichter received the National Endowment for Financial Education (NEFE) Paper Award for their paper “Workplace Financial Counseling: Credit Outcomes Among Lower-Paid, Entry-Level Workers”.
Stephen P. Roll, Blair D. Russell, Dana C. Perantie, and Michal Grinstein-Weiss received the JCA Best Article of the Year for their paper “Encouraging Tax‐Time Savings with a Low‐Touch, Large‐Scale Intervention: Evidence from the Refund to Savings Experiment”.
SPI program manager Brinda Gupta appears on Humans of St. Louis
Brinda speaks on her experience of working at SPI and especially her relationship with her mentor and SPI director Michael Grinstein-Weiss.
Class of 2020 SPI staff graduate!
Congratulations to all the SPI staff who just graduated from the class of 2020!
What COVID-19 is Telling us About our “Swiss Cheese” Economy, Financial Fragility, and Public Health
Mat Despard, SPI research, writes about how he and his colleagues will use surveys to learn about the economic impacts of COVID-19 and how these impacts may vary by race, household income, assets, and debt, employment status and industry, and place.
Financial inclusion to help mitigate the economic consequences of COVID-19
Mat Despard, SPI research, writes about policy changes that will help households better cope with the economic fallout of COVID-19 and be better prepared for future catastrophic events.
Social Policy Institute, McDonnell International Scholars Academy award $10,000 seed grants to three research proposals
Social Policy Institute and McDonnell International Scholars Academy have jointly announced the selection of three international policy-focused proposals to receive $10,000 seed grants following a call for proposals in September 2019. The selected proposals will develop research that fosters international collaboration on policy projects and includes faculty from both Washington University and an international university.
How Do the Lives of Participants in a Housing Mobility Program Change after They Move? A Case Study of the Mobility Connection Program
Jenna Hampton, BSW; Stephen J Roll, PhD; Michal Grinstein-Weiss, PhD investigate: How Do the Lives of Participants in a Housing Mobility Program Change after
They Move? A Case Study of the Mobility Connection Program. Social Policy Institute, Washington University in St. Louis