Opportunity Lab

📣 O-Lab is now on Bluesky! Follow us there to receive research updates on topics including economic mobility, climate change, criminal justice reform, and more: bsky.app/profile/berkel…

The most important source of racial disparities in criminal court outcomes are punitive practice + laws, rather than biased actors, finds a @nberpubs #workingpaper from Steve Raphael & coauthors: nber.org/papers/w33403

As part of O-Lab’s portfolio of regional economic development work, research from @ValerieBoctor of @berkeleyecon has found that mortgage forbearance policies may prevent waves of default during economic shocks. 🗺️Explore more Place-Based Policy: olab.berkeley.edu/initiative-on-…

How do homeownership subsidies impact labor market outcomes across different demographic groups? @JiFuenzalida of @berkeleyecon’s #JMP, supported by O-Lab’s Place-Based Policy Initiative, explores this question in the Chilean context: x.com/JiFuenzalida/s…

❤️‍🩹As Los Angeles recovers from unprecedented wildfires, California's insurance landscape reveals a complex challenge for housing accessibility, highlights Meredith Fowlie @AreBerkeley in The Indicator from @planetmoney: npr.org/2025/01/16/122…

🚉How will California’s High-Speed Rail (HSR) project generate economic benefits as it is constructed — and who will those benefits accrue to? 📖In two UCOP briefs, Cecile Gaubert + co-authors present key findings on the project: escholarship.org/uc/item/5n1381… escholarship.org/content/qt1zm5…

What did we learn from the 2021 Child Tax Credit expansion? What's next for the CTC? Join us online on Jan. 30 for this @hamiltonproj event to discuss findings from our recent ANNALS volume w/ @HilaryHoynes & @MeganACurran. See the all-star lineup below! hamiltonproject.org/event/taking-o…

What were the effects of the 2021 Child Tax Credit expansion? Hear from @WendyEdelberg, @HilaryHoynes, @BobGreensteinDC, @MichaelRStrain, @ElaineMaag, and @bl_hardy on 1/30. RSVP here: hamiltonproject.org/event/taking-o…

With the support of O-Lab’s Place-Based Policy Initiative, @ChiaraMotta8 of @BerkeleyHaas is using Italian data on stimulus payments to firms from 1996 - 2007 to identify effects on competition + local economic outcomes. 🔗Learn more about the initiative: olab.berkeley.edu/initiative-on-…

New research: How did community college enrollment and #CalFresh benefits eligibility change during the COVID-19 pandemic? capolicylab.org/trends-in-comm… 🧵 (1/6)

🔋🚗What equity gaps persist in CA’s #EV charging infrastructure, and which policy tools can best address these gaps? Ari Ball-Burack of @ERGBerkeley is leveraging geospatial data to inform decarbonization efforts, supported by O-Lab + @energyathaas👉olab.berkeley.edu/energyinstitut…

Large cities’ higher wages are primarily driven by sorting + skill-matching, but on average, the wage premium associated with moving to a larger city is offset completely by housing costs, finds research from @rothstein_jesse, David Card, & Moises Yi: forbes.com/sites/adammill…

With the support of O-Lab + @energyathaas Initiative on Equity in Energy and Environmental Economics, @YuShuo528 of @AreBerkeley + her undergraduate mentees are researching how regenerative agricultural practices can⬆️carbon soil sequestration: olab.berkeley.edu/sloan-gradstud…

🏘️ Public housing can significantly improve long-run outcomes for children, find O-Lab Fellow Raheem Chaudhry + Amanda Eng of @uscensusbureau. The authors' latest working paper estimates $1.40 in benefits to children for each $1 spent: raheemchaudhry.com/uploads/ph.pdf

How can farm-to-school programs affect the diffusion of climate-smart practices? @SunnyMitter of @AreBerkeley is exploring this question with the support of O-Lab + @energyathaas's Initiative on Equity in Energy and Environmental Economics. 🔗Learn more: olab.berkeley.edu/sloan-gradstud…

Don’t miss this year’s Distinguished Faculty Lecture in the Social Sciences on 11/19 — where Faculty co-Director @tedmiguel will present new evidence from a large-scale household census in Kenya. This in-person event is open to the public — register here: go.cega.org/MiguelLecture-…

We're happy to hear that Pat Kline of @berkeleyecon is lending his expertise to @ecmaEditors!🌟

🍟 What's the impact of California’s $20 #minimumwage for fast food workers? A new report from Michael Reich and @dsosinskiy finds the sectoral wage-setting policy yielded higher pay, no changes in job numbers, and modest price increases. irle.berkeley.edu/publications/w… 1/5

The latest installment of @GoldmanSchool’s “Five Questions for Faculty” highlights the expertise of Faculty Director @HilaryHoynes in the context of the upcoming election. 🗳️ Learn how the election could shape the future of the US social safety net: buff.ly/4es6D8m

“This has long-run negative educational + labor market ramifications for the Black and Hispanic students who get pushed out of these more selective schools.” ICYMI, listen to @zbleemer discuss the Supreme Court’s 2023 ruling on affirmative action in NPR: buff.ly/4enkCwh