Poverty Research & Policy

Feb 24 2025 100 ep. 25 mins 1.6k

Poverty Research & Policy Podcast artwork

The 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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IRP Book Talk: Robert Courtney Smith on “Dreams Achieved and Denied: Mexican Intergenerational Mobility”

Feb 24 2025 37 mins

There are many factors that influence whether Mexican immigrants to the United States are able to achieve upward mobility. In his new book, “Dreams Achieved and Denied: Mexican Intergenerational Mobility,” Robert Courtney Smith shares research conducted over twenty years and involving nearly one hundred children of Mexican immigrants in New York City. He examines how being doc

Molly Costanzo on Improving the Economic Well-being for Households with Children with Disabilities

Jan 28 2025 21 mins

Between 5% and 20% of children in the United States live with a disability. The definition and measurement of disability are constantly changing. Therefore, people with disabilities have been inadequately represented and understudied in research. In this episode, Molly Costanzo shares her research on the economic well-being for households with children with disabilities and recomme

Kathryn Thompson on Quality of Care for Pregnant Black Medicaid Enrollees

Dec 18 2024 26 mins

There are many ways to assess the quality of care that pregnant people receive pre- and post-partum, as well as during delivery itself. Dr. Kathryn Thompson shares her findings on how the care that pregnant Black Medicaid enrollees receive compares to their more affluent white peers, and the policy and practice opportunities for addressing the social determinants of health that ar

Colleen Heflin on SNAP and Reauthorization of the Farm Bill

Nov 19 2024 20 mins

The federal Farm Bill expired at the end of September 2024 and was not reauthorized. Funding for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has been extended through a Continuing Resolution, but that is a stopgap measure. For this episode, Dr. Colleen Heflin joins us to discuss the recent policy brief that she co-authored with Camille Barbin, titled, “How Does the Reaut

Anne Sebert Kuhlmann on the Impact of Menstrual Poverty on Vulnerable Individuals

Oct 31 2024 34 mins

Menstrual poverty, or unmet menstrual hygiene needs, is defined as a lack of appropriate menstrual products in necessary quantities; access to soap and water for proper hygiene; or ways to dispose of or wash used sanitary materials. The experience of menstrual poverty can have far-reaching impacts on mental and physical health, the ability to work, and consistent school attendance.

Katherine Michelmore On Effects of the Expanded Child Tax Credit on Housing Stability for Low-Income Families

Oct 01 2024 29 mins

When the Child Tax Credit (CTC) was expanded in 2021 in response to the COVID-19 crisis, it provided more support to parents and on a monthly basis. In addition, some very low-income families were eligible to access the CTC for the first time. In this episode, Dr. Katherine Michelmore shares insights from the paper that she co-authored with Natasha Pilkauskas and Nicole Kovski, ti

Greg Wilson on Racialization in the Nonprofit Sector

Sep 03 2024 34 mins

Black-Led Organizations (BLOs) are organizations led by an Executive Director and have a majority of full-time employees identifying as African American. BLOs face challenges (e.g., limited funding, diminished agency, exploitation) which can be explained through the framework of racialization. In this episode, Dr. Greg Wilson discusses his research paper titled “An Invisible Impe

Anna Godøy and Jennie Romich on the Impacts of Increasing the Minimum Wage for Working Parents and Child-Care Workers

Aug 15 2024 28 mins

Minimum wage workers, especially those with children, face barriers to affordable child care. Child care costs can prevent working parents who earn minimum wage from participating in the labor market. Alternately, many child-care workers also face financial barriers because they, too, earn minimal wages. Therefore, increasing the minimum wage would alleviate financial burdens for b

Carl Gershenson On Eviction and the Rental Housing Crisis in the Rural United States

Jul 16 2024 37 mins

There are more than 17 million renters in the rural Unites States. While popular perceptions of eviction may be that they are predominantly an urban issue, low-income rural renters face some unique challenges in finding and maintaining secure housing. Dr. Carl Gershenson shares insights from his extensive work on eviction, and in particular from the paper that he co-authored with D

José Loya On How Race, Gender, And Age affect Access To Mortgage Credit And The Implications For Inequality

Jun 20 2024 36 mins

Homeownership is one of the most common ways to accumulate wealth and promote intergenerational economic mobility in the United States. But even with laws and policies designed to ensure equal access to housing and financing, access to mortgage credit is far from equal. Factors like the race, gender, and age of the applicant can result in less favorable loan terms and higher rates