Sociologist who studies poverty and inequality. I work @EquitableGrowth but opinions are mine, and retweets are things I hope to read, not things I endorse.
Jan 26, 2023 • 25 tweets • 5 min read
Let's talk literary devices. I love onomatopoeias and don't mind personification. I'm bad at hyperbole and I think good imagery can make good writing.
Nothing drives me crazy, though, like a bad metaphor.
Wanna know one of the worst, IMHO?
The social "safety net." 1/
People use the term "safety net" to describe all kinds of social investments made by the government, from Medicaid to unemployment benefits to child care.
We’re so used to it, that we think it makes sense!
But does it? 2/
Aug 5, 2021 • 19 tweets • 6 min read
Hello. After much pondering and discussing and researching and pondering some more, I am excited to share that today @lizhipple and I released an issue brief on income supports.
We discuss the economic power they can provide if we use them right. 1/
So what are income supports? It’s a surprisingly complicated question!
We define income supports as programs that transfer cash OR essential goods to households since both free up income for the household.
For example: UI, SNAP, child care assistance all = income support. 2/
Dec 3, 2020 • 15 tweets • 7 min read
HELLO. Research released earlier this year sheds new light on why it’s so important to extend the duration of unemployment benefit receipt in all recessions, but especially this one. Let me tell you all about it. (1/15)
Okay, so there’s this idea about unemployment benefits and job matching. It goes like this: When I have resources to meet my basic needs while I’m out of work, I can take the time I need to find the right job for me, rather than taking the first thing that comes along. (2/15)
Jun 22, 2020 • 11 tweets • 4 min read
Lately, there’s been a lot of speculation about what's happening with low-wage workers who are benefiting from the $600 boost in weekly unemployment benefits. I’d like to introduce you to one of those workers: Casey Miller. 1/11
Casey’s job designing and serving high-end cocktails was his passion. He made about $700 a week, including tips. When the coronavirus hit, he feared contracting COVID-19 at work. Then, the bar closed, and his worries shifted to his economic future. 2/11
Apr 1, 2020 • 17 tweets • 6 min read
Sobering news: for the past month, @LizAnanat and @agpines have been collecting daily surveys with low-wage workers with young children. They didn’t plan to study the COVID crisis, but their results show how it is unfolding and how policy has not yet softened its blow. 1/17
Following the onset of the coronavirus crisis, more than two-thirds of the workers surveyed found themselves working less, with more than 40 percent experiencing layoffs. 2/17
Big news: today, sociologists @KristenHarknett and @dannyjschneider released new analyses drawing from surveys with 30,000 retail and food workers at 120 of the largest retail and food service companies in the United States to show who suffers from bad schedules, and how. 1/16
Bad schedules, sometimes referred to as “just-in-time" or "JIT" schedules are common for low-wage workers: Nearly 3 in 4 workers experience last-minute shift changes, 2/3 have less than 2 weeks’ notice, and many face clopening and on-call shifts. 2/16
