Opportunity Lab
@berkeleyolab.bsky.social
Based at @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social, O-Lab generates rigorous evidence to inform social policy and advance economic opportunity. #econsky #policysky
Learn more at olab.berkeley.edu, or find us at linkedin.com/company/berkeley-olab.
Learn more at olab.berkeley.edu, or find us at linkedin.com/company/berkeley-olab.
Pinned
Opportunity Lab
@berkeleyolab.bsky.social
· Aug 21
Spatial inequality: what we know and where we're headed | Readymag
The divide between high- and low-opportunity places is more visible than ever, perpetuating long-run inequities and drawing the attention of policymakers. This presentation to review the evidence on r...
readymag.website
🗺️ In a new interactive report, we break down trends in spatial inequality and explore how place-based policy tools may open up more equitable pathways to economic mobility: readymag.website/u440546056/5...
Don't miss @mc-lens.bsky.social's book talk at @ucberkeleyirle.bsky.social next week! Lens will share research on how Black neighborhoods have changed in the past 50 years, + discuss policies that could shape the next 50 years of progress towards racial equity. www.olab.berkeley.edu/olab-events/...
Where the Hood At? Fifty Years of Change in Black Neighborhoods | Opportunity Lab
On September 3 at 4pm, join O-Lab and Berkeley’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) for a discussion with Michael Lens of UCLA about his new book examining how Black neighborh...
www.olab.berkeley.edu
August 28, 2025 at 7:35 PM
Don't miss @mc-lens.bsky.social's book talk at @ucberkeleyirle.bsky.social next week! Lens will share research on how Black neighborhoods have changed in the past 50 years, + discuss policies that could shape the next 50 years of progress towards racial equity. www.olab.berkeley.edu/olab-events/...
Researchers have theorized that #affirmativeaction policies pushed white voters toward the Republican party through the 1970s and 1980s. Work from Abhay Aneja + @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social suggests that this "backlash" narrative could be more complex: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
The Political Effects of Affirmative Action: Evidence from Court Mandates to Law Enforcement Agencies | The Journal of Legal Studies: Vol 54, No 2
Abstract Affirmative action programs in public sector agencies are a canonical example of race-conscious remedial policy. While these regimes increase public sector diversity, they may also generate p...
www.journals.uchicago.edu
August 25, 2025 at 9:06 PM
Researchers have theorized that #affirmativeaction policies pushed white voters toward the Republican party through the 1970s and 1980s. Work from Abhay Aneja + @jakemgrumbach.bsky.social suggests that this "backlash" narrative could be more complex: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
🗺️ In a new interactive report, we break down trends in spatial inequality and explore how place-based policy tools may open up more equitable pathways to economic mobility: readymag.website/u440546056/5...
Spatial inequality: what we know and where we're headed | Readymag
The divide between high- and low-opportunity places is more visible than ever, perpetuating long-run inequities and drawing the attention of policymakers. This presentation to review the evidence on r...
readymag.website
August 21, 2025 at 6:50 PM
🗺️ In a new interactive report, we break down trends in spatial inequality and explore how place-based policy tools may open up more equitable pathways to economic mobility: readymag.website/u440546056/5...
The landscape of US #highered is changing. @jrothst.bsky.social breaks down the conditions attached to donations, how endowments can be managed, and how research funding negotiations between universities and the federal government are unfolding in @laist.com:
What goes into a university budget? And how do endowments work? Let an expert be your guide
Million dollar settlements to regain federal funding? Rising tuition, but layoffs and course cuts? We're here to help.
laist.com
August 13, 2025 at 5:35 PM
The landscape of US #highered is changing. @jrothst.bsky.social breaks down the conditions attached to donations, how endowments can be managed, and how research funding negotiations between universities and the federal government are unfolding in @laist.com:
Community colleges are grappling with the loss of resources as a result of federal policy changes, just as elite universities are. In @nytimes.com, Ben Austen describes how funding cuts are threatening American ambitions around manufacturing & workforce development. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/m...
How Trump’s War on Higher Education Is Hitting Community Colleges
www.nytimes.com
August 12, 2025 at 4:06 PM
Community colleges are grappling with the loss of resources as a result of federal policy changes, just as elite universities are. In @nytimes.com, Ben Austen describes how funding cuts are threatening American ambitions around manufacturing & workforce development. www.nytimes.com/2025/08/04/m...
🏘️ On Sep. 3, join O-Lab + @ucberkeleyirle.bsky.social in for a book talk w/ @mc-lens.bsky.social on “Where the Hood At: Fifty Years of Change in Black Neighborhoods." @uclalewiscenter.bsky.social @goldmanschool.bsky.social
Learn more and add the event to your calendar👇
Learn more and add the event to your calendar👇
Where the Hood At? Fifty Years of Change in Black Neighborhoods | Opportunity Lab
On September 3 at 4pm, join O-Lab and Berkeley’s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment (IRLE) for a discussion with Michael Lens of UCLA about his new book examining how Black neighborh...
www.olab.berkeley.edu
August 11, 2025 at 11:00 PM
🏘️ On Sep. 3, join O-Lab + @ucberkeleyirle.bsky.social in for a book talk w/ @mc-lens.bsky.social on “Where the Hood At: Fifty Years of Change in Black Neighborhoods." @uclalewiscenter.bsky.social @goldmanschool.bsky.social
Learn more and add the event to your calendar👇
Learn more and add the event to your calendar👇
⏰ The application for O-Lab's undergraduate research mentorship program with @ucenergyinstitute.bsky.social closes tonight at midnight! Learn about Valentina de la Pava's experience in the program in this video, and submit your application at bit.ly/EEEundergrad-2025.
August 11, 2025 at 7:32 PM
⏰ The application for O-Lab's undergraduate research mentorship program with @ucenergyinstitute.bsky.social closes tonight at midnight! Learn about Valentina de la Pava's experience in the program in this video, and submit your application at bit.ly/EEEundergrad-2025.
When families with children receive #Medicaid, they fare better in the long run, and early-life effects are particularly strong. As policy changes threaten the social safety net, these gains are at risk. Learn more: www.olab.berkeley.edu/resources-blog/medicaid-shortform
August 7, 2025 at 10:49 PM
When families with children receive #Medicaid, they fare better in the long run, and early-life effects are particularly strong. As policy changes threaten the social safety net, these gains are at risk. Learn more: www.olab.berkeley.edu/resources-blog/medicaid-shortform
Reposted by Opportunity Lab
If you are a @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social undergraduate student interested in a career in research, or just lookin to use data to answer interesting questions (or know someone), please share this link and encourage them to apply by 8/11! (no research experience is required) (shorturl.at/sKPCl)
August 5, 2025 at 8:20 PM
If you are a @ucberkeleyofficial.bsky.social undergraduate student interested in a career in research, or just lookin to use data to answer interesting questions (or know someone), please share this link and encourage them to apply by 8/11! (no research experience is required) (shorturl.at/sKPCl)
🧵 Randomized trials evaluate the costs of starting a drug – but what about stopping one?
Read the paper from Ziad Obermeyer, Amitabh Chandra, & Evan Flack: ziadobermeyer.com/wp-content/u...
Read the paper from Ziad Obermeyer, Amitabh Chandra, & Evan Flack: ziadobermeyer.com/wp-content/u...
ziadobermeyer.com
August 4, 2025 at 5:08 PM
🧵 Randomized trials evaluate the costs of starting a drug – but what about stopping one?
Read the paper from Ziad Obermeyer, Amitabh Chandra, & Evan Flack: ziadobermeyer.com/wp-content/u...
Read the paper from Ziad Obermeyer, Amitabh Chandra, & Evan Flack: ziadobermeyer.com/wp-content/u...
“Not all of these adverse effects are inevitable.”
In a recent interview, Will Dow of @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social unpacks how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will change the state of US #healthcare over the next 10 years.
👉 Read the full interview: publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/new...
In a recent interview, Will Dow of @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social unpacks how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will change the state of US #healthcare over the next 10 years.
👉 Read the full interview: publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/new...
What do the looming cuts to Medicaid really mean?
Health policy expert Will Dow breaks down the risks—and potential state-level response.
publichealth.berkeley.edu
July 30, 2025 at 8:25 PM
“Not all of these adverse effects are inevitable.”
In a recent interview, Will Dow of @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social unpacks how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will change the state of US #healthcare over the next 10 years.
👉 Read the full interview: publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/new...
In a recent interview, Will Dow of @berkeleypublichlth.bsky.social unpacks how the One Big Beautiful Bill Act will change the state of US #healthcare over the next 10 years.
👉 Read the full interview: publichealth.berkeley.edu/articles/new...
💼 In a study of how formerly incarcerated jobseekers experience the labor market, David Harding & coauthors found that employers favor applicants that describe economic motivations, as opposed to justice system failures, to contextualize their pasts. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
Narratives and destigmatization: the case of criminal record stigma in the labor market - American Journal of Cultural Sociology
Sociologists use the concept of narrative as an analytical tool and theoretical concept to understand the stories that people tell and their role in social and cultural life. A key tenet of prior rese...
link.springer.com
July 29, 2025 at 7:44 PM
💼 In a study of how formerly incarcerated jobseekers experience the labor market, David Harding & coauthors found that employers favor applicants that describe economic motivations, as opposed to justice system failures, to contextualize their pasts. link.springer.com/article/10.1...
🍎 In FY2023, the National School Lunch Program provided 4.6B lunches. Now, Hilary Hoynes & coauthors find that school lunch reduces children's caloric intake by reducing soda/fat consumption. In the wake of #USDA cuts, this evidence should be top of mind: static1.squarespace.com/static/5ecd7...
July 28, 2025 at 8:57 PM
🍎 In FY2023, the National School Lunch Program provided 4.6B lunches. Now, Hilary Hoynes & coauthors find that school lunch reduces children's caloric intake by reducing soda/fat consumption. In the wake of #USDA cuts, this evidence should be top of mind: static1.squarespace.com/static/5ecd7...
🔋 The 2022 #InflationReductionAct represented the largest federal #climate investment in U.S. history. Research from John Bistline & Catherine Wolfram reveals the scale of what America stands to lose as recent policy changes dismantle these provisions: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
Inflation Reduction Act: Origins, Policy Implications, and Research Gaps | Review of Environmental Economics and Policy
Abstract The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) is the largest federal climate legislation in the United States so far. The breadth and complexity of IRA’s energy and climate provisions raise new questions...
www.journals.uchicago.edu
July 25, 2025 at 8:14 PM
🔋 The 2022 #InflationReductionAct represented the largest federal #climate investment in U.S. history. Research from John Bistline & Catherine Wolfram reveals the scale of what America stands to lose as recent policy changes dismantle these provisions: www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/abs/10.1...
🇫🇷A 2011 reform to the French wealth tax simplified reporting requirements for taxpayers whose wealth was below €3 million, a threshold further reduced to €2.57 million in 2013. Mathilde Muñoz + coauthors have now identified that the reform significantly spurred tax evasion (via @cepr.org)
The importance of information for tax design: Evidence from the French wealth tax
Many countries are considering introducing or reforming their wealth tax policies. This column studies the effects of a French wealth tax reform, which reduced reporting requirements, on taxpayer behaviour. The scaling back of reporting requirements had large negative effects on tax compliance, with 35% of wealth taxpayers missing in affected brackets and evading 10% of their total wealth tax payments each year. The findings indicate that taxpayers are more likely to under-report the value of less easily verifiable assets such as housing, whereas financial assets are more transparent and thus harder to manipulate.
cepr.org
July 23, 2025 at 7:33 PM
🇫🇷A 2011 reform to the French wealth tax simplified reporting requirements for taxpayers whose wealth was below €3 million, a threshold further reduced to €2.57 million in 2013. Mathilde Muñoz + coauthors have now identified that the reform significantly spurred tax evasion (via @cepr.org)
👉 Our new research brief offers a look at how #unemployment insurance rules vary by states and have changed over time. Supported by the WorkRise Network at @urbaninstitute.bsky.social, Ellora Derenoncourt + Claire Montialoux are developing a database of #UI rules dating back to 1937. bit.ly/4lBI4Jz
July 22, 2025 at 4:26 PM
👉 Our new research brief offers a look at how #unemployment insurance rules vary by states and have changed over time. Supported by the WorkRise Network at @urbaninstitute.bsky.social, Ellora Derenoncourt + Claire Montialoux are developing a database of #UI rules dating back to 1937. bit.ly/4lBI4Jz
💭 Envisioning a better future is crucial to creating one.
Kevin Yin is developing a spatial model to inform our understanding of what an ideal electricity grid for the United States might look like, as part of O-Lab's portfolio of work on Transportation & Infrastructure development.
Kevin Yin is developing a spatial model to inform our understanding of what an ideal electricity grid for the United States might look like, as part of O-Lab's portfolio of work on Transportation & Infrastructure development.
July 10, 2025 at 10:48 PM
💭 Envisioning a better future is crucial to creating one.
Kevin Yin is developing a spatial model to inform our understanding of what an ideal electricity grid for the United States might look like, as part of O-Lab's portfolio of work on Transportation & Infrastructure development.
Kevin Yin is developing a spatial model to inform our understanding of what an ideal electricity grid for the United States might look like, as part of O-Lab's portfolio of work on Transportation & Infrastructure development.
💡Are you a 2nd - 4th year Berkeley undergrad looking to gain research experience? Interested in tackling environmental problems w/ data + stats?
Apply to O-Lab + @ucenergyinstitute.bsky.social's Energy & Environmental Economics Mentorship Program!
🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/EEEundergrad-2025
Apply to O-Lab + @ucenergyinstitute.bsky.social's Energy & Environmental Economics Mentorship Program!
🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/EEEundergrad-2025
July 8, 2025 at 9:04 PM
💡Are you a 2nd - 4th year Berkeley undergrad looking to gain research experience? Interested in tackling environmental problems w/ data + stats?
Apply to O-Lab + @ucenergyinstitute.bsky.social's Energy & Environmental Economics Mentorship Program!
🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/EEEundergrad-2025
Apply to O-Lab + @ucenergyinstitute.bsky.social's Energy & Environmental Economics Mentorship Program!
🔗 Learn more: bit.ly/EEEundergrad-2025
🚘 Many municipalities require that a percentage of private lots' square footage is set aside for parking, creating direct costs for governments and developers. John Kadlick is exploring indirect costs to productivity and effects on commuters. #econsky
July 7, 2025 at 10:13 PM
🚘 Many municipalities require that a percentage of private lots' square footage is set aside for parking, creating direct costs for governments and developers. John Kadlick is exploring indirect costs to productivity and effects on commuters. #econsky
Reposted by Opportunity Lab
#EconSky: @capolicylab.bsky.social is hiring a labor-focused data analyst.
Apply today: capolicylab.org/careers/data...
Apply today: capolicylab.org/careers/data...
July 7, 2025 at 3:34 PM
#EconSky: @capolicylab.bsky.social is hiring a labor-focused data analyst.
Apply today: capolicylab.org/careers/data...
Apply today: capolicylab.org/careers/data...
Reposted by Opportunity Lab
We welcome submissions for the 2025 Dissertation Award, given to the best Ph.D. dissertation on employment-related issues. The award furthers the Upjohn Institute mission to support and conduct policy-relevant research on issues related to employment, unemployment and social insurance programs.
Dissertation Award | Upjohn Institute
www.upjohn.org
July 7, 2025 at 2:56 PM
We welcome submissions for the 2025 Dissertation Award, given to the best Ph.D. dissertation on employment-related issues. The award furthers the Upjohn Institute mission to support and conduct policy-relevant research on issues related to employment, unemployment and social insurance programs.
How does criminal justice system involvement interact with labor market success? Recent evidence from Sweden informs our understanding of the negative effect of a criminal record on earnings + employment.
📖 Check out the working paper from Conrad Miller + coauthors: www.nber.org/papers/w33865
📖 Check out the working paper from Conrad Miller + coauthors: www.nber.org/papers/w33865
Job Sorting and the Labor Market Effects of a Criminal Record
Founded in 1920, the NBER is a private, non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to conducting economic research and to disseminating research findings among academics, public policy makers, an...
www.nber.org
July 1, 2025 at 6:33 PM
How does criminal justice system involvement interact with labor market success? Recent evidence from Sweden informs our understanding of the negative effect of a criminal record on earnings + employment.
📖 Check out the working paper from Conrad Miller + coauthors: www.nber.org/papers/w33865
📖 Check out the working paper from Conrad Miller + coauthors: www.nber.org/papers/w33865
💬 For two years, Alice Schmitz has participated in O-Lab + Energy Institute at Haas's Energy & Environmental Economics Mentorship Program. We sat down with Alice to discuss her approach to mentorship, plus her work measuring the effects of natural disasters: www.olab.berkeley.edu/profiles-con...
Alice Schmitz & the next generation of environmental economics research | Opportunity Lab
Alice Schmitz is a fourth-year PhD student in UC Berkeley's Economics Department who is investigating the physical and economic damages from natural disasters. For the last two years, she has also ser...
www.olab.berkeley.edu
June 25, 2025 at 5:02 PM
💬 For two years, Alice Schmitz has participated in O-Lab + Energy Institute at Haas's Energy & Environmental Economics Mentorship Program. We sat down with Alice to discuss her approach to mentorship, plus her work measuring the effects of natural disasters: www.olab.berkeley.edu/profiles-con...
🧠 A recent working paper from Enrico Moretti & Harrison Wheeler uses data on the construction of noise-barriers + home prices to quantify the economic cost of traffic noise – and offer insight into the benefits of #EV adoption. #econsky #policysky eml.berkeley.edu/~moretti/noi...
June 23, 2025 at 7:09 PM
🧠 A recent working paper from Enrico Moretti & Harrison Wheeler uses data on the construction of noise-barriers + home prices to quantify the economic cost of traffic noise – and offer insight into the benefits of #EV adoption. #econsky #policysky eml.berkeley.edu/~moretti/noi...
According to preliminary estimates from the #CBO, Republicans' tax and budget bill, officially named the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," would cut #Medicaid by over $800B over the next 10 years – reducing enrollment by over 10M people. What would this mean for US health and economic outcomes? 🧵
Medicaid keeps getting more popular as Republicans aim to cut it by $800 billion
Americans across the political spectrum like Medicaid and think it should get more funding, not less, according to a new poll from health research organization KFF.
www.npr.org
June 18, 2025 at 12:15 AM