Topic: Policy
-
Policy Creating a More Dynamic Unemployment Insurance System: The Case for Eliminating Experience Rating
Policy analysis and recommendations for eliminating the experience rating system in UI.
-
Data Transforming Administrative Data into a Resource for Evidence Building
This brief describes TDI’s efforts to transform federal TANF and employment data into an integrated resource for program management and evidence building. This challenging project required the resolution of multiple technical, legal, and data security issues. Lessons learned may be useful for audiences interested in unlocking the potential of administrative data, including members of federal and state agencies, researchers, and advocates of evidence-informed policymaking.
-
Policy Building Resilience: A Plan for Transforming Unemployment Insurance
In recognition of the UI system’s challenges both before and during the COVID-19 pandemic, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) in June 2022 placed the UI system on its High Risk List, recommending that the DOL develop and implement a plan to transform the UI system. This transformation plan details the activities and strategies already completed and those underway and being pursued by the Department of Labor. It also contains recommendations for needed legislative action that directly address the critical challenges identified by GAO. This plan is structured according to the DOL’s key action areas that together will build a resilient UI system, capable of responding effectively to future economic challenges.
-
Data SNAP Community Characteristics Dashboard Congressional District Explorer
This exploratory tool was built to share information about SNAP participation, income, and household demographics within each congressional district. Users may select their own district, along with any other district of interest, and can compare two districts at once within a given state.
-
Policy Building a Stronger Foundation for American Families: Options for Child Tax Credit Reform
Our existing maze of family tax benefits — including the CTC, Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC), Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC), and head of household (HoH) filing status — has several structural deficiencies that make overhauling the system a prerequisite for any effort to boost support for families with children. The report offers several options for expanding and streamlining family tax benefits to address these issues.
-
Policy Evaluation of the USDA Summer EBT Demonstrations: Lessons Learned From More Than a Decade of Research
FNS conducted evaluations of multiple pilot programs to strengthen access to food during the summer when school is out of session. Evaluations found that Summer EBT reduces childhood food insecurity by a significant amount, including the most severe form of food insecurity; some eligible households do not redeem some or any of their benefits; and parents and caregivers have positive opinions of Summer EBT.
-
Policy Moving Because of Unaffordable Housing and Disrupted Social Safety Net Access Among Children
This article shows how moves because of unaffordable housing can disrupt social safety net access for children.
-
Diversity, Equity + Inclusion System Alignment for Young Families: Shifting Human Services to Improve Well-Being for Parents Under 24 and Their Children
Building on previous work to develop a roadmap for system-level change to better support young families, the System Alignment for Young Families Learning Academy (SAYF) set out to support cross-systems teams from state and local human services agencies in establishing a System Alignment Plan (SAP) to support young families.
-
Policy An Updated Measure of Poverty: ReDrawing the Line
This report recommends updating the methodology used by the Census Bureau to calculate the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) to reflect household basic needs and replace the current Official Poverty Measure as the primary statistical measure of poverty. The report assesses the strengths and weaknesses of the SPM and provides recommendations for updating its methodology and expanding its use in recognition of the needs of most American families such as medical care, childcare, and housing costs.
-
Automation + AI OECD AI Policy Observatory
The OECD AI Policy Observatory offers detailed information about AI policy and research globally.
-
Diversity, Equity + Inclusion How to Improve Unemployment Insurance for People with Disabilities
The report beings by briefly describing the challenge that disabled workers face in accessing UI and the benefits of reforming the system to better serve these workers. The report then presents a list of considerations for UI reform in the areas of administrative process and technology improvements as well as considerations for policy change.
-
Diversity, Equity + Inclusion Increasing Older Adult Access to SNAP
This brief highlights the complex journey that older adults experience when applying for and enrolling in SNAP, including the major barriers and solutions that improve access along the way.