The Policy Rules Database (PRD), developed by the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta and the National Center for Children in Poverty, consolidates complex rules for major U.S. federal and state benefit programs and tax policies into a standardized, easy-to-use format. This database allows researchers to model public assistance impacts, simulate policy changes, and analyze benefits cliffs across various household scenarios using common rules and language across different programming platforms.
Through analyzing hundreds of research studies and surveying thousands of Americans this report identifies 28 life experiences that drive lifetime income, called mobility experiences.
An April 2024 Chief Digital Service Officers (CDSO) gathering included discussions about the realities of digital service leadership in government. These discussions are summarized in infographics offering valuable perspective to emerging digital service teams.
Errors in administrative processes are costly and burdensome for clients but are understudied. Using U.S. Unemployment Insurance data, this study finds that while automation improves accuracy in simpler programs, it can increase errors in more complex ones.
This Urban Institute report highlights how immigrant and mixed-status families continued to avoid safety net programs in 2023 due to lingering fears around the public charge rule.
This study examines how the 2021 expansion of the Child Tax Credit (CTC) influenced housing affordability and living arrangements for low-income families.
The document outlines revisions to OMB's SPD No. 15, which updates the standards for collecting and presenting federal race and ethnicity data, including the integration of race and ethnicity questions, the addition of a MENA category, and requirements for more detailed data collection.
This report explores policy options Utah and other states can adopt to mitigate benefit cliffs, which occur when small income increases lead to sudden loss of public assistance.
This panel discussion from the Academy's 2025 Policy Summit explores the intersection of artificial intelligence (AI) and public benefits, examining how technological advancements are influencing policy decisions and the delivery of social services.
