Join O-Lab and the Urban Institute as we explore the impacts of providing cash assistance to low-income families with children and discuss how policymakers and researchers can leverage these insights to improve the well-being of some of our nation’s most vulnerable children.

On May 9th, O-Lab invites students and faculty on campus to attend our inaugural Applied Microeconomics Conference on Economic Opportunity. This all-day event will feature research presentations from faculty and lightning talks from graduate students exploring dimensions of poverty, inequality, and opportunity in the United States.

With research presentations from Ellora Derenoncourt, Claire Montialoux, and Hadi Elzayn, plus a moderated conversation between Danny Yagan & Damon Jones, this webinar will review new evidence on racial inequities in unemployment insurance and tax auditing, plus insights into the research to policy pipeline.

With support from the Berkeley Food Institute and the Goldman School of Public Policy, this event will review evidence around nutrition and economic support and feature remarks and moderated conversation between O-Lab Faculty Director Hilary Hoynes and Faculty Affiliate Adam Leive.

Join O-Lab and the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research for the 2023 Convening on Regional Inequality and Place-Based Policy! As supported by a growing body of evidence examining how economic inequality has shifted the geography of jobs and opportunity, this event will explore the how the research and policy landscape has shifted toward supporting economic development in low-income regions.

Join O-Lab and the Urban Institute as we explore lessons from the 2021 child tax credit (CTC) expansion regarding program design, take-up, access, and evaluation that can inform state-level programs. 

On Friday, February 17th, the Opportunity Lab hosted a student-faculty research workshop highlighting the work of 5 Graduate Student fellows funded through O-Lab’s Place-Based Policy Initiative. Graduate students presented their work studying poverty and inequality through a geographic lens, including topics ranging from internal migration to land use regulations and segregation, and received valuable feedback from O-Lab Faculty Affiliates.

O-Lab Faculty Affiliates Ellora Derenoncourt and Claire Montialoux, along with colleagues at the University of California, Berkeley, Opportunity Lab and the Princeton University Program for Research on Inequality, are leading a new research initiative on racial disparities in the labor market and on state and federal economic and social policies to reduce these disparities. One goal of the initiative is building a diverse pipeline of researchers. In late 2021, the initiative provided funding support to 10 graduate students pursuing research on racial and ethnic inequality and economic outcomes. On April 22nd, students will present their research projects as part of a virtual convening.

As we transition into the new administration and a post-COVID economy, California and the Bay Area continue to face serious challenges around housing supply and affordability, homelessness and displacement, and the question of how to ensure broad and equitable economic development.

Join us March 12th for a set of discussions on how research can inform smart policy-making in these areas in the years ahead. 2:00 - 5:00 PM

Over the last decade, advances in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and new data systems have revolutionized nearly every sector of the economy, and have led to new and exciting research across economic policy areas.

With generous support from Schmidt Futures, the Opportunity Lab’s Labor Science Initiative is coordinating a new community of scholars utilizing cutting-edge data science tools to pose new questions about labor markets and the public sector. On October 9th, the O-Lab will assemble leading researchers in healthcare and education policy to present work that exemplifies the best of this initiative. The workshop will offer a chance for faculty, students, and other colleagues to share insights on their research and to find commonalities in the work done across these applications.

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to unprecedented levels of unemployment and economic uncertainty. Support systems designed to help working people during moments of temporary instability are proving insufficient when work has dried up and the long-term picture is so uncertain. Is it time to rethink our social safety net, for the pandemic and beyond? Are universal basic incomes part of the solution?

On July 1st, at 1 PM PDT, O-Lab will host a one-hour conversation addressing these questions with three of the country’s leading researchers in economic and social welfare policy.

On May 19th, O-Lab will host a virtual conference featuring leading researchers in urban economics and place-based policy. This event, part of O-Lab's Initiative on Inequality and Place, will present a range of new papers on topics such as urban migration patterns, foreclosures, state and local business incentives, and the impacts of place-specific taxes and tax credits. O-Lab's Enrico Moretti and Cecile Gaubert, leaders in the study of place-based policy and new urban economics, have assembled a world-class group of researchers in this space, including Fabian Eckert, Jessie Handbury, Eduardo Morales, and Owen Zidar.

Health is a stepping stone to achieving virtually all other human development goals. Yet we continue to face major obstacles in ensuring accessible, affordable, and high-quality health care, especially for people living in poverty. Thankfully, breakthroughs in the types of health data available, the interoperability of health datasets, and the analytical methods used to organize and process these data now enable far more timely and effective decision-making. Additionally, new cross-disciplinary collaborations are revolutionizing the way we understand, track, and respond to global health challenges.

Hosted by the Center for Effective Global Action, Evidence to Action (E2A) 2019 will highlight novel tools and methods to drive better health outcomes for people around the world.