My research interests are within social welfare policy, family demography, and education policy.
PEER REFEREED PUBLICATIONS
* denotes student coauthor
“What’s the Power of Certainty? Experimental Evidence on the Effective Design of Free Tuition Policies” (with Elizabeth Burland*, Susan Dynarski, Stephanie Owen*, and Shwetha Raghuraman*) Forthcoming, AER: Insights (Also as NBER working paper No. 29864)
“Contextual origins of black-white educational disparities in the 21st century” (with Peter Rich) Forthcoming, Social Forces
“The Earned Income Tax Credit, Family Complexity, and Children’s Living Arrangements” (with Natasha Pilkauskas) 2022. RSF: Journal of the Social Sciences 8(5): 143-165.
“Estimating the Net Fiscal Costs of a Child Tax Credit Expansion” (with Jacob Goldin and Elaine Maag) 2022. Tax Policy and the Economy Vol. 36. (Also as NBER working paper No. 29342.
“Who Benefits from the Child Tax Credit?” (with Jacob Goldin) 2022. National Tax Journal Tax Forum. 75(1): 123-147. (Also as NBER working paper No. 27940.) NBER working paper No. 27940. [non-gated version]
“The Effect of EITC Exposure in Childhood on Marriage and Early Childbearing” 2021. (with Leonard Lopoo) Demography 58(6): 2365-2394.
“Tots and teens: How does Child's Age Influence Maternal Labor Supply Responses to the Earned Income Tax Credit?" (with Natasha Pilkauskas) Journal of Labor Economics 39(4): 895-929.
“Exposure to the Earned Income Tax Credit in Early Childhood and Family Wealth” 2021. (with
Leonard Lopoo). RSF: Journal of the Social Sciences 7(3): 196-215.
“Closing the Gap: The Effect of Reducing Complexity and Uncertainty in College Pricing on the
Choices of Low-Income Students” 2021. (with Susan Dynarski, CJ Libassi, and Stephanie Owen*) American Economic Review 111(6): 1721–1756. (lead article) (also as NBER Working paper No. 25349) [working paper]
“The Effect of the EITC on Housing and Living Arrangements” (with Natasha Pilkauskas) Demography 56(4): 1303-1326. 2019.
“Timing is Money: Does Lump-Sum Payment of Tax Credits Induce High-Cost Borrowing?” (with Lauren Jones) Economic Inquiry 57(3): 1659-1674. 2019.
“The EITC and Self-Employment among Married Mothers” (with Katherine Lim*) Labour Economics 55: 98-115. 2018.
“Cross-National Comparisons of Union Stability in Cohabiting and Married Families with Children” (with Kelly Musick) Demography, 55(4): 1389-1421. 2018
“The Long-Term Impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit on Children’s Education and
Employment Outcomes” (with Jacob Bastian*) Journal of Labor Economics, 36(4): 1127-1163. 2018.
“The Impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit on Household Finances” (with Lauren Jones) Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 37(3): 521-545. 2018.
“Transitions from Sexual Relationships into Cohabitation and Beyond” (with Sharon Sassler and Zhenchao Qian) Demography, 55(2): 511-534. 2018.
“The Earned Income Tax Credit and Union Formation: The Impact of Spouse Earnings” Review of Economics of the Household, 16(2): 377-406. 2018.
“A Tale of Two Majors: Explaining the Gender Gap in STEM Employment among Computer
Science and Engineering Majors.” (with Sharon Sassler and Kristin Smith) Social Sciences 6(3) 2017.
“The Missing Women in Science, Math, Engineering, and Behavioral Science Jobs? Accounting
for Gender Differences in Entrance into STEM Occupations” (with Sharon Sassler, Jennifer Glass, and Yael Levitte) Social Science Research 63:192-208. 2017.
“The Gap within the Gap: Using Longitudinal Data to Understand Income Differences in Student Achievement” (with Susan Dynarski) AERA Open 3(1): 1-18. 2017.
“Explaining the Gender Gap in Earnings in STEM: Do Changes in Sex Composition of a Field Matter?” (with Sharon Sassler) RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 2(4): 194-215. 2016.
“Pathways to a Stable Marriage? Pregnancy and Childbearing among Cohabiting Couples in the
United States” (with Daniel Lichter, Richard Turner, and Sharon Sassler) Population Research and Policy Review 35(3): 377-399. 2016.
“The Progression of Sexual Relationships” (with Sharon Sassler and Jennifer Holland) Journal
of Marriage and Family 78(3): 587-597. 2016.
“Change in the Stability of Marital and Cohabiting Unions Following the Birth of a Child”
Demography (with Kelly Musick) 52(5): 1463-1485. 2015.
“Fertility Patterns of College Graduates by Field of Study, U.S. Women Born 1960-79” (with
Kelly Musick) Population Studies 68(3): 359-374. 2014.
“What’s So Special about STEM? A Comparison of Women’s Retention in STEM and
Professional Occupations” (with Jennifer Glass, Sharon Sassler, and Yael Levitte) Social Forces 92 (2): 723-756. 2013.
PAPERS UNDER REVIEW AND WORKING PAPERS
“Who’s Caring for the Kids? Refundable Tax Credits and Child Care Arrangements” (with Natasha Pilkauskas) in preparation for special issue of ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
“Abortion in the United States: The new legal landscape and its threats to health and
socioeconomic well-being” (with William Axinn, Paula Lantz, Kayte Spector-Bagdady, Michelle Moniz, and Okeoma Mmeje) in preparation for special issue of Millbank Quarterly
“The 2021 Child Tax Credit: Who received it and how did they spend it?” (with Natasha
Pilkauskas) in preparation for AEA: Papers and Proceedings
“The Intergenerational Transmission of Public Assistance: Evidence from the Earned Income Tax Credit” (with Natasha Pilkauskas and Nicardo McInnis*) under review
“The Effect of the Child Tax Credit on the economic well-being of low-income families” (with Natasha Pilkauskas, Luke Shaefer, and Nicole Kovski*) under review
“The Effect of the Child Tax Credit on mental health among low-income parents during the COVID-19 pandemic” (with Natasha Pilkauskas, Luke Shaefer, and Nicole Kovski*) under review
RESEARCH IN PROGRESS
"What kind of jobs? The Earned Income Tax Credit and Job Quality" (with Natasha Pilkauskas)
“The Effect of the New York State Excelsior Scholarship on College Choices” (with CJ Libassi)
“The EITC and Intergenerational Transfers of Time and Money” (with Emily Wiemers and Anna Wiersma-Strauss*)
“The Effect of Subsidized Meals on Student Outcomes: Evidence from Medicaid Direct Certification” (with Natasha Pilkauskas and Brittany Vasquez*)
"Experimental Evidence on the Effects of College Quality on Educational Attainment and Labor Market Outcomes" (with Elizabeth Burland, Susan Dynarski, Katherine Leu, CJ Libassi, Stephanie Owen, and Mary Quiroga)
FUNDED RESEARCH GRANTS
2022-2023 Natasha Pilkauskas (Principal Investigator), Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator), Luke Shaefer (Co-Principal Investigator) “The Effects of the Child Tax Credit on the Economic Wellbeing of Families with Low Incomes” Washington Center for Equitable Growth ($70,000)
2022-2026 Kevin Stange (Principal Investigator), Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator), and Megan Tompkins-Stange (Co-Principal Investigator) “Early First-Dollar Categorical Need-Based Aid: A New Model for Making College Affordable?” Department of Education ($2,702,034)
2020-2021 Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator), Natasha Pilkauskas (Principal Investigator) "What kind of jobs? The Effect of the Earned Income Tax Credit on Job Quality" Russell Sage Foundation ($29,272)
2018-2020 Susan Dynarski (Principal Investigator), Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator) “HAIL Scholars: Increasing Economic Diversity at a Flagship University” Smith Richardson Foundation ($149,841)
2017-2018 Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator), Natasha Pilkauskas (Principal Investigator) “Assessing the Effectiveness of Tax Credits in Early Childhood: Links Between the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Poverty, and Material Hardship.” Institute for Research on Poverty’s Extramural Small Grants Program: Policies and Programs to Reduce Child Poverty and Its Effects ($25,000)
2017-2018 Natasha Pilkauskas (Principal Investigator), Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator) “Does the Earned Income Tax Credit Reduce Housing Instability?” University of Michigan Poverty Solutions Junior Faculty Grant ($20,000)
2017-2019 Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator), Peter Rich (Principal Investigator) “Trajectories of Student Disadvantage: Unpacking Free/Reduced Price Lunch Eligibility Across Childhood” CPC-CAPS Upstate Population Seed Grant Program ($16,000)
2016-2018 Susan Dynarski (Principal Investigator), Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator). “The Persistence of Poverty: Using Longitudinal Data to Understand Gaps in Educational Outcomes.” Russell Sage Foundation ($119,323).
2015-2018 Sharon Sassler (Principal Investigator), Jennifer Glass (Principal Investigator), Katherine Michelmore (Consultant). “Diversifying the STEM Labor Force: Are Women and the Foreign-Born Complementary or Additive?” National Science Foundation ($199,673).
2012-2014 Sharon Sassler (Principal Investigator), Katherine Michelmore (Consultant). “Race and Gender Variation in STEM Employment and Retention: A Cohort Analysis Using SESTAT Data.” National Science Foundation ($250,000).
* denotes student coauthor
“What’s the Power of Certainty? Experimental Evidence on the Effective Design of Free Tuition Policies” (with Elizabeth Burland*, Susan Dynarski, Stephanie Owen*, and Shwetha Raghuraman*) Forthcoming, AER: Insights (Also as NBER working paper No. 29864)
“Contextual origins of black-white educational disparities in the 21st century” (with Peter Rich) Forthcoming, Social Forces
“The Earned Income Tax Credit, Family Complexity, and Children’s Living Arrangements” (with Natasha Pilkauskas) 2022. RSF: Journal of the Social Sciences 8(5): 143-165.
“Estimating the Net Fiscal Costs of a Child Tax Credit Expansion” (with Jacob Goldin and Elaine Maag) 2022. Tax Policy and the Economy Vol. 36. (Also as NBER working paper No. 29342.
“Who Benefits from the Child Tax Credit?” (with Jacob Goldin) 2022. National Tax Journal Tax Forum. 75(1): 123-147. (Also as NBER working paper No. 27940.) NBER working paper No. 27940. [non-gated version]
“The Effect of EITC Exposure in Childhood on Marriage and Early Childbearing” 2021. (with Leonard Lopoo) Demography 58(6): 2365-2394.
“Tots and teens: How does Child's Age Influence Maternal Labor Supply Responses to the Earned Income Tax Credit?" (with Natasha Pilkauskas) Journal of Labor Economics 39(4): 895-929.
“Exposure to the Earned Income Tax Credit in Early Childhood and Family Wealth” 2021. (with
Leonard Lopoo). RSF: Journal of the Social Sciences 7(3): 196-215.
“Closing the Gap: The Effect of Reducing Complexity and Uncertainty in College Pricing on the
Choices of Low-Income Students” 2021. (with Susan Dynarski, CJ Libassi, and Stephanie Owen*) American Economic Review 111(6): 1721–1756. (lead article) (also as NBER Working paper No. 25349) [working paper]
“The Effect of the EITC on Housing and Living Arrangements” (with Natasha Pilkauskas) Demography 56(4): 1303-1326. 2019.
“Timing is Money: Does Lump-Sum Payment of Tax Credits Induce High-Cost Borrowing?” (with Lauren Jones) Economic Inquiry 57(3): 1659-1674. 2019.
“The EITC and Self-Employment among Married Mothers” (with Katherine Lim*) Labour Economics 55: 98-115. 2018.
“Cross-National Comparisons of Union Stability in Cohabiting and Married Families with Children” (with Kelly Musick) Demography, 55(4): 1389-1421. 2018
“The Long-Term Impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit on Children’s Education and
Employment Outcomes” (with Jacob Bastian*) Journal of Labor Economics, 36(4): 1127-1163. 2018.
“The Impact of the Earned Income Tax Credit on Household Finances” (with Lauren Jones) Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 37(3): 521-545. 2018.
“Transitions from Sexual Relationships into Cohabitation and Beyond” (with Sharon Sassler and Zhenchao Qian) Demography, 55(2): 511-534. 2018.
“The Earned Income Tax Credit and Union Formation: The Impact of Spouse Earnings” Review of Economics of the Household, 16(2): 377-406. 2018.
“A Tale of Two Majors: Explaining the Gender Gap in STEM Employment among Computer
Science and Engineering Majors.” (with Sharon Sassler and Kristin Smith) Social Sciences 6(3) 2017.
“The Missing Women in Science, Math, Engineering, and Behavioral Science Jobs? Accounting
for Gender Differences in Entrance into STEM Occupations” (with Sharon Sassler, Jennifer Glass, and Yael Levitte) Social Science Research 63:192-208. 2017.
“The Gap within the Gap: Using Longitudinal Data to Understand Income Differences in Student Achievement” (with Susan Dynarski) AERA Open 3(1): 1-18. 2017.
“Explaining the Gender Gap in Earnings in STEM: Do Changes in Sex Composition of a Field Matter?” (with Sharon Sassler) RSF: The Russell Sage Foundation Journal of the Social Sciences 2(4): 194-215. 2016.
“Pathways to a Stable Marriage? Pregnancy and Childbearing among Cohabiting Couples in the
United States” (with Daniel Lichter, Richard Turner, and Sharon Sassler) Population Research and Policy Review 35(3): 377-399. 2016.
“The Progression of Sexual Relationships” (with Sharon Sassler and Jennifer Holland) Journal
of Marriage and Family 78(3): 587-597. 2016.
“Change in the Stability of Marital and Cohabiting Unions Following the Birth of a Child”
Demography (with Kelly Musick) 52(5): 1463-1485. 2015.
“Fertility Patterns of College Graduates by Field of Study, U.S. Women Born 1960-79” (with
Kelly Musick) Population Studies 68(3): 359-374. 2014.
“What’s So Special about STEM? A Comparison of Women’s Retention in STEM and
Professional Occupations” (with Jennifer Glass, Sharon Sassler, and Yael Levitte) Social Forces 92 (2): 723-756. 2013.
PAPERS UNDER REVIEW AND WORKING PAPERS
“Who’s Caring for the Kids? Refundable Tax Credits and Child Care Arrangements” (with Natasha Pilkauskas) in preparation for special issue of ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
“Abortion in the United States: The new legal landscape and its threats to health and
socioeconomic well-being” (with William Axinn, Paula Lantz, Kayte Spector-Bagdady, Michelle Moniz, and Okeoma Mmeje) in preparation for special issue of Millbank Quarterly
“The 2021 Child Tax Credit: Who received it and how did they spend it?” (with Natasha
Pilkauskas) in preparation for AEA: Papers and Proceedings
“The Intergenerational Transmission of Public Assistance: Evidence from the Earned Income Tax Credit” (with Natasha Pilkauskas and Nicardo McInnis*) under review
“The Effect of the Child Tax Credit on the economic well-being of low-income families” (with Natasha Pilkauskas, Luke Shaefer, and Nicole Kovski*) under review
“The Effect of the Child Tax Credit on mental health among low-income parents during the COVID-19 pandemic” (with Natasha Pilkauskas, Luke Shaefer, and Nicole Kovski*) under review
RESEARCH IN PROGRESS
"What kind of jobs? The Earned Income Tax Credit and Job Quality" (with Natasha Pilkauskas)
“The Effect of the New York State Excelsior Scholarship on College Choices” (with CJ Libassi)
“The EITC and Intergenerational Transfers of Time and Money” (with Emily Wiemers and Anna Wiersma-Strauss*)
“The Effect of Subsidized Meals on Student Outcomes: Evidence from Medicaid Direct Certification” (with Natasha Pilkauskas and Brittany Vasquez*)
"Experimental Evidence on the Effects of College Quality on Educational Attainment and Labor Market Outcomes" (with Elizabeth Burland, Susan Dynarski, Katherine Leu, CJ Libassi, Stephanie Owen, and Mary Quiroga)
FUNDED RESEARCH GRANTS
2022-2023 Natasha Pilkauskas (Principal Investigator), Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator), Luke Shaefer (Co-Principal Investigator) “The Effects of the Child Tax Credit on the Economic Wellbeing of Families with Low Incomes” Washington Center for Equitable Growth ($70,000)
2022-2026 Kevin Stange (Principal Investigator), Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator), and Megan Tompkins-Stange (Co-Principal Investigator) “Early First-Dollar Categorical Need-Based Aid: A New Model for Making College Affordable?” Department of Education ($2,702,034)
2020-2021 Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator), Natasha Pilkauskas (Principal Investigator) "What kind of jobs? The Effect of the Earned Income Tax Credit on Job Quality" Russell Sage Foundation ($29,272)
2018-2020 Susan Dynarski (Principal Investigator), Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator) “HAIL Scholars: Increasing Economic Diversity at a Flagship University” Smith Richardson Foundation ($149,841)
2017-2018 Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator), Natasha Pilkauskas (Principal Investigator) “Assessing the Effectiveness of Tax Credits in Early Childhood: Links Between the Earned Income Tax Credit, Child Tax Credit, Poverty, and Material Hardship.” Institute for Research on Poverty’s Extramural Small Grants Program: Policies and Programs to Reduce Child Poverty and Its Effects ($25,000)
2017-2018 Natasha Pilkauskas (Principal Investigator), Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator) “Does the Earned Income Tax Credit Reduce Housing Instability?” University of Michigan Poverty Solutions Junior Faculty Grant ($20,000)
2017-2019 Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator), Peter Rich (Principal Investigator) “Trajectories of Student Disadvantage: Unpacking Free/Reduced Price Lunch Eligibility Across Childhood” CPC-CAPS Upstate Population Seed Grant Program ($16,000)
2016-2018 Susan Dynarski (Principal Investigator), Katherine Michelmore (Principal Investigator). “The Persistence of Poverty: Using Longitudinal Data to Understand Gaps in Educational Outcomes.” Russell Sage Foundation ($119,323).
2015-2018 Sharon Sassler (Principal Investigator), Jennifer Glass (Principal Investigator), Katherine Michelmore (Consultant). “Diversifying the STEM Labor Force: Are Women and the Foreign-Born Complementary or Additive?” National Science Foundation ($199,673).
2012-2014 Sharon Sassler (Principal Investigator), Katherine Michelmore (Consultant). “Race and Gender Variation in STEM Employment and Retention: A Cohort Analysis Using SESTAT Data.” National Science Foundation ($250,000).
