Current Projects

Health

Testing the Relationship Between Income and Newborn Health Using an Unconditional Cash Transfer

This project examines the effect of an unconditional cash transfer on newborn health. It advances a theoretical model whereby a cohort’s health at birth is a function of two primary mechanisms a fertility selection process whereby some fetuses survive to a live birth and others do not and a prenatal behavior mechanism

Dr. Sarah K. Cowan, Assistant Professor of Sociology, New York University; Founder and Executive Director, Cash Transfer Lab
Kiara Douds, Ph.D. candidate in Sociology, New York University

The Effects of a Universal Cash Transfer on Breastfeeding Initiation and Continuation

This project investigates the effect of the PFD on Alaskan mothers' breastfeeding initiation and continuation.

Dr. Mariana Amorim, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Washington State University
Dr. Anna Zamora-Kapoor, Assistant Professor of Sociology and Medical Education and Clinical Sciences
Erica Hobby, MPA, Assistant Director and Senior Research, Cash Transfer Lab
Kathy Perham-Hester, MS, MPH, Alaska Department of Health and Social Services
Dr. Sarah K. Cowan, Assistant Professor of Sociology, New York University; Founder and Executive Director, Cash Transfer Lab

Impacts of Universal Cash Transfer on Health Outcomes using Mortality and Claims Data

This project studies both longer-term and short-term effects of the PFD and additional dollar amounts on all-cause mortality, suicide, overdose deaths as well as various morbidity and prescription use for mental health.

Dr. Byungkyu Lee, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Indiana University
Dr. Brea Perry, Professor of Sociology, Indiana University

Meetings and Presentations:

April 13, 2022 - Mouhcine Guettabi and Allison Witman: “Income Shocks and Healthcare Utilization”

Mar 21, 2022 - Dr. BK Lee and Dr. Brea Perry: "Impacts of Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend on Suicide and Mental Health Outcomes Using Mortality and Claims Data"

Housing

Exploring the Impact of Cash Transfers on Foreclosure Activity

This project will investigate whether variation in the timing and generosity of payments from Alaska’s permanent fund dividend (PFD) affect the likelihood of foreclosure.

Dr. Jacob Faber, Associate Professor of Sociology and Public Service, New York University
Christina Nelson, Ph.D. candidate in Sociology, New York University

Families

Sarah K Cowan, Kiara Wyndham Douds, Examining the Effects of a Universal Cash Transfer on Fertility, Social Forces, 2022;, soac013, https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soac013.

This project examines the effect of cash transfers on fertility and abortion among a large and diverse population that has received the PFD over time.

Dr. Sarah K. Cowan, Assistant Professor of Sociology, New York University; Founder and Executive Director, Cash Transfer Lab
Kiara Douds, Ph.D. candidate in Sociology, New York University

Socioeconomic Disparities in Parental Spending after Universal Cash Transfers: The Case of the Alaska Dividend, Social Forces, 2021;, soab119, https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soab119

This paper examines the effects of income gains due to universal and unconditional cash transfers from the Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend on child-related spending.

Dr. Mariana Amorim, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Washington State University

The Implications of Permanent Fund Dividend (PFD) Receipt for Families with Children Across the Socioeconomic Spectrum

A qualitative research project using in-depth semi-structured interviews with over 50 Alaskan families to better understand how the social meanings, resource-allocation, and implications of universal transfers vary by socioeconomic background.

Dr. Mariana Amorim, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Washington State University
Dr. Jeff Sallaz, Professor of Sociology, The University of Arizona

Impacts of Universal Cash Transfers on Child Maltreatment Investigations in Alaska

This paper studies the relationship between cash transfers and child maltreatment investigations in Alaska.

Dr. Monica Alexander, Assistant Professor of Statistics and Sociology, University of Toronto
Michael Chong, PhD Student, University of Toronto
Dr. Robert Pickett, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cash Transfer Lab, New York University
Dr. Chris Wildeman, Professor of Sociology, Duke University

Methods

Synthetic Control and Categorical or Compositional Covariates

This project explores the sensitivity of synthetic control methods to the choice of omitted reference category when including categorical or compositional covariates among pre-treatment balancing covariates, and aims to produce an alternative approach that is not dependent on these choices traditionally treated as arbitrary.

Dr. Robert Pickett, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cash Transfer Lab, New York University
Dr. Sarah K. Cowan, Assistant Professor of Sociology, New York University; Founder and Executive Director, Cash Transfer Lab
Dr. Jennifer Hill, Professor of Applied Statistics; Director of Center for Practice and Research at the Intersection of Information, Society, and Methodology; and Co-Director of Applied Statistics for Social Science Research Masters Program at New York University

Exploring Dynamic Causal Estimation Strategies to Understand the PFD

Alaska's PFD provides an interesting but challenging causal estimation problem, where a treatment group is repeatedly exposed to annual treatments of varying dosages. This project attempts to explore best practices for causal estimation under these conditions.

Dr. Robert Pickett, Postdoctoral Research Associate, Cash Transfer Lab, New York University

Dr. Sarah K. Cowan, Assistant Professor of Sociology, New York University; Founder and Executive Director, Cash Transfer Lab
Dr. Jennifer Hill, Professor of Applied Statistics; Director of Center for Practice and Research at the Intersection of Information, Society, and Methodology; and Co-Director of Applied Statistics for Social Science Research Masters Program at New York University