Washington Center for Equitable Growth invests more than $200,000 to explore effects of paid family leave

Research will focus on how state-level policies have affected labor market participation, health outcomes

Washington, D.C. – The Washington Center for Equitable Growth announced today that it will award $225,800 to two research teams to explore the effects of state-level paid family and medical leave policies on labor market participation and drug-related outcomes.

“The topics addressed by these two projects—behavioral health and caregiving—are shining examples of issues that matter to families and that also have profound implications for the labor market and broader economy,” said Equitable Growth Director of Family Economic Security Policy Alix Gould-Werth. “We are pleased to support scholars who use cutting-edge research methods and the best available data to shed light on important questions about whether and how economic inequality affects economic growth and stability.”

In August, Equitable Growth announced more than $1 million across 30 projects in its 2019 grant cycle. In addition to this research supported in response to our annual Request for Proposals, the organization funds select projects each year with the goal of providing policymakers with data and evidence to inform live policy questions. Since 2013, Equitable Growth has provided more than $500,000 in such support.

The latest research funded by Equitable Growth will focus on the impact of paid family and medical leave on the labor market participation of older workers who may be called on to provide eldercare, and whether state-level paid family medical leave programs and expansions of state Medicaid programs can help reduce the abuse of opioids.

Full descriptions of all grants awarded in 2019 are available here.

The Washington Center for Equitable Growth is a nonprofit research and grantmaking organization dedicated to advancing evidence-backed ideas and policies that promote strong, stable, and broad-based economic growth. For more information, see www.equitablegrowth.org and follow us on Twitter and Facebook @equitablegrowth.