Innovative Methods for Using Census Data to Study Poverty, Labor Markets, and Policy

Abstract

This dissertation studies poverty, labor markets, and policy. Integral to this effort are innovative methods for using Census data to study these topics. The dissertation consists of three chapters. The first chapter studies year-to-year poverty transitions in the United States. The second chapter measures the extent to which individuals’ union membership status affects the levels of taxes they pay and the cost of public benefits they receive. The third chapter analyzes how the electronic employment verification system, known as E-Verify, affects the labor market outcomes of unauthorized immigrants.