Julie joined CEPR in June 2020 as an economist on the domestic team, supporting research and policy efforts on a wide range of labor market issues. Her areas of research include household income volatility, precarious work, economic inequality, and poverty measurement.
Since then she worked on topics including job churn, housing, income instability, child welfare, and the care economy, with a particular focus on the working class and gender and racial disparities. With the increasing economic precarity facing many low- and middle-income families, she has focused on understanding how the 2021 expanded Child Tax Credit can reduce parental income shocks and other public policies that have the potential to stabilize work hours and income. Her work has been published in peer-reviewed journals such as Child Abuse and Neglect, Social Forces, and Housing Policy Debate, and her analysis has appeared in outlets such as BBC, CNBC, and The Wall Street Journal.
Cai earned her PhD in social welfare and public affairs from University of Wisconsin–Madison. She is an external affiliate with the Columbia Center on Poverty and Social Policy. Previously she was a lecturer at Columbia University and a visiting fellow at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston from 2022 to 2023.
All from Julie Yixia Cai
Fathers Closing the Gap on Parental Leave
Paid family leave has grown over the years, especially among new fathers — more evidence that these policies should be expanded nationally.
Fair Scheduling Laws Give Workers Real Protections
New York is one of several cities with fair scheduling laws, which provide a model for how to provide some economic security for low-wage workers.
Promote Secure and Stable Work Schedules
Laws that require consistent scheduling promote the well-being of workers struggling with income volatility.
Many Deserving Low-Wage Workers Lose Out Under New Trump Rule
It’s likely that hundreds of thousands of low wage workers are getting a pay cut, thanks to a new Trump minimum wage rule.
Precarious Work, Precarious Care: Income Instability and Interruptions in Health Care Access
Research shows that workers experiencing income volatility are more likely to have interruptions in their access to health care.
Policymakers Must Address Earnings Instability
The growing issue of earnings stability is largely overlooked in policy discussions. There are legislative proposals to help protect the economic wellbeing of wage workers who cannot count on steady hours or pay.
Bad Times: Does Scheduling Volatility Explain the Gender Wage Gap?
The latest Census data tells us the gender wage gap is growing. Scheduling volatility could be part of the reason why.
Public Health Budget Cuts Will Harm Workers’ Health, Particularly Those with Volatile Income
Workers facing high year-to-year income volatility are more likely to report poor health, with the effect strongest among low-income households.
Will Congress Fulfill the Pro-Family Promise?
We know that a strong child tax credit policy can reduce childhood poverty. Unfortunately, the One Big Beautiful Bill Act does not do enough.
Before and After the Pandemic: Income Volatility, Health Care Affordability, and Debt
Exploring the impact of income volatility: delve into the reasons behind fluctuating incomes and their consequences on households.
