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
Punitive Work Tests in SNAP and Medicaid Would Harm Workers with Unstable Jobs
Even near full employment, today’s economy does not provide stable, decently compensated jobs for much of the diverse working class.
Housing Assistance, Poverty, and Material Hardship
This article documents the antipoverty effects of housing assistance programs and their relationships with other life circumstances.
The Pandemic Rise in Self-Employment: Who Is Working for Themselves Now?
This analysis examines which groups have seen the largest rise in self-employment compared to the years just before the pandemic.
CEPR Statement: Inflation Reduction Act is Historic Progress
The recently passed Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) will be signed today by President Biden. The act will reduce the costs of health care, prescription drugs, and home energy bills while making real progress on climate change, creating millions of good jobs
Disability and Economic Justice Chartbook
This chartbook provides tables and figures on the current state of disability economic justice, including disability prevalence, disparities in employment and earnings, and disparities in income poverty and material hardship.
LGBT Adults Are More Likely to Experience Mental Health Hardships, But Less Likely to Get Needed Help
Fundamental changes to laws and attitudes will be needed to address the mental health hardships faced by both LGBT and non-LGBT people, and to reduce the disparities that exist between them.
Lack of Universal Childcare and Other Family Benefits Hurts LGBT Parents and Caregivers
This article uses the Census Bureau’s experimental Household Pulse Survey to look at childcare experiences and the financial security of LGBT adults raising children under age 12, including both single and partnered LGBT caregivers
LGBTQ+ Workers Especially Burdened by Unpredictable Work Hours, Unstable Incomes
It is essential that policy makers address work schedule uncertainty to protect LGBTQ+ workers. Doing so could improve worker well-being and financial security.
Spotlight on Working-Class Asian American and Pacific Islander Women in the Workforce
The pandemic-fueled surge in anti-Asian violence creates a critical moment to rethink issues like occupational segregation and employment discrimination.
Financial Struggles of Working-Class Women Reveal Potential for More Robust Family-Friendly Policy Response
This brief examines three aspects of economic security facing women in recent years: poverty, instability in working hours, and a lack of financial savings, with special attention paid to less-educated women with children.
