•Press Release
February 15, 2019
For Immediate Release: February 15, 2019
Contact: Karen Conner, (202) 293-5380 x117, [email protected]
Washington DC — Economist Eileen Appelbaum, Co-Director of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), was among 45 experts elected to become members of the National Academy of Social Insurance.
Dr. Appelbaum directed Rutgers University’s Center for Women and Work (CWW) during a period when New Jersey debated and adopted paid family leave. CWW provided the research underpinnings for that important increase in social insurance. Appelbaum also coauthored Unfinished Business, Paid Family Leave in California and the Future of U.S. Work-Family Policy with Ruth Milkman, which examines the effects of paid family leave in California on employers and employees. That research has informed subsequent adoption of this important social insurance in other states and the District of Columbia.
“Eileen Appelbaum has been a leader in promoting social insurance for decades. It’s great to see NASI add her as a member,” said CEPR co-founder, Dean Baker. Co-founder and current CEPR Co-Director, Mark Weisbrot, added, “Eileen’s contributions to policy areas that uplift so many families in the nation are well known. This recognition confirms the impact of her work.”
In a statement from the Academy’s Membership Committee Chair, Shaun O’Brien characterized the new members this way: “This year’s newly-elected Academy Members are among our country’s leading reformers, doers, and creative thinkers. Their work focuses on the practical challenges of how we protect each other when faced with life’s financial and health hardships that are difficult to handle alone. In addition to longstanding programs like Social Security, Medicare and unemployment insurance, they also address how we tackle increasingly important issues, such as paid family leave.”
