The Social Safety Net in the Era of COVID-19

Episode Details

The social safety net is more important than ever as unemployment reaches its highest rates since the Great Depression. The safety net is especially important now for children, who have been put at particular risk during the pandemic because women (including single mothers) have experienced higher rates of job loss than in a typical recession, and about one-in-four children living in poorer households have seen one adult in the household lose a job.  Food insecurity has also spiked, including among children who relied on school meals. Tune in to the latest episode of EconoFact Chats with host Michael Klein and Diane Schanzenbach of Northwestern University as they discuss the social safety net in the era of COVID-19.

(Podcast recorded on 16th August, 2020)

Related content:

• Job Loss and the Safety Net (by Chloe East, University of Colorado Denver and David Simon, University of Connecticut)
• Who Does Not Have Enough to Eat in America? (by Diane Schanzenbach, Northwestern University)
• Income Assistance for Low-Income Workers During the COVID-19 Crisis (by Phillip Levine, Wellesley College and Diane Schanzenbach, Northwestern University)