Institute update: Expanding the reach of research

At the Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute, connecting economic research to those who use it has always been core to our mission. Institute economists often take that commitment on the road. Over the past year, they have shared their work not only with academic peers, but with business leaders, physicians, legal scholars, students, and others who rely on evidence to guide choices that shape people's lives.

Director Abigail Wozniak delivered the keynote address at the Metropolitan Economic Development Association, a community development financial institution (CDFI) in the Twin Cities that supports entrepreneurs. Wozniak discussed last issue's For All feature article on nonwage income and its role in the economic well-being of households.

Wozniak also gave the Dannelly Distinguished Visitor Lecture at the University of Notre Dame. In remarks to an audience of students, professors, and community members, she focused on the relationship between economics and policymaking-how research is used, what constrains its usefulness, and what this means for the trajectory of the field.

Institute economist Andrew Goodman-Bacon spoke to the American Academy of Pediatrics about the long-run effects of childhood Medicaid eligibility on adults' health and economic outcomes, the topic of this issue's feature article. His talk gave clinicians a deeper view of how investments in children's health reverberate beyond childhood, affecting earnings and well-being decades later.

Institute economist Alex Albright has likewise been expanding the reach of her research in interdisciplinary settings. This spring, she presented to the Work and Organizations Department at the University of Minnesota's Carlson School of Management, sharing findings from her work on the effects of algorithmic recommendation systems, research featured in the spring 2025 issue of For All.

Albright has also engaged with legal audiences. She spoke at UC Berkeley School of Law about evidence on bail reform, highlighting the decisions courts face when balancing public safety, fairness, and cost. And in June, she presented on algorithmic recommendations at a law and economics workshop jointly hosted by the Max Planck Institute for Research on Collective Goods and the University of Bonn.

These efforts, across topics and audiences, reflect the Institute's role as a bridge making it easier to reach rigorous economic research.

This article is featured in the Fall 2026 issue of For All, the magazine of the Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute