Paid and unpaid parental leave benefits in the U.S. are often brief, and yet actual leave-taking is even briefer: Average leave taken by mothers lasts 7.2 weeks. For fathers, it's 0.6 weeks. Read the new Institute working paper for more: https://bit.ly/4aR9gS6

What are the costs and benefits of cash assistance programs to households with children? The calculation should include the long-run effects on the skills and development of the children, Institute consultant @jmullins.bsky.social @umn-econ.bsky.social explains. https://bit.ly/3WJHGhC

Econ teachers, inspire your students with our latest Inquiring Minds Q&A. Institute economist @allbriteallday.bsky.social describes what led her to study economics and which econ concepts come up most in everyday life: https://bit.ly/3KcMxVT

One way to think about income inequality is to compare a group’s share of earners to its share of earnings. For ex, men are 51% of earners in IDDA but receive 61% of income (gap of+10 ppts). Hispanic earners are 15.4% but earn 11.5% (gap of -3.9 ppts). https://bit.ly/46XR1Fu

Join the livestream now for reflections on Bill Spriggs’ contributions to economic policy. Institute Director Abigail Wozniak moderates with Neel Kashkari, Lawrence Mishel, Economic Policy Institute; William Rodgers III, Kasey Buckles, and Robynn Cox: https://bit.ly/3sRd0d9

#ASSA2026 attendees, join the Institute, LERA & @neaecon.bsky.social#ASSA2026in celebrating the many contributions of Bill Spriggs to economics at two paper sessions plus luncheon plenary. Program committee Abigail Wozniak, Robynn Cox, Jesse Rothstein, and Omari Swinton. https://bit.ly/4pkJN7M

Former visiting scholar Isaac Sorkin develops a method to match high-tenure workers within the same firm as a way to quantify disparities in earnings and employment. https://bit.ly/4iX85Cy 

Automation, inflation, and market power are reshaping labor markets. In wide-ranging Q&A, Institute advisor and Chicago Booth economist Erik Hurst explores what these forces mean for workers, wages, and policy in the long run. https://bit.ly/43d3pSs

The Federal Reserve’s dual mandate is to promote maximum employment + price stability. But how do we know when we've reached max employment? The unemployment rate remains key but other indicators may point to changes in structure of labor market. Read more https://bit.ly/4s1UtKm

In a new Institute working paper, Isaac Sorkin Stanford Econ develops a framework to quantify differences in earnings and employment that are not plausibly due to differences in productivity. Read the paper: https://bit.ly/4iX85Cy

Education plays a large role in human capital mobility. @lalthoff.bsky.social, Harriet Brookes Gray & Hugo Reichard show mothers played a crucial role in shaping children's human capital prior to mass schooling. Their influence declined as more went to school. https://bit.ly/4anugzC

While the costs of a college degree continue to rise, the financial return has plateaued. Research from Leila Bengali, Robert Valletta & Cindy Zhao shows that demand, rather than supply, is the main factor behind this stagnation. Read more: https://bit.ly/4mUUNaZ

How does the choice between marriage and cohabitation relate to children’s educational attainment and intergenerational mobility? New from @efiadamopoulou.bsky.social, @annehannusch.bsky.social, Karen Kopecky, and Tim Obermeier. https://bit.ly/4oWvrd6

Between 2007 and 2008, median household income increased 5.1% in the US. Then came the Great Recession. #IDDA shows the recovery looks different across the states of the Federal Reserve's Ninth District: ND and SD saw substantial growth, WI less so. https://bit.ly/46XR1Fu

Many state governments and private employers have expanded paid or unpaid parental leave benefits. But how much leave do U.S. parents actually take? Not a whole lot, @rebecca-jack.bsky.social, @btimpe.bsky.social, and @dtannenbaum.bsky.social show in a new paper. https://bit.ly/4aR9gS6

American neighborhoods are segregated by income. What does that mean for the future of income inequality, for rich and poor neighborhoods, and for the children who grow up in them? From senior writer @lisacamnermckay.bsky.social: https://bit.ly/3MdPHJH

What would income inequality look like if households did not sort by income and instead were randomly relocated across neighborhoods? Income inequality growth between 1980 and 2010 would be ~1/3rd lower. Our article explains: https://bit.ly/3MdPHJH

#ASSA2026 attendees, join the Institute, LERA & @neaecon.bsky.social#ASSA2026in celebrating the many contributions of Bill Spriggs to economics at two paper sessions plus luncheon plenary. Program committee Abigail Wozniak, Robynn Cox, Jesse Rothstein, and Omari Swinton. https://bit.ly/4pkJN7M

“Aggregate statistics can tell you a lot about the economy that you might not naturally know from your own experience or anecdotes.” Read our latest Inquiring Minds Q&A with Institute economist @allbriteallday.bsky.social: https://bit.ly/3KcMxVT

What factors have shaped Americans’ intergenerational mobility? A new Institute working paper from former visiting scholars @lalthoff.bsky.social and Hugo Reichardt with Harriet Brookes Gay studies the evolution of mobility in the U.S. from 1850 to 1950. https://bit.ly/4anugzC

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us at the Opportunity & Inclusive Growth Institute!

@assameeting.bsky.social attendees, join the Institute, LERA, & @neaecon.bsky.social in celebrating the many contributions of Bill Spriggs to econ profession & policy at a luncheon on Jan 4 and two paper sessions. Search “Spriggs" at https://bit.ly/4ohwkg4 for details 

Long-term #unemployment can be a desperate situation. Benefits expire, savings deplete, and debts grow. Our data dive in the latest For All looks at the share of unemployed workers who eventually enter long-term unemployment: https://bit.ly/47vuClR

First-time moms not only cut back on hours--they move to progressively lower-paying firms during the decade after birth. Meanwhile, new dads keep climbing the ladder. More findings from Institute visiting scholar @btimpe.bsky.social & co-authors. https://bit.ly/4mONNvK

The role of AI in job searches and potential policy shifts could impact long-term unemployment. LTU is a particularly worrisome outcome, so its trends, fluctuations, and future are important to understand. @AbigailWozniak & @agoodmanbacon dig in: https://bit.ly/42DHhk3

Over nearly 4 decades, Bill Spriggs made significant contributions to labor economics, economic policy, & economics profession. At @assameeting.bsky.social, the Institute, LERA, and @neaecon.bsky.social are co-sponsoring sessions to honor and celebrate his many contributions. https://bit.ly/4pkJN7M

In 2010, there were 1.2 job postings requiring a college degree for every 1 posting that did not. By 2020, the ratio was 0.6. Our new article from senior writer @lisacamnermckay.bsky.social looks at how the labor market for college grads has changed: https://bit.ly/4mUUNaZ

Visiting scholar Katherine Richard grew up in a neighborhood where people of different means mingled. That awareness of different degrees of economic challenge has helped shape her research agenda as an economist. From @tuuyentran.bsky.social in new For All: https://bit.ly/4hmbOZW

It has been an active year in the U.S. economy. Watching for clues to the economy’s direction is important in many sectors and of course at the Fed. But the drivers of economic opportunity and inclusive growth often only come into view over time. https://bit.ly/475QG5i

Many thanks to the presenters, discussants, and audience who made our fifth annual Institute Research Conference a success! The event video and paper PDFs are available on our website: https://bit.ly/4gSFopm

A mother's time and household income both shape children's skill outcomes. To evaluate cash assistance programs, then, we need to account for the children's future outcomes. This is @jmullins.bsky.social @umn-econ.bsky.social project in a new Institute Working Paper https://bit.ly/3WJHGhC

Watch the Institute Research Conference live online: https://bit.ly/4gSFopm @gizemkosar.bsky.social @newyorkfed.bsky.social

What do earnings changes look like for residents of neighborhoods that are better off or less well off? Watch Bryan Stuart discuss his research at the Institute Research Conference: https://bit.ly/4gSFopm

LIVE NOW! Watch the Institute Research Conference online: https://bit.ly/4gSFopm

Watch the Institute Research Conference live online: https://bit.ly/4gSFopm

What does wealth mobility look like over people’s lifetimes? Richard Audoly and his coauthors find that broadly speaking, there are four paths of wealth trajectory. Watch now: https://bit.ly/4gSFopm

Tune in to the Institute Research Conference online here: https://bit.ly/4gSFopm

Individuals' credit scores are quite stable, Nathan Hendren says. Differences in credit scores emerge early in life and persist over time. Watch live: https://bit.ly/3sRd0d9

Watch the Institute Research Conference online https://bit.ly/4gSFopm @nhendren.bsky.social

To ask a question during today’s Institute Research Conference, visit pigeonhole.at/2025INSTITUTE . Our moderators will relay select questions to presenters during Q&As.

It’s time! Our annual conference starts at 9:30am CT with opening remarks from @minneapolisfed.bsky.social President Neel Kashkari followed by a keynote with Nobel prize winner David Card. Please join us for a day of research insights and scholarly exchange! Watch here: https://bit.ly/4gSFopm

In an aging economy, long-term unemployed workers are a resource for growth and should not be overlooked. New analysis from Abigail Wozniak and Andrew Goodman-Bacon looks closely at trends in LTU: where we have come from, where we are, where we might be headed. https://bit.ly/42DHhk3

Tune in this Thursday for the Institute's annual research conference with a keynote from Nobel prize winner David Card followed by presentations on access to credit, migration from poor neighborhoods, how workers keep up with inflation, and more. https://bit.ly/4gSFopm #EconSky

Why do retirees save more than classical economic models predict? Why do couples save differently than singles? Why are more older Americans aging in place? Institute system affiliate and @richmondfed.bsky.social economist John Bailey Jones studies life’s fuzzy stuff. https://bit.ly/4hn36dS

Both money and time with parents matter for children's long-run skill development, with important implications for the optimal size and shape of government transfers. Read @jmullins.bsky.social @umn-econ.bsky.social new paper: https://bit.ly/3WJHGhC

U of MN Carlson School of Business professor Jacelly Cespedes loves it when nonfinance majors take her Finance 101 class. "If that person can understand the concept of compounding, the diversification concept—that is going to have a big effect on their financial decisions.” https://bit.ly/4q9AMQ0

Join us November 13! #EconSky

The economy is growing—but are workers seeing the benefits? In new Q&A, economist Erik Hurst explores the disconnect between rising productivity and stagnant wages, and what it means for the economy in the long run. https://bit.ly/43d3pSs

In new For All: Long-term unemployment recovered fast after COVID but may now be on the rise. Erik Hurst considers how automation + inflation change labor markets in the long run. Plus the stagnating college wage premium and the path of new mothers' wages. https://bit.ly/32ycmGd

“It is reasonable to conclude that when two elephants fight, some of the hens in the grass will suffer.”  Yewande Olapade @minneapolisfed.bsky.social discusses her research on the 2018-2019 US-China trade war and the impact on low-income countries. https://bit.ly/42I0iSo