Convening on direct income support to people in the U.S.: findings and puzzles from scale-able and universal cash transfer programs

This project has several aims:

• To gather 10-12 senior academic experts and their trainees who are currently engaged in U.S. based cash transfer randomized control or population based studies (includes the expanded child tax credit)
• Assess or take stock of successful and unsuccessful implementation strategies to disburse cash (apps and related digital formats, existing benefit and tax systems, debit cards, other types of financial services): what are promising approaches toward universal and population reach?
• Assess or take stock of different population responses to cash transfers, and related dynamics of inclusion or exclusion of access and receipt incorporating the role of local community based organizations and partners
• Interrogate measures of well-being, material and socio-emotional and health; particularly with respect to financial strain and stress. What is the state of quality in particular of self-report of well-being and its relevance and association with objective assessments of hardship?  How are measures limited and how do they have different economic and social meaning for different populations? 
• Debate the merits of prevailing policy, political and related ideological debates; coupled with social and economic justice objectives and the strengths and limitations of existing research to speak to these debates
• Discuss and debate the role of direct cash support as a means of achieving and maintaining economic and racial justice
• Discuss and debate key areas for ongoing research and mechanisms to secure funding:  NIH’s role, NSF’s role, private philanthropy’s role