Sarah Halpern-Meekin, University of Wisconsin - Madison

About the Seminar

Recently, U.S. advocates and funders have supported direct cash transfers for individuals and families as an efficient, immediate, and non-paternalistic path to poverty alleviation. We address questions about the implementation using data from debit card transactions, customer service call-line logs, and in-depth interviews from a randomized control study of a monthly unconditional cash gift delivered via debit card to mothers of young children living near the federal poverty line. Our findings speak to the implementation of science literature and to how the design of the intervention shaped mothers’ views and use of the money. 

About the Speaker

Sarah Halpern-Meekin is a sociologist whose research focuses on family, adolescence, social policy and the welfare state, class and inequality, and qualitative methods. Her current research includes examining the role of parents’ churning (on-again/off-again) relationships in family life, exploring the experiences and financial decision-making of mothers who are receiving monthly unconditional cash gifts, and understanding how rural men make ends meet, spend their time, and make meaning while disconnected from the formal labor force.

Seminar Format

Location IN PERSON: 2208 LeFrak Hall. NOTE that Morrill Hall will have no heat on this date and therefore the seminar will be held in room 2208 LeFrak Hall.  We are requesting advanced registration so that we can track capacity.  Please use this link to RSVP.

Location ONLINE VIA ZOOM: Zoom Registration Link.  Upon registration, you will receive an automatically generated email with the direct link for the seminar.

COVID-19 Information

MPRC public events for Fall 2023 will be a mix of in person and online via Zoom.  For in person events, all event attendees must follow current protocols