Select publications (since 2020):
Jabbari, J., Roll, S., Despard, M., Hamilton, L. What difference would it make? Experimental evidence on student loan forgiveness and household behaviors. (Accepted). Socius.
Despard, M. & Roll, S. COVID-19 job and income loss and financial distress: The protective role of emergency savings. (Accepted). Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning.
Auguste, D., Roll, S., & Despard, M. Democratizing the economy or introducing economic risk? Gig work during the COVID-19 pandemic. Work and Occupations. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/07308884231202032
Despard, M. Promoting staff financial well-being in human service organizations: The role of benefits. (2023). Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership, & Governance, 47(5), 404-421. https://doi.org/10.1080/23303131.2023.2253862
Despard, M., Zheng, H., & Fox-Dichter, S. (2023). Access to employer benefits and financial well-being among frontline healthcare workers. Compensation and Benefits Review, 55(4), 123-141. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/08863687231189408
Despard, M., Roll, S., Grinstein-Weiss, M., Hardy, B., & Oliphant, J. (2023). Can behavioral nudges and incentives help lower-income households build emergency savings with tax refunds? Evidence from field and survey experiments. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 57(1), 245-263. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/joca.12498
Despard, M., Haggeman S., & Ahmad, M. Fintech and medical expenses: What social workers should know. (2023). Social Work in Health Care. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/00981389.2023.2191656
Hamilton, L., Despard, M., Roll, S., Bellisle, D., Hall, C. A., & Wright, A. (2023). Does frequency or amount matter? Testing the perceptions of four universal basic income proposals. Social Sciences. Advance online publication. https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/12/3/133
Roll, S., Constantino, S., Hamilton, L., Miller, S., Bellisle, D., & Despard, M. (2023). How would Americans respond to direct cash transfers? Results from two nationally representative surveys. Social Service Review. Advance Online Publication. https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/723522
Despard, M., Görtz, C., Maag, E., & McGowan, D. (2023). Weathering the economic storm of COVID-19: Lessons from the UK and US. Tax Policy Center. https://www.taxpolicycenter.org/publications/weathering-economic-storm-covid-19
Roll, S., Despard, M., Grinstein-Weiss, M. & Bufe, S. (2023). Emergency savings among persistently poor households: Evidence from a field experiment. Social Work Research, svac028. https://doi.org/10.1093/swr/svac028
Jabbari, J., Despard, M., Kondratjeva, O., Gupta, B., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2023). Nothing to show for it: Financial distress and re-enrollment aspirations for those with non-degreed debt. Research in Higher Education, 64, 1-32. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11162-022-09695-7
Despard, M., Fox-Dichter, S., Zheng, H., Anderson, G., Borland, O., & Gilbert, K. (2022). Financial wellbeing of frontline healthcare workers: The importance of employer benefits. Social Policy Institute, Washington University in St. Louis. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/spi_research/66/
Despard, M., Miller, S., Kristensen, K., & Utevsky, A (2022). Timely and well-targeted financial help during COVID-19: An employer-community partnership for hotel workers in New Orleans. Community, Work, and Family. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13668803.2022.2081066
Hamilton, L., Roll, S., Despard, M., Maag, E., Chun, Y., Brugger, L., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2022). The impacts of the 2021 expanded child tax credit on family employment, nutrition, and financial well-being: Findings from the Social Policy Institute’s Child Tax Credit Panel (Wave 2) (Brookings Global Working Paper #173). Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Child-Tax-Credit-Report-Final_Updated.pdf
Despard, M. (2022). Benefits cliffs: Effects on worker and the role of employers. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/sites/default/files/USCCF_BenefitsCliffsBrochure_Digital.pdf
Despard, M., Banks A., & Dukes, L. (2022). COVID-19 job and income loss and mental health: The mediating roles of financial assets and well-being and the moderating role of race/ethnicity. Social Work and Mental Health, 21(1), 28-45. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15332985.2022.2063042
Auguste, D., Roll, S., & Despard, M. (2022). The precarity of self-employment and gig work among low- and moderate-income households. Social Forces, 101(3), 1081-1115. https://doi.org/10.1093/sf/soab171
Kondratjeva, O., Roll, S., Despard, M., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2022). The impact of tax refund delays on the experience of hardship and unsecured debt. Journal of Consumer Policy, 45, 239-280. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10603-021-09501-4
Roll, S., Kondratjeva, O., Chun, Y., Despard, M., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2022). Household spending patterns and hardships during COVID-19: A comparative study of the U.S. and Israel. Journal of Family and Economic Issues. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-021-09814-z
Huang, J., Sherraden, M. S., Johnson, E., Birkenmaier, J., Rothwell, D., Despard, M. R., … McKinney, R. (2022). Building financial capability and assets for all. In R. P. Barth, J. T. Messing, T. R. Shanks, & J. H. Williams (Eds.), Grand challenges for social work and society (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.
Despard, M. & Levy, R. (2022). Offering free tax assistance and promoting the Earned Income Tax Credit through the workplace: A pilot evaluation with Goodwill Industries. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/sites/default/files/EITC%20Goodwill%20Pilot%20Evaluation.pdf
Jabbari, J., Roll, S., Despard, M., Hamilton, L. (2022). Experimental evidence on consumption, saving, and family formation responses to student debt forgiveness. Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=4139814
Fox-Dichter, S., Auguste, D., Despard, M., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2022). Disparate financial assistance support for small business owners. Social Policy Institute, Washington University in St. Louis. https://socialpolicyinstitute.wustl.edu/disparate-financial-assistance-small-business-owners/
Kondratjeva, O., Roll, S., Despard, M., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2021). The impact of state Earned Income Tax Credit expansions on material and medical hardships. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 55(3), 872-910. https://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12382
Despard, M. (2021). Program evaluation in nonprofits: Necessary evil or tool for organizational learning? In R. L. Edwards & P. A. Kurzman (Eds.), Leading and managing nonprofit organizations. Washington, DC: NASW Press.
Despard, M., Taing, V., Weaver, A., Roll, S., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2021). Material hardship among lower-income households: The role of liquid assets and place. Journal of Poverty, 26(5), 361-384. https://doi.org/10.1080/10875549.2021.1925801
Despard, M., Zeng, Y., Fox-Dichter, S., Frank-Miller, E., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2021). Can workplace financial counseling help lower-income workers improve credit outcomes? Journal of Financial Counseling and Planning, 32(3), 432-448. doi:10.1891/JFCP-19-00081
Hamilton, L., Roll, S., Despard, M., Maag, E., & Chun, Y. (2021). Employment, financial and well-being effects of the 2021 Expanded Child Tax Credit: Wave 1 executive summary. Social Policy Institute, Washington University in St. Louis. https://socialpolicyinstitute.wustl.edu/employment-financial-wellbeing-effects-2021-ctc-report/
Despard, M., Bufe, S., Roll, S., Kristensen, K., Fox-Dichter, S., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2021). Employment changes during COVID-19: The importance of employer attachment. Social Policy Institute, Washington University in St. Louis. https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/sites.wustl.edu/dist/a/2003/files/2021/09/Survey-COVID-Employment_Final_SPI.pdf
Bufe, S., Roll, S., Kristensen, K., Zhao, D., Despard, M., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2021). Use of public benefits over the first year of the pandemic: Exploring access, delays, and outcomes. Social Policy Institute, Washington University in St. Louis. https://cpb-us-w2.wpmucdn.com/sites.wustl.edu/dist/a/2003/files/2021/09/Survey-COVID-Policy-Final_SPI.pdf
Hamilton, L., Despard, M., Roll, S., Bellisle, D., Hall, C. A., & Wright, A. (2021). Does frequency or amount matter? Testing the perceptions of four universal basic income proposals. [Working Paper]. Social Policy Institute, Washington University in St. Louis. https://openscholarship.wustl.edu/spi_research/45
Roll, S. & Despard, M. (2021). Income loss and financial distress during COVID-19: The protective role of liquid assets. [Working Paper]. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3733862
Despard, M. (2021). What employers can do to promote employee financial well-being. U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation. https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/sites/default/files/EITC%20Employer%20Playbook.pdf
Despard, M., Frank-Miller, E., Zeng, Y., Fox-Dichter, S., Germain, G., Grinstein-Weiss, M., & Covington, M. (2020). Employee financial wellness programs: Promising new benefit for frontline workers? Compensation and Benefits Review, 52 (4), 156-174. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0886368720942371
Kondratjeva, O., Roll, S., Despard, M., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2020). Household spending patterns and hardships during COVID-19: A comparative study of the U.S. and Israel. [Working Paper]. http://ssrn.com/abstract=3789304
Despard, M., & Zeng, Y. (2020). Financing workers’ health care cash flow needs: A pilot study (Research Report 20-03). Social Policy Institute, Washington University in St. Louis. https://s3.amazonaws.com/cfsi-innovation-files-2018/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/22182422/BriefCover-MedPut-R3-Final.pdf
Despard, M., Zeng, Y., Kondratjeva, O., & Kristensen, K. (2020). Saving for a rainy day: Making it easier for employees to build emergency savings (Research Report 20-06). Social Policy Institute, Washington University in St. Louis. https://s3.amazonaws.com/cfsi-innovation-files-2018/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/22182331/BriefCover-Onward-R3-Final.pdf
Despard, M. (2020). Don’t cash out or leave them behind: A pilot study of a 401k plan transfer digital platform (Research Report 20-05). Social Policy Institute, Washington University in St. Louis. https://s3.amazonaws.com/cfsi-innovation-files-2018/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/22182503/BriefCover-manifest-R3-Final.pdf
Zeng, Y., Kristensen, K., & Despard, M. (2020). From financial struggle to short-term financial relief – An exploratory study of small-dollar lending for low- and moderate-income employees (Research Report 20-04). Social Policy Institute, Washington University in St. Louis. https://s3.amazonaws.com/cfsi-innovation-files-2018/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/22182544/BriefCover-honeybee-R3-Final.pdf
Despard, M., Frank-Miller, E., Fox-Dichter, S., Germain, G., & Conan, M. (2020). Employee financial wellness programs: Opportunities to promote financial inclusion? Journal of Community Practice, 28 (3), 219-233. https://doi.org/10.1080/10705422.2020.1796878
Jabbari, J., Kondratjeva, O., Despard, M., & Grinstein-Weiss, M. (2020, August 5). Low-income households falling further behind on student debt due to COVID-19. Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/08/05/low-income-households-falling-further-behind-on-student-debt-due-to-covid-19/
Despard, M., Grinstein-Weiss, M., Chun, Y., & Roll, S. (2020, July 13). COVID-19 job and income loss leading to more hunger and financial hardship. Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/07/13/covid-19-job-and-income-loss-leading-to-more-hunger-and-financial-hardship/
Grinstein-Weiss, M., Gupta, B., Chun, Y., Lee, H., & Despard, M. (2020, June 1). Housing hardships reach unprecedented heights during the COVID-19 pandemic. Brookings Institution. https://www.brookings.edu/blog/up-front/2020/06/01/housing-hardships-reach-unprecedented-heights-during-the-covid-19-pandemic/
Despard, M., Friedline, T., & Martin-West, S. (2020). Why do households lack emergency savings? The role of financial capability. Journal of Family and Economic Issues, 41, 542-557. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10834-020-09679-8