UM22-19: Labor-market shocks and historically-disadvantaged-groups’ access to SSI and SSDI
Researchers
Abstract
SSI and SSDI uptake are important mechanisms for workers with disabilities adjusting to negative shocks in the labor market. In this project, we aim to determine the extent to which structural barriers have excluded historically disadvantaged groups disproportionately affected by such shocks — from accessing these programs. To the extent such barriers exist, they limit the effectiveness of SSI and SSDI and perpetuate disparities by race and ethnicity in American life. We will study this issue in the context of two well-documented cases of labor market disruption due to immigration: the mid-1990s influx of Mexican immigrants following that country’s 1995 financial crisis, and the early 1980s influx of Cuban immigrants resulting from the Mariel Boatlift.