Stephen Roll’s (he/him) research focuses on promoting asset building, debt management, and economic security in lower-income populations. Working within the Center for Social Development, where he is the Co-Director of Research and Policy Innovation, he is involved in research on cash transfers, child savings, and the role of public and employer-based benefits programs in promoting (or harming) economic and social mobility.
His most recent work focuses on the role of cash transfer programs in improving household balance sheets and economic mobility outcomes, which includes studies of the Expanded Child Tax Credit and six Guaranteed Income experiments in Georgia, North Carolina, and Missouri. He is also leading a ten-year study evaluating the impact of investing $5,000 on behalf of 300 low-income 7th graders in St. Louis.
His work has been featured in numerous media outlets including The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Washington Post, and the New York Times, and he has briefed the White House Domestic Policy Council, the Senate Joint Economic Committee, and the United States Supreme Court on the results of his research.
Prior to joining the Brown School, he worked in the private sector as a consultant for Proctor & Gamble.
Stephen Roll
- Assistant Professor
- PhD, John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University
- Office Phone: 314-935-3710
- Email: stephen.roll@wustl.edu
- Download CV
Areas of Focus:
- Financial well-being
- Asset building
- Debt management
- Low-income populations
- Cash transfer policy
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Featured Publications
Financial well-being in low- and moderate-income households: How does it compare to the general population?
December 2018