• The pandemic negatively impacted housing and food security, educational outcomes, transportation access, and community safety (Abrams 2021, Drake 2022).
• Economic conditions worsened for many individuals/families (e.g., increased job loss, poverty, and unemployment), and communities (e.g., permanent business closures, loss of commercial property tax revenue for cities) (Lawler 2022).
• The pandemic transformed the employment landscape and shifted workforce opportunities across numerous industries (e.g., increased remote work opportunities for some sectors, paid sick leave programs), though little is known about how and whether these transformations impacted existing disparities or changed individuals’ beliefs/attitudes/behaviors and/or employment decision-making and strategies (Piacentini 2022).

Furthermore, the pandemic exacerbated existing social and economic disparities among already marginalized communities. Historically disadvantaged groups were more likely to experience increased financial hardships, pandemic-related job loss, housing instability, food insecurity, and educational disparities (Artiga 2020, Chun 2022, Payan 2022). Interventions to minimize the consequences of the pandemic have been implemented, but the longer-term impact of these efforts warrants further investigation.

To better understand what can be done to help individuals, families, and communities in California recover from the pandemic, in early 2023, CPR³ released an RFP calling for research related to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on social and economic outcomes (e.g., those related to household finances, housing/mobility, labor markets, etc.) and evaluation of policies/interventions designed to mitigate or stabilize these effects.

DOWNLOAD CLOSED SOCIAL & ECONOMIC OUTCOMES RFP