Allard and Hill Publish Article in The Milbank Quarterly on State Labor Market Policies and Health
Posted: 2026-10-14 14:09:21 (CSDE Research)
CSDE Affiliates Scott Allard and Heather Hill (Evans School of Public Policy and Governance) recently published a perspective article in The Milbank Quarterly titled, “State Labor Market Policies and Health.” Beginning in the 2000s, state governments started adopting labor market policies such as minimum wage laws, earned income tax credits, paid family and medical leave programs, paid sick leave mandates, and scheduling laws, and the presence or absence of these laws can affect workers’ health and well-being. Drawing on a review of the existing literature, the authors find emerging evidence that state actions to raise earnings and improve job quality for low-wage workers can lead to better health. They suggest that states interested in evidence-based approaches to improving worker health should consider generous, refundable earned income tax credits, higher minimum wages tied to inflation, greater local government discretion to adopt labor market policies, and paid leave programs or mandates. The authors conclude that policymakers should continue to advance state-level labor market policies and support research assessing their health impacts. The full article can be found here. Congratulations Drs. Allard and Hill!