Long regarded as the premier investigator of policies designed to improve the lives of low-income families on welfare, MDRC is bringing its research skills and reputation for methodological rigor to the new challenge of learning what works best to improve the economic and social health of low-income workers and communities.  more

Hometown Projects: MDRC’s Work in New York City MDRC has built a diverse portfolio of research projects focused on improving the lives of poor families throughout the city, developed in collaboration with state and local agencies, schools, and nonprofits. MDRC's newest hometown venture is Mayor Bloomberg's Opportunity NYC, a conditional cash transfer program to help families break the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Why Has the Poverty Rate Not Fallen Since the Early 1970s? MDRC Experts Featured at Federal Welfare Research Conference, May 28-30 MDRC Researchers Presenting at Urban Affairs Association Meeting, April 23-26 MDRC Receives Gates Foundation Grant for Antipoverty Projects

Rewarding the Work of Individuals A Counterintuitive Approach to Reducing Poverty and Strengthening Families In this article in The Future of Children journal, MDRC President Gordon Berlin answers the question: If you could do one thing to reduce poverty in America, what would it be? He explores the potential advantages of expanding the federal Earned Income Tax Credit to all low-wage adults who work full time — whether they have children or not and whether they marry or not. Implementation and Second-Year Impacts for Lone Parents in the UK Employment Retention and Advancement (ERA) Demonstration The Employment Retention and Advancement Project Results from Two Education and Training Models for Employed Welfare Recipients in Riverside, California The Employment Retention and Advancement Project Results from the Personal Roads to Individual Development and Employment (PRIDE) Program in New York City