From Spotlight on Poverty and Opportunity
The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a massive national experiment in the more widespread of unrestricted cash benefits—a practice some have contended would result in families using the aid for non-essential goods and services. While researchers gather data to analyze how families spent their COVID aid, a newly published study by Washington State University sociologist Mariana Amorim finds that in Alaska, lower-income parents are more likely to spend money they receive through the Alaska Permanent Fund on their children. Amorim discussed the study recently with Spotlight; the transcript has been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Read the interview with researcher Mariana Amorim here
