Project Title: For Richer or Poorer: The Politics of Redistribution in Bad Economic Times

Project Description: This project will examine the policy consequences of economic downturns, such as the current fiscal crisis stemming from the Great Recession and its jobless recovery. It is motivated by concern that economic pressures are disproportionately born by the poor—in the form of cut-backs to safety net programs, as well as via longer-term increases in income and political inequality that feed back into future policy debates.

Biography: Elizabeth Rigby is an Assistant Professor in the Trachtenberg School of Public Policy and Public Administration at George Washington University. Her research examines the interplay of politics, policy, and social inequality. In current projects, Rigby examines: the role of income inequality as a campaign issue in the 2012 presidential election, representation of low-income Americans by each political party, and variation in how states are implementing the Affordable Care Act. Her research has been published in a range of journals including: American Journal of Political Science, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, and Political Research Quarterly. Rigby holds a Ph.D. in Politics and Education from Columbia University.