Bio:

Jane Waldfogel is a Professor of social work and public affairs at Columbia University School of Social Work.  She is also a research associate at the Centre for Analysis of Social Exclusion (CASE) at the London School of Economics.  Waldfogel has written extensively on the impact of public policies on child and family well-being.  Her current research includes studies of work-family policies including family leave, inequality in early childhood care and education, and child abuse and neglect. She is a member of the Advisory Committee for the National Evaluation of Sure Start (in the UK) and was a member of the National Academy of Science’s Committee on Family and Work Policies (in the US).  Waldfogel received her Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University. She is the author of What Children Need (Harvard University Press, 2006), The Future of Child Protection: How to Break the Cycle of Abuse and Neglect (Harvard University Press, 1998) and co-editor (with Sheldon Danziger) of Securing the Future: Investing in Children from Birth to Adulthood (Russell Sage Foundation, 2000).  Her work has been published in leading academic journals including the American Economic Review, American Educational Research Journal, American Sociological Review, Child Development, Demography, Economic Journal, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Journal of Human Resources, Journal of Labor Economics, and Journal of Population Economics.


Research Interests:

Social policy, including:

• The impact of public policies on child and family well-being
• Comparative Social Welfare policy
• Child protective services and child welfare policy

Current Grants & Projects:

• Work-Family Policies and Child and Family Well-Being. R01 grant from National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD)
• The Long-Run Economic Impacts of Early Childhood Programs. Grant from the Pew Charitable Trust Institute of Child Health and Development

Select Publications & Presentations:

Books
Magnuson, K., & Waldfogel, J. (Eds.). (in press). Steady gains and stalled progress: Inequality and the Black-White test score gap. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Waldfogel, J. (2006). What children need. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Danziger, S., & Waldfogel, J. (Eds.). (2000). Securing the future: Investing in children from birth to college. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Waldfogel, J. (1998). The future of child protection: How to break the cycle of abuse and neglect. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Joshi, H., & Paci, P. with Makepeace, G. & Waldfogel, J. (1998). Unequal pay for men and women: Evidence from the British birth cohort studies. Cambridge: MIT Press.

Book Chapters
Waldfogel, J. (in press). Differential response. In K. Dodge (Ed.), Community prevention of child maltreatment. New York: Guilford Press.

Gao, Q., Kaushal, N., & Waldfogel, J. (in press). How have expansions in the EITC affected family expenditures? In J. P. Ziliak (Ed.), Welfare reform and its long-term consequences for America’s poor. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.

Han, W.-J., & Waldfogel, J. (in press). Parental employment and child development: Variation by child, family, and job characteristics. In R. Crane & J. Hill (Eds.), Handbook of families and work. Lanham, MD: University Press of America.

Waldfogel, J. (2008). Economic dimensions of social policy. In J. Midgely, M. Tracy, & M. Livermore (Eds.), The handbook of social policy. Thousand Oaks: Sage.

Waldfogel, J., & Lahaie, C. (2007). The role of preschool and after-school policies in improving the school achievement of children of immigrants. In J. E. Lansford, K. Deater-Deckard, & M. H. Bornstein (Eds.), Immigrant families in contemporary society. New York: Guilford Press.

Waldfogel, J., Garfinkel, I., & Kelly, B. (2007). Public assistance programs: How much could be saved with improved education?  In C. R. Belfield and H. M. Levin (Eds.), The price we pay: The economic and political consequences of inadequate education. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press.

Waldfogel, J. (2007). Work-family policies. In H. Holzer & D. Nightingale (Eds.), Workforce policies for a changing economy. Washington, DC: Urban Institute Press.

Waldfogel, J. (2006). Early childhood policy: A comparative perspective. In K. McCartney & D. Phillips (Eds.) The handbook of early childhood development. London: Blackwell.

Waldfogel, J. (2005). Work and family research: A public policy perspective. In S. Bianchi & L. Casper (Eds.), Work, family, health, and well-being. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

Kamerman, S., & Waldfogel, J. (2005). Market and non-market institutions in early childhood education and care. In R. Nelson (Ed.), Market and non-market institutions. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Waldfogel, J. (2005). Social mobility, life chances, and the early years. In S. Delorenzi, J. Reed, & P. Robinson (Eds.), Maintaining momentum: Promoting social mobility and life chances from early years to adulthood. London: Institute for Public Policy Research.

Gregg, P., Waldfogel, J., & Washbrook, E. (2005). That’s the way the money goes: Expenditure patterns as real incomes rise for the poorest families with children. In J. Hills & K. Stewart (Eds.), A more equal society? New labour, poverty, inequality and exclusion. Bristol: The Policy Press.  

Waldfogel, J. (2004). A cross-national perspective on policies to promote investments in children. In A. Kalil & T. DeLeire (Eds.), Family investments in children’s potential: Resources and parenting behaviors that predict children’s success. Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. 

Meyers, M., Rosenbaum, D., Ruhm, C. & Waldfogel, J. (2004). Inequality in early childhood education and care: What do we know? In K. Neckerman (Ed.), Social inequality. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Johnson, E.I., & Waldfogel, J. (2004). Children of incarcerated parents: Multiple risks and children’s living arrangements. In M. Pattillo, D. Weiman, & B. Western (Eds.), Imprisoning America: The social effects of mass incarceration. New York: Russell Sage Foundation.

Journal Articles
Han, W.-J., Ruhm, C., & Waldfogel, J. (in press). Parental leave policies and parents’ employment and leave-taking. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management.

Han, W.-J., Ruhm, C., Waldfogel, J., & Washbrook, E. (in press). The timing of mothers’ employment after childbirth. Monthly Labor Review.

Waldfogel, J., & Zhai, F. (2008). Effects of public preschool expenditures on the test scores of 4th graders: Evidence from TIMSS. Educational Research and Evaluation, 14(1), 9-28.

Berger, L., Brooks-Gunn, J., Paxson, C., & Waldfogel, J. (2008). First-year maternal employment and child outcomes: Variation across racial and ethnic groups. Children and Youth Services Review, 30(4), 365-387.

Waldfogel, J. (2007). Parental work arrangements and child development. Canadian Public Policy/Analyse de Politiques, 33(2), 251-272.

Sigle-Rushton, W., & Waldfogel, J. (2007). The incomes of families with children: A cross-national comparison. Journal of European Social Policy, 17, 299-318.

Han, W.-J., & Waldfogel, J. (2007). Parental work schedules, family process, and early adolescents’ risky behavior. Children and Youth Services Review, 29(9), 1249-1266.

Waldfogel, J. (2007). Welfare reforms and child well-being in the US and UK. Swedish Economic Policy Review, 14(2), 137-168.

Gregg, P., Gutierrez-Domenech, M., & Waldfogel, J. (2007). The employment of married mothers in Great Britain: 1974-2000. Economica, 74(296), 842-864.

Nepomnyaschy, L., & Waldfogel, J. (2007). Paternity leave and fathers’ involvement with their young children: Evidence from the ECLS-B. Community, Work, and Family, 10(4), 425-451.

Tanaka, S., & Waldfogel, J. (2007). Effects of parental Leave and working hours on fathers’ involvement with their babies: Evidence from the UK millennium cohort study. Community, Work, and Family, 10(4), 407-424.

Kaushal, N., Gao, Q., & Waldfogel, J. (2007). Welfare reform and expenditures on children. Social Service Review, 81(3), 369-398.
Awarded the Frank R. Breul Memorial Prize for the best article in Social Service Review this year.

Sigle-Rushton, W., & Waldfogel, J. (2007). Motherhood and women’s earnings in Anglo-American, continental European, and Nordic countries. Feminist Economics, 13(2), 55-91.

Magnuson, K., Ruhm, C., & Waldfogel, J. (2007). The persistence of preschool effects: Do subsequent classroom experiences matter? Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 22(1), 18-38.

Magnuson, K., Meyers, M., & Waldfogel, J. (2007). The effects of expanded public funding for early education and child care on enrollment in formal child care in the 1990s. Social Service Review, 81(1), 47-83.

Magnuson, K., Ruhm, C., & Waldfogel, J. (2007). Does prekindergarten improve school preparation and performance?  Economics of Education Review, 26, 33-51.

Magnuson, K., Lahaie, C., & Waldfogel, J. (2006). Preschool and school readiness of children of immigrants. Social Science Quarterly, 87(s1), 1241-1262.

Gregg, P., Waldfogel, J., & Washbrook, E. (2006). Family expenditures post-welfare reform in the UK: Are low-income families with children starting to catch up? Labour Economics, 13(6), 721-746.

McDaniel, M., Paxson, C., & Waldfogel, J. (2006). Racial disparities in childhood asthma in the United States: Evidence from the national health interview survey, 1977 to 2003. Pediatrics, 117(5), e1-e10.

Hill, J., Waldfogel, J., Brooks-Gunn, J., & Han, W.-J. (2005). Towards a better estimate of causal links in child policy: The case of maternal employment and child outcomes. Developmental Psychology, 41(6), 833-850.

Magnuson, K., & Waldfogel, J. (2005). Pre-school enrollment and parents’ use of physical discipline. Infant and Child Development, 14(2), 177-198.

Bainbridge, J., Meyers, M., Tanaka, S., & Waldfogel, J. (2005). Who gets an early education? Family income and the gaps in enrollment of 3-5 year olds from 1968-2000. Social Science Quarterly, 86(4), 724-745.

Berger, L., Hill, J., & Waldfogel, J. (2005). Maternity leave, early maternal employment, and child outcomes in the US.  Economic Journal, 115, F29-F47.

Gregg, P., & Waldfogel, J. (2005). Symposium on parental leave, early maternal employment and child outcomes: Introduction. Economic Journal, 115, F1-6.

Magnuson, K., & Waldfogel, J. (2005). Child care, early education, and racial/ethnic test score gaps at the beginning of school.  The Future of Children, 15(1), 169-196.

Berger, L., & Waldfogel, J. (2004). Out-of-home placement of children and economic factors: An empirical analysis. Review of Economics of the Household, 2, 1-25.

Blau, F., Kahn, L., & Waldfogel, J. (2004). The impact of welfare benefits on single motherhood and headship of young women: Evidence from the census. Journal of Human Resources, 39(2), 382-404.

Hills, J., & Waldfogel, J. (2004). A ‘third way’ in welfare reform: What are the lessons for the US? Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 23(4), 765-788.

Magnuson, K., Meyers, M., Ruhm, C., & Waldfogel, J. (2004). Inequality in preschool education and school readiness. American Educational Research Journal, 41(1), 115-157.

Berger, L., & Waldfogel, J. (2004). Maternity leave and the employment of new mothers in the United States.  Journal of Population Economics, 17(2), 331-349.

Waldfogel, J. (2004). Welfare reform and the child welfare system. Child and Youth Services Review, 26(10), 919-939.

Huang, C., Garfinkel, I., & Waldfogel, J. (2004). Child support enforcement and welfare caseloads. Journal of Human Resources, 39(1), 108-134.

Presentations
Social Mobility and the Early Years. Presentation at a seminar at the Cabinet Office sponsored by IPPR, the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit, and the Department for Children, Schools, and Families, London, June 30, 2008.
 
Early Years Policy (paper by Waldfogel and Washbrook). Paper presented at the Sutton Trust/Carnegie Summit on Social Mobility, New York City, NY, June 2, 2008.
 
The Role of Family Policies as Anti-Poverty Policy. Paper presented at the Changing Poverty Conference, Madison, Wisconsin, May 30, 2008.

Extending Paid Parental Leave Rights. Testimony to the Joint Economic Committee of Congress and the Subcommittee on Federal Workforce, Postal Service and the District of Columbia. Washington, DC: March 6, 2008.

Last updated July 01, 2009 .