Jim Sullivan

Professor of Economics

Economics; Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO)

Phone
574-631-7587
Email
sullivan.197@nd.edu
Website

Professor of Economics

  • Housing
  • Homelessness
  • Education
  • Evidence/Evidence-Based Policy
  • Policy
  • Evaluation
  • Impact Evaluation
  • Self-Sufficiency

Audio

Notre Dame Stories Helping the Most Vulnerable

Sullivan’s Latest News

Sullivan in the News

Q&A with Jim Sullivan of Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunity

February 28, 2024

A lab at the University of Notre Dame wants the conversation on how to solve poverty to hinge on research—and it’s effort is about to broaden. Jim Sullivan, Ph.D., co-founded and directs the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities, a research hub with a focus on answering questions with data that ultimately leads to tangible impact.

Notre Dame unifies, strengthens poverty fight with new initiative

February 21, 2024

A new anti-poverty initiative launched at the University of Notre Dame with a $100 million gift from an alumni couple will look for new ways of thinking and talking about the issue. “Notre Dame’s Poverty Initiative is driven by a moral imperative to prioritize the needs of the poor and vulnerable, rooted in Catholic social teaching” said Notre Dame economist Jim Sullivan, co-founder and director of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities. Tracy Kijewski-Correa, director of the university’s Pulte Institute for Global Development, said the initiative is looking for new ways to manage the issue and express its impacts. “Poverty is not just material deprivation,” she said. “It affects everything and every part of a person.”

University of Notre Dame announces initiative to study, combat poverty

January 25, 2024

The University of Notre Dame announced on Jan. 23 that it will be launching a new academic initiative focused on studying and combating poverty. 

Long-run decline in US poverty continued in recent years despite pandemic, new report shows

December 21, 2023

These findings were recently released in the Annual Report on U.S. Consumption Poverty: 2022, co-authored by James Sullivan, professor of economics and director of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) at the University of Notre Dame; Bruce Meyer, the McCormick Foundation Professor at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy; and Jeehoon Han, assistant professor of economics at Baylor University.

Opinion | Solving homelessness requires more evidence and less politics

August 29, 2023

Bill Evans is the University of Notre Dame Keough-Hesburgh Professor of Economics and co-founder of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO). David Phillips is a research professor of economics at LEO. Jim Sullivan is a professor of economics and LEO co-founder.

Local News Matters

A first-ever study in Santa Clara County finds financial aid effectively averts homelessness

July 25, 2023

“There really was not a rigorous response to that concern,” said James Sullivan, University of Notre Dame professor of economics and co-founder of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities, which aims to help the most vulnerable with its work. Lead author David Phillips said prevention is not a panacea for issues like health and substance abuse, which are often associated with “the most visible forms homelessness.” 

SFGATE | Bay City News

First Study Of Its Kind Shows Financial Aid Can Prevent Homelessness

July 22, 2023

"There really was not a rigorous response to that concern," said James Sullivan, University of Notre Dame professor of economics and co-founder of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities, which aims to help the most vulnerable with its work. "This really addresses that concern head on."

Targeted prevention helps stop homelessness before it starts

July 13, 2023

David Phillips, a research professor in the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) within Notre Dame's economics department, and James Sullivan, a professor of economics and co-founder of LEO, found that people offered EFA were 81 percent less likely to become homeless within six months of enrollment and 73 percent less likely within 12 months, as reported in their study recently published by The Review of Economics and Statistics.

Ricochet Podcast

Poverty’s Perjury: A discussion on poverty in America with Prof. James Sullivan

Audio

March 29, 2023

On this episode of Reaganism, host Roger Zakheim, Director at the Reagan Institute, speaks with Professor James Sullivan, Professor of Economics, University of Notre Dame, and Co-founder of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities. Prof. Sullivan and Roger discuss government policy towards poverty in America and the mistruths and misunderstandings surrounding poverty and being poor in America.

How COVID-19 keeps a tight grip on the working poor

February 18, 2022

The author cites a December 2020 study by the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame which found that "poverty has risen sharply, however, in recent months as some of the benefits that were part of the government relief package have expired.

As community college students return to class, let's help them graduate

September 27, 2021

James Sullivan is the co-founder and director of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), a Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame, and an affiliated researcher of the Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Deseret News

On welfare reform’s 25th anniversary, how are single-mom families faring?

September 21, 2021

While some research suggests a decline in families’ circumstances since the government’s welfare reform emphasized work and education over unconditional aid, study authors Bruce D. Meyer of the University of Chicago, Jeehoon Han from Zhejiang University in China and James X. Sullivan of the University of Notre Dame believe that largely stems from under-reporting of the assistance single mothers receive.

The U.S. Is Winning the War on Poverty

September 15, 2021

The chart below, based on an analysis by Bruce Meyer of the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and James Sullivan of the University of Notre Dame, shows no lasting progress in the official measure of poverty, but a rapid decline in two alternative measures.

Pandemic Stimulus Checks Softened the Blow of Rising US Poverty Rates

September 14, 2021

Despite the increase in poverty, rates would have been much higher without intervention from the government, according to an analysis of data by James Sullivan at the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Economics and Bruce Meyer at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy, as reported by Bloomberg.

Poverty rose in 2020 amid pandemic even as stimulus payments helped some 11.7 million Americans avoid it

September 14, 2021

The stimulus payments, meanwhile, helped keep a wide range of Americans out of poverty because they were sent to a broad group of people, said Jim Sullivan, an economics professor at the University of Notre Dame, who has tracked the effect of government aid on poverty rates throughout the pandemic.

Poverty in the U.S. rose last year amid COVID pandemic says Census Bureau

September 14, 2021

If not for government intervention, poverty would have been much higher, according to an analysis of real-time poverty data by James Sullivan at the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Economics and Bruce Meyer at the University of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy.

Poverty fell overall in 2020 as result of massive stimulus checks and unemployment aid, Census Bureau says

September 14, 2021

“The federal government responded quickly and significantly. And it’s very clear that those efforts prevented a sharp rise in poverty,” said James Sullivan, an economics professor at the University of Notre Dame. 

USDA report shows pandemic relief helped hungry families

Audio

September 09, 2021

So the USDA report is good news, said Jim Sullivan, an economics professor at Notre Dame. 

Why the US is launching a $300 monthly child benefit

July 15, 2021

James Sullivan, economics professor at the University of Notre Dame, said that families near the poverty line could see their income increase by more than 25% in the second half of the year.

Parents are gearing up to spend big on back-to-school stuff, boosted by pandemic savings and the new child tax credit payments

July 14, 2021

"It's a good thing for Walmart and grocery stores," Jim Sullivan, an economics professor at the University of Notre Dame, told CNBC. "The retail sectors where middle- and lower-income families spend money are likely to benefit some from this."

Child tax credit payments could act as stimulus for retailers as soon as this month

July 12, 2021

“It’s a good thing for Walmart and grocery stores,” said Jim Sullivan, an economics professor at the University of Notre Dame who is studying the impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Americans living in poverty.

Hunger rates plummet after two rounds of stimulus

May 07, 2021

One of the most striking things that’s come from having all this near real time data, according to Jim Sullivan, an economist at the University of Notre Dame, is seeing just how much of an effect government aid had on reducing poverty.

Jobless claims hit new pandemic low for third straight week, as labor market picks up

April 29, 2021

Meanwhile, poverty rose to 11.7 percent in March, the highest level of the pandemic, according to research from the University of Chicago and University of Notre Dame, as Americans awaited the next round of stimulus relief. 

The economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on women varies by race and ethnicity, according to a new analysis

April 24, 2021

Research from University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame also shows that the poverty rate reached its highest rate so far during the pandemic in March, from 10.3% in March 2020 to 11.7% in March 2021.

547,000 Americans filed jobless claims, a new pandemic low

April 22, 2021

Poverty rose to 11.7 percent in March, its highest level of the pandemic, according to research from the University of Chicago and University of Notre Dame, as Americans awaited the next round of stimulus relief.

Poverty soared to a pandemic high last month

April 21, 2021

James Sullivan, an economics professor and director of the Lab for Economic Opportunities at the University of Notre Dame and one of the research authors, said this was almost certainly a function of the combination of $1,200 stimulus payments that were distributed to most Americans, expanded unemployment benefits including benefits for gig and self-employed workers, and an extra $600 weekly benefit on top of existing state benefits.

One chart shows how pandemic poverty reached a new high in March

April 21, 2021

Throughout the pandemic, researchers from Zhejiang University, University of Chicago, and the University of Notre Dame have tracked US poverty rates.

Poverty rate rose to pandemic high ahead of new stimulus

April 21, 2021

“The March 2021 estimates indicate that without additional aid many in the U.S. continued to suffer from the economic impacts from Covid-19, according to research released Tuesday by economists Jeehoon Han, from Zhejiang University, Bruce Meyer, from the University of Chicago, and James Sullivan of the University of Notre Dame. The projections didn’t capture benefits provided by the American Rescue Plan signed last month.”

U.S. Poverty Rate Rose to Pandemic High Ahead of New Stimulus

April 20, 2021

The March 2021 estimates indicate that without additional aid many in the U.S. continued to suffer from the economic impacts from Covid-19, according to research released Tuesday by economists Jeehoon Han, from Zhejiang University, Bruce Meyer, from the University of Chicago, and James Sullivan of the University of Notre Dame.

Despite falling unemployment, America’s poverty rate just reached the highest level since the pandemic began

April 20, 2021

Since spring of 2020, real-time poverty data in the U.S. has been tracked every month by economists Bruce Meyer, from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, and James Sullivan of the University of Notre Dame’s Department of Economics and the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities.

How recipients will spend COVID relief payments depends on their income

Audio

March 26, 2021

The pandemic has affected Americans in different income brackets differently: People who worked low-wage service jobs before the pandemic are most likely to be in serious financial distress now, said Notre Dame economist James Sullivan.

US poverty is still high, but stimulus is stopping it from getting worse

March 23, 2021

The $600 stimulus checks and $300 weekly boost to unemployment benefits contained in Congress' December assistance package stemmed the rise in poverty in the second half of last year, according to researchers at the University of Chicago, University of Notre Dame and Zhejiang University.

Warren Buffett Becomes Sixth Member of $100 Billion Club

March 11, 2021

Meanwhile, more than 8 million Americans -- including many children -- fell into poverty in the second half of last year, according to an analysis by University of Chicago economist Bruce Meyer, University of Notre Dame’s James Sullivan and Zhejiang University’s Jeehoon Han.

Biden's $1.9 trillion stimulus could drastically cut poverty, studies say

March 11, 2021

Those drops aren't unexpected. Throughout America's pandemic year, poverty has fallen with each new stimulus package and increased unemployment benefits, according to research from economists at University of Chicago, University of Notre Dame, and Zhejiang University.

Economic Times

What's in Joe Biden's stimulus plan?

March 09, 2021

Data in the months since has shown poverty creeping back up, hitting 11.3 percent in January, according to the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame.

Senate Passes Next Stimulus Package, Inching It Closer To Becoming Law

March 06, 2021

A December study by the University of Notre Dame, the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities found that nearly 8 million Americans have fallen into poverty since the start of the pandemic.

House Passes $1.9 Trillion Stimulus Package—Now It’s Up To The Senate

February 27, 2021

A December study by the University of Notre Dame, the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy and the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities found that nearly 8 million Americans had fallen into poverty since the start of the pandemic.

Stimulus measures helped lift 1.6 million Americans out of poverty

February 26, 2021

"That's a pretty big move over the course of one month," University of Notre Dame's James Sullivan and one of the authors of the study told Yahoo Money. 

COVID-19 economic relief should focus on those hit hardest

February 16, 2021

James X. Sullivan is the Gilbert F. Schaefer College Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame.

A Year of Hardship, Helped and Hindered by Washington

February 14, 2021

Researchers at the University of Chicago and Notre Dame found there were five million fewer poor people in June than before the crisis.

U.S. Child-Poverty Crisis Spurs Stepped-Up Efforts in Congress

February 09, 2021

Covid-19 pushed the child poverty rate to 16.6% in December from 15.3% right before the pandemic began, according to an analysis from University of Chicago economist Bruce Meyer, University of Notre Dame’s James Sullivan and Zhejiang University’s Jeehoon Han.

Opinion: It’s encouraging that reducing child poverty is now a bipartisan aspiration

February 05, 2021

Federal aid to households actually decreased the poverty rate between March and June of 2020, but as certain benefits expired over the summer, millions fell back into poverty, including 2.3 million children under 17, according to a team of economists from the University of Notre Dame and the University of Chicago.

Poverty increased most in states with poorer unemployment benefit systems

February 01, 2021

But in states that doled out benefits to less than 35% of unemployed residents, poverty increased by 1.3% in 2020, a study from the University of Chicago and Notre Dame found.

COVID-19 pummels U.S. economy in 2020; performance weakest in 74 years

January 27, 2021

A survey last week by professors at the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame showed poverty increased by 2.4 percentage points to 11.8% in the second half of 2020, boosting the ranks of the poor by 8.1 million people.

Over 6 Million Added to Food Stamp Rolls as Pandemic Surged

January 27, 2021

An additional 8 million people fell into poverty during the second half of 2020, more than double the sharpest annual rise in poverty since the 1960s, according to a study by economists at the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame released on Monday.

America's billionaires have grown $1.1 trillion richer during the pandemic

January 26, 2021

More than 8 million Americans fell into poverty during the final six months of 2020, according to real-time estimates published by economists at the University of Chicago, University of Notre Dame and the Lab for Economic Opportunities.

Over 8M Americans have fallen into poverty as COVID-19 relief benefits expired

January 26, 2021

The report, released by economists at the University of Chicago and University of Notre Dame, found that the nation's poverty rate increased by 2.4 percentage points between June and December, surging from 9.3% to 11.8%.

Report: American Billionaires Have Added More Than $1 Trillion In Wealth During Pandemic

January 26, 2021

According to a study released Monday by economists Bruce Meyer from the University of Chicago and James Sullivan of the University of Notre Dame, America’s poverty rate increased by 2.4 percentage points over the final six months of 2020.

8 million Americans have fallen into poverty in recent months as government benefits lapse, a new study finds

January 25, 2021

A study by University of Notre Dame and University of Chicago economists found that 8 million Americans fell into poverty as government benefits have expired.

U.S. Records Worst Poverty Spike Since 1960s, Black Americans Hit Hardest

January 25, 2021

Economists from the University of Chicago and University of Notre Dame said the nation saw the largest annual increase in poverty in nearly 60 years.

U.S. Suffers Sharpest Rise in Poverty Rate in More Than 50 Years

January 25, 2021

Economists Bruce Meyer, from the University of Chicago, and James Sullivan of the University of Notre Dame found that the poverty rate increased by 2.4 percentage points during the latter half of 2020 as the U.S. continued to suffer the economic impacts from Covid-19.

Biden claims his $1.9 trillion Covid relief plan will cut child poverty in half — here’s how

January 23, 2021

Children are disproportionately represented among the poor, and their plight has grown worse since the summer, according to James Sullivan, an economics professor at the University of Notre Dame who’s tracked poverty rates during the pandemic.

How Trump's most consequential policies have changed America

January 17, 2021

Nearly 8 million more Americans have joined the ranks of the poor since June, according to researchers from the University of Chicago and University of Notre Dame.

US debt surged by $7 trillion under Trump. It will go much higher under Biden

January 14, 2021

Nearly 8 million more Americans have joined the ranks of the poor since June, according to researchers from the University of Chicago and University of Notre Dame.

The legacy of 2020: Riches for the wealthy, well educated and often White, financial pain for others

January 01, 2021

In June, there were almost 5 million fewer Americans among the ranks of the poor than at the start of the year, before the pandemic, according to data published by researchers at the University of Chicago, University of Notre Dame and Zhejiang University.

Congress extends pandemic aid for the jobless and renters. Here’s what you need to know.

December 31, 2020

 Still, according to a recently published report by the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame, poverty has risen each month since June, to 11.7 percent in November. 

Opening the Word: The horizon opens

December 31, 2020

Timothy P. O’Malley, Ph.D., is the director of education at the McGrath Institute for Church Life at the University of Notre Dame.

Congressional leaders strike a long-awaited stimulus deal: $600 checks and $300 federal weekly unemployment benefits for Americans

December 31, 2020

A new study from the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame indicated 7.8 million people had fallen into poverty since late July.

Why 2020 really was the worst year ever

December 31, 2020

Poverty has risen every month since June, according to a report from scholars at the University of Chicago, the University of Notre Dame and the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities.

Religious nonprofits scramble to get enough donations to match the surge in community needs

December 31, 2020

The economic impact of the pandemic has been swift for many families this year as nearly 8 million Americans have fallen into poverty since the summer, according to data from researchers at the University of Notre Dame and University of Chicago.

This billionaire warns that America's massive wealth gap could lead to conflict

December 31, 2020

Nearly 8 million Americans have joined the ranks of the poor since June, according to researchers from the University of Chicago and University of Notre Dame.

50 years of tax cuts for the rich failed to trickle down, economics study says

December 17, 2020

Meanwhile, almost 8 million Americans have fallen into poverty since the start of the pandemic through November, according to new data released by the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame.

Take the deal, Congress. Then immediately start working on the next one.

December 17, 2020

One recent analysis, from researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame, estimated that nearly 8 million Americans have fallen — or, more accurately, been pushed — into poverty since June.

U.S. poverty jumps the most in 60 years

December 17, 2020

James X. Sullivan, a professor of economics at Notre Dame, and Bruce D. Meyer, an expert in poverty and inequality and professor at the University of Chicago's Harris School of Public Policy, are tracking the nearly real-time data on a dashboard that registers the economic impact of COVID-19.

A time to splurge or a time to scrape by: Holidays expose widening disparity among U.S. families

December 17, 2020

Nearly 12 percent of the country is living in poverty, up 2.4 percentage points since June and the biggest spike in six decades, according researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame.

Billionaire MacKenzie Scott: Pandemic made the rich richer while wrecking others; donating money gives me hope

December 17, 2020

Meanwhile, millions of Americans have slipped into poverty — 6 million to 8 million, according to reports from Columbia University, University of Chicago and Notre Dame.

The Daily 202: Picking Buttigieg for Transportation shows Biden taking a Swiss Army knife approach to filling Cabinet

December 16, 2020

The poverty rate jumped to 11.7 percent in November, up 2.4 percentage points since June, according to new data from the University of Chicago and Notre Dame.

Largest Increase In U.S. Poverty Recorded In 2020

December 16, 2020

“There are two ways to counteract this upward trend in poverty: One is a dramatic improvement in the labor market. The other is more support from the federal government,” said James X. Sullivan, a Notre Dame professor.

Nearly 8 million Americans fell into poverty since June: study

December 16, 2020

The national poverty rate rose by 2.4 percentage points from 9.3 percent in June to 11.7 percent in November, putting 7.8 million people below the poverty line, according to the paper from Notre Dame’s James X. Sullivan, Chicago’s  Bruce D. Meyer, and Jeehoon Han of Zhejiang University.

Nearly 8 million Americans fell below the poverty line since the summer as the government stopped writing checks for stimulus, unemployment, and small business aid

December 16, 2020

In the past five months alone, some 7.8 million Americans fell into poverty, according to a new report released Wednesday by researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame.

Without more jobless benefits, almost 5 million people will fall into poverty, including 1.3 million kids

December 16, 2020

Nearly 8 million people joined the ranks of the poor between June and November, according to a separate paper published Tuesday by researchers at the University of Chicago, University of Notre Dame and Zhejiang University.

Nearly 8 million Americans have fallen into poverty since the summer

December 16, 2020

The poverty rate jumped to 11.7 percent in November, up 2.4 percentage points since June, according to new data released Wednesday by researchers at the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame.

A $900 Billion Covid-19 Aid Compromise Is Coming Together And Some Progressives Aren’t Happy

December 16, 2020

7.8 million. That’s how many Americans have fallen into poverty since June as critical CARES Act benefits expired, according to new research from the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame.

What Happens to the Unemployed When the Checks Run Out

December 14, 2020

According to estimates by Bruce D. Meyer of the University of Chicago, James X. Sullivan of the University of Notre Dame and Jeehoon Han of Zhejiang University, 11.4 percent of Americans subsisted with incomes below the official poverty line by October, up from 9.3 percent in June.

Economists to Bernie Sanders: Don't kill the relief bill over stimulus checks

December 07, 2020

If not for the stimulus checks, the US poverty rate would have been 1.1 percentage points higher in June, according to research done by Meyer, the University of Chicago economist, along with economists at the University of Notre Dame and Zhejiang University.

Joe Biden is taking office amid a poverty crisis

December 03, 2020

Jeehoon Han of Zhejiang University, Bruce Meyer of the University of Chicago, and James X. Sullivan at the University of Notre Dame have their own set of real-time measures, and while they do not calculate projections for January 2021, they tell the same story as the Columbia researchers about what happened from January to October 2020.

Unemployed in the USA: 'I don’t know what to do'

December 03, 2020

Without action, "the short-term impact is going to be more economic deprivation," says James Sullivan, economics professor at the University of Notre Dame, whose research has found that roughly 7 million people have fallen into poverty since May, many of them African American, children and those without university degrees.

Decades of Gains Over U.S. Poverty At Risk of Being Wiped Out

November 28, 2020

Keeping a flow of government assistance open to poorer families will be crucial to ensure that the recovery from the pandemic doesn’t further exacerbate inequality, according to James Sullivan, an economics professor at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana.

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