Examining the Impact on Social Safety Nets

In the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Angie Jo, a doctoral candidate in political science at Harvard University, found her primary research thrust defined. Jo's academic journey, initially focused on art and architecture, pivoted during her time at Harvard, leading her to delve into political economy.

Before pursuing her doctoral studies, Jo worked in macroeconomics research at a hedge fund and earned a master's degree in city planning at MIT. Her master's degree research focused on the political economy of master-planning new cities as a form of industrial policy in China and South Korea.

Jo's current research focuses on advanced industrialized democracies classified as "liberal welfare regimes," such as the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, and Australia. Specifically, her research explores why and how welfare states respond to collective crises.

Initially, Jo was unaware of the serious problems faced by wealthy Western democracies. However, the Covid-19 pandemic revealed the challenges these countries faced, contrasting sharply with "social democratic welfare regimes" like those in Scandinavian countries, which already have a deep and comprehensive welfare state.

Jo's research question revolves around understanding the mismatch between minimal investment in social welfare during normal times and massive aid during crises in liberal welfare regimes. During the pandemic, liberal welfare regimes implemented stimulus checks, expanded unemployment insurance, child tax credits, grants, and debt forbearance that might normally have faced backlash.

Liberal welfare regimes exhibit a different pattern, with government assistance viewed as a last resort during normal periods but historically unprecedented amounts spent on emergency aid during the pandemic. Countries typically seen as the least generous on social welfare deployed the most dramatic emergency responses.

Jo's research aims to answer the question of what happens when the next crisis comes in liberal welfare regimes. Her doctoral research is a comparative exploration of welfare states, focusing on why and how they respond to collective crises.

Jo's research also focuses on understanding the interactions between markets and governments in advanced industrialized democracies. Her doctoral studies began in 2019, coinciding with the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, and her research focus shifted dramatically as a result.

In liberal welfare regimes, government assistance is means-tested and minimal, and the responsibility to manage risk is put on the individual. Jo's research examines whether these responses lead to lasting institutional reforms or only temporary measures.

In conclusion, Angie Jo's doctoral research provides valuable insights into the responses of advanced industrialized democracies with liberal welfare regimes during collective crises, contributing to a better understanding of the interactions between markets and governments in these societies.