Policy analysis and research on benefit cliffs, economic mobility, and the organizations navigating them.
The CLIFF Index models what happens to low- and moderate-income households when their earnings rise. Using the Atlanta Fed's Policy Rules Database, it counts how many hit a benefits cliff, how much they lose, and which program drives it.
By Luke Poulsen
ReadAll 95 Tennessee counties analyzed for benefits cliff exposure using Census ACS 2024 data. County-level data on cliff zone families, wage suppression, and marginal tax rates.
By Luke Poulsen
ReadStarting October 2026, the federal SNAP match drops from 50% to 25%. CSBG was proposed for elimination. WIOA is $400M–$1B short. Three funding crises are converging on the same organizations.
By Luke Poulsen
ReadSNAP and Medicaid now require 80 hours per month of documented activity — from the same families, reported to separate agencies. Arkansas showed what happens without coordination: 18,000 lost coverage in seven months.
By Luke Poulsen
ReadThe Upward Mobility Act would let states combine 10 federal programs into one stream with graduated benefit phase-outs. 12 states are already piloting cliff mitigation.
By Luke Poulsen
ReadThe government shutdown revealed a hidden truth: fragmented poverty management systems create ongoing disaster-level costs that remain invisible during normal times.
By Scott C. Miller & Mark Farley
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