Welcome to my website! I'm Gabrielle Pepin, and I'm a senior economist at the W.E. Upjohn Institute for Employment Research, focusing on the intersection of public economics, labor economics, and public policy. I'm especially interested in how the design of tax and transfer programs—including child care subsidies, cash assistance, and unemployment insurance—shapes work, caregiving, and economic opportunity.
I study how the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit (CDCTC), a state and federal tax credit intended to partially offset the cost of care, affects parents’ paid child care use and labor market outcomes. I also examine how the CDCTC affects caregivers of older or disabled adults and how key policy reforms would expand its value and reach.
In other work, I study effects of changes in the design of the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program, the federal cash assistance program for low-income families with children. I also am involved in evaluations of the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) program, which aims to reduce the amount of time beneficiaries receive unemployment insurance (UI) by speeding their return to work.