Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Michal Grinstein-Weiss conducts research on improving health and socio-economic mobility for low-income households by creating scalable, evidence-based interventions to inform and shape policy, domestically and internationally. Grinstein-Weiss serves as director of the university-wide Social Policy Institute.

As an influential voice in the design of innovative savings and asset-building policies, Grinstein-Weiss is pioneering the field of tax-time savings and spearheading Israel’s creation of a national child savings account program. Her work also merges behavioral science and managed healthcare toward the goal of creating evidence-based solutions for effective healthcare. 

She has led successful research collaborations for top industry, government, and philanthropic partners, including Fortune 500 companies, major foundations, and government agencies. Her work has been featured in popular media such as National Public Radio and The Wall Street Journal and published in top-tier academic journals, including American Economic Journal, Social Service, Review, and Social Work Research. 

She serves as a Nonresident Senior Fellow in Global Economy and Development at the Brookings Institution, has held leadership roles with the Clinton Global Initiative, and was recently identified as one of the highest-impact social work scholars by Research on Social Work Practice.

Michal Grinstein-Weiss

Areas of Focus:

  • Social and economic development
  • Savings and asset building
  • Tax-time savings
  • Behavioral economics
  • Health behavior change

Featured Publications

Financial well-being in low- and moderate-income households: How does it compare to the general population?
December 2018

Financial Shocks, Liquid Assets, and Material Hardship in Low- and Moderate-Income Households: Differences by Race
Journal of Economics, Race, and Policy
December 2018

The Impact of the Gig-Economy on Financial Hardship Among Low-Income Families
November 30 2018