Michal Grinstein-Weiss, PhD, MSW, MA (Hebrew: מיכל גרינשטיין-וייס) is the Shanti K. Khinduka Distinguished Professor at the George Warren Brown School of Social Work at Washington University in St. Louis where she is also serves as the Associate Dean for Policy Initiatives, the director of the university-wide Social Policy Institute, and the founding director of the Centene Center for Health Transformation.
SPI uses research to inform interventions and policy solutions, while also developing, educating and training new leaders to help move this important work forward.
The institute informs policy change by sharing research findings and promising solutions with policymakers around the world with the goal that all people have equitable access to social and economic opportunities.
She 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.
[8] In addition to her most recent research efforts, Dr. Grinstein-Weiss is the principal investigator for a 10-year follow-up study of the American Dream Demonstration (ADD), the first large-scale test of Individual Development Accounts (IDAs) in the world.
[9] Grinstein-Weiss was instrumental in the effort to create equal opportunities for children in Israel and narrow income gaps for the next generation through the establishment of child development accounts.
The Knesset, Israel's national legislature, passed legislation in November 2015 that authorizes the development of and funding for long-term savings accounts for all newborns.
In partnership with the National Insurance Institute of Israel, which administers the child development account, the SPI research team is analyzing program enrollment and participation decisions of Israeli households that qualify for the SECP.
· Usage of public benefits (SNAP, TANF and unemployment insurance) increased during the pandemic, yet many households experienced long wait times, high rates of hardship and relied on high-cost alternative financial services.
She also serves as the faculty director in the Center's Washington University Behavioral Economics workgroup, using behavior-based strategies from the social sciences to shift the perspectives and environments in which people make decisions to improve participation, outcomes, and overall effectiveness of healthcare interventions.
Employer-sponsored FWPs have the potential to reach low- to moderate-income households at a much larger scale than community-based programs and in a financially sustainable manner.
R2S experiments measure the effect of behavioral economics techniques using a randomized controlled trial with the goal of increasing savings at tax time.
The tax refund is the largest check most households receive all year, and because it is outside of normal budgets and income, it may present a golden moment to increase families’ financial security.
[4] Her work has been featured in numerous media outlets such as the Wall Street Journal, New York Times, CNBC, C-SPAN, CNN, NBS, National Public Radio, Forbes, Chicago Policy Review, and Daily Finance.