News // Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities // University of Notre Dame

LEO Faculty Affiliate Craig Gundersen talks SNAP program with the Washington Post.

Published: April 01, 2017

LEO Faculty Affiliate Craig Gundersen sat down with the Washington Post to debunk some of the common misconceptions readers have about SNAP. Read the article here…

The Fiscal Case for Refugee Resettlement

Published: March 30, 2017

Author: Steven Koich

New research from LEO Co-Founder Bill Evans shows first-of-its-kind evidence of the fiscal case for the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program. The Issue A common argument for scaling back the U.S. refugee program is a fiscal one: that it places an...

LEO Faculty Affiliate Abigail Wozniak Reflects on her Time as a White House Adviser

Published: December 15, 2016

Author: Steven Koich

Notre Dame economist and LEO faculty affiliate Abigail Wozniak spent the 2014-15 academic year giving non-partisan expert advice to the White House as part of the Council of Economic Advisers. “It’s not something you apply for. It’s more of...

LEO’s James Sullivan presents homelessness prevention study on Capitol Hill

Published: December 14, 2016

Author: Brittany Collins Kaufman

James Sullivan, Rev. Thomas J. McDonagh, C.S.C., Associate Professor of Economics and co-founder of the Wilson-Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities at the University of Notre Dame, will participate...

In the News: LEO Partner and CEO

Published: November 15, 2016

Author: Steven Koich

LEO partner and CEO of Sparrow Mobile Matt Bauer discusses the RefugeeMobile project and how bringing together technology and research can improve the integration of refugees into the U.S. Sparrow mobile helps refugees integrate into the U.S. by providing them...

Economics chair William Evans to present research on refugees to USCCB

Published: November 14, 2016

Author: Tom Lange

William Evans and Danny Fitzgerald’s findings indicate that over the course of 20 years, refugees adapt to American life and, on average, pay more in taxes than they receive in benefits.

James Sullivan to testify before Commission on Evidence-Based Policymaking

Published: November 02, 2016

Author: Rachel Fulcher-Dawson

James Sullivan, co-founder of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Development and Rev. Thomas J. McDonagh, C.S.C., Associate Professor of Economics at the University of Notre Dame, will testify Nov. 4 in...

LEO receives NSF award to research the impact of homelessness

Published: August 15, 2016

Author: Rachel Fulcher-Dawson

LEO Professor James X. Sullivan, Thomas J. McDonagh, C.S.C., Associate Professor of Economics and co-Founder of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) has received an award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to support the evaluation of the impact...

LEO Study on Homelessness Prevention Published in Science

Published: August 12, 2016

Author: Steven Koich

Co-Founders Jim Sullivan and Bill Evans and recent Notre Dame grad Melanie Wallskog (Econ ’16) determined the impact of receiving emergency funding on those at risk of homelessness in Chicago. “Policymakers and housing experts have long debated how best to...

LEO Presents Research at Shamrock Series

Published: November 30, 2015

Author: Elisabeth O'Toole

LEO recently headed to Boston to participate in the Shamrock Series events. The University of Notre Dame’s Department of Economics hosted a panel, “Combining Research and Practice to Serve the Poor.” Alongside panelists from the...

Nutritional assistance programs would benefit from analysis, economist testifies before subcommittee

Published: July 15, 2015

Author: William G. Gilroy

James Sullivan, Rev. Thomas J. McDonagh, C.S.C., associate professor of economics and director of the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO) at the University of Notre Dame, testified Wednesday (July 15) before the U.S. House of Representatives...

White House report on juvenile offender diversion programs highlights project with LEO ties

Published: July 15, 2015

Author: Michael O. Garvey

A White House Council of Economic Advisers report released Tuesday (July 14) includes an account of Reading for Life (RFL), a local...

Reading For Life Receives National Recognition by White House

Published: July 15, 2015

Author: Steven Koich

Reading for Life has been recognized as one of only three programs focused on helping disadvantaged youth recommended by the White House. Earlier this year, the Council of Economic Advisers was tasked with researching and recommending programs with concrete evidence of reducing violence...

LEO Receives $435,000 NIH Grant to Study Impact of Community College Intervention Program

Published: June 26, 2015

Author: Josh Weinhold

Notre Dame’s Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities has received a $435,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health for a two-year study of Stay the Course, a program designed to keep low-income community...

New CCUSA President Discusses Future of LEO Partnership in Philanthropy Interview

Published: January 13, 2015

Author: Elisabeth O'Toole

CCUSA announced the selection of Sister Donna Markham as the next President of CCUSA. In her first interview, she discusses LEO’s role in her future plans for CCUSA. Read the entire interview in the Chronicle of Philanthropy.…

LEO Affiliate Melissa Kearney and Catholic Charities Featured in Washington Post

Published: December 15, 2014

Author: Elisabeth O'Toole

LEO Affiliate Professor Melissa Kearney's research on the "college trap" is featured in this Washington Post article. In this article, she discusses her work on the LEO evaluation of Catholic Charities Fort Worth's Stay the Course program. Read the...

LEO Featured in the Chronicle of Philanthropy

Published: December 08, 2014

Author: Elisabeth O'Toole

An article in The Chronicle of Philanthropy features LEO's work with Catholic Charities Forth Worth. Read the full article.…

What would you fight for? LEO and Catholic Charities Fort Worth featured in ND commercial

Published: November 22, 2014

Author: Elisabeth O'Toole

LEO and Catholic Charities Forth Worth were featured in the "What Would You Fight For" Commercial during the Notre Dame vs. Louisville football game on November 22, 2014. Watch the commercial: Fighting to Create Economic Opportunity.…

LEO Founders Deliver Keynote at CCUSA Annual Gathering 2014

Published: November 19, 2014

Author: Shawna Kolka

LEO Co-Founders Professor Bill Evans and Professor Jim Sullivan were invited to be the keynote speakers at the 2014 Catholic Charities USA Annual Gathering. The CCUSA Annual Gathering is a yearly conference that brings together representatives of Catholic Charities member...

Notre Dame’s Lab for Economic Opportunities Endowed with $15 Million Gift from the Wilson Sheehan Foundation

Published: August 26, 2014

Author: Dennis Brown

The Wilson Sheehan Foundation has made a $15 million gift to the University of Notre Dame to endow the Wilson Sheehan Lab for Economic Opportunities (LEO), a recent University initiative that seeks to reduce poverty in the...