How Has BOND Affected Work Outcomes by Race?

Amal Harrati and Denise Hoffman, Mathematica Policy Research and John Jones, U.S. Social Security Administration

We propose to re-examine impacts from the Benefit Offset National Demonstration (BOND) to explore racial differences in outcomes. Specifically, we will examine: 1) whether racial differences in program impact exist; and 2) the extent to which differences can be traced to community-level racial inequities in economic conditions. This research can highlight structural forces that contribute to racial disparities in return to work and inform future SSA efforts to tailor program implementation to help alleviate these disparities. Racial inequalities in local labor market conditions and opportunities may have limited the reach of the BOND intervention for some or all participants. This analysis will identify characteristics of participants’ communities that may hinder employment opportunities by race. We will pair data from the BOND impact analysis with four well-validated measures of racial inequalities in employment and economic conditions for participants’ county of residence.