Ariella Spitzer is passionate about building evidence to promote programs and policies that reduce labor market inequality and improve public well-being. Currently, her research focuses on designing and conducting studies of employment programs and policies serving disadvantaged and vulnerable populations.
Spitzer specializes in overseeing impact evaluations of programs offering training and employment supports to underemployed populations. She served as the co-project director and co-principal investigator for the America’s Promise Impact Evaluation of 22 job-driven grants, which estimated the impact of participation in grant-funded job training programs. Currently, she oversees the impact evaluation team for an evaluation of pre- and post-release job-driven employment services funded by Pathway Home grants for justice involved individuals. Spitzer also works on a large, randomized evaluation of the use of enhanced training for career navigators in adult education. Spitzer is leading early-stage work developing evaluation designs for two Department of Labor programs providing occupational training and supports to historically marginalized populations. In related work, she directs a project using a dynamic choice survey to understand the impact of benefit loss on whether recipients of means-tested benefits choose to accept new earnings opportunities. Across her work, she believes that participatory research methods strengthen quantitative and qualitative research by incorporating the expertise of individuals with lived experience.
Before joining Mathematica, Spitzer received a Ph.D. in public policy from Harvard University. Her dissertation estimated disparities in labor market outcomes by race, adjusting for survey nonresponse. Her research has been published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Journal of Economic Perspectives, Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, Journal of Nutrition, and the Future of Children. Before pursuing her doctoral degree, Spitzer worked as a senior analyst at the Analysis Group.
The America’s Promise Job-Driven Grant program developed and expanded regional training partnerships. Partnerships offered free education and training in high-demand industries. We evaluate the impact of these programs on participant earnings and employment in the two years following enrollment.
Learn MoreFrom local to global challenges in health, human services, and international development, we’re here to improve public well-being and make progress together. Learn more about becoming a Mathematica client or partner.
Work With Us