As my internship with Scioto Analysis concludes, I have reflected on this opportunity and the insights I gained from analyzing the Moving to Opportunity program.
I am someone who loves to learn. As a graduate of the spring 2025 class at the University of Washington, Scioto Analysis has given me the opportunity to continue to develop my skills in policy research in a professional setting. To apply my educational background under the guidance of policy analysts with years of experience was deeply rewarding and will undoubtedly serve me well as I grow as an emerging professional.
I want to give special thanks to Scioto Analysis Principal Rob Moore for guiding me through the summer internship. His expertise was invaluable to completing my Cost-Benefit Analysis. From understanding the basics of social valuations, to developing the impact list, and handling the technical aspects of creating economic models, his support during our weekly meetings helped my understanding of policy analysis tremendously.
The Moving to Opportunity Cost-Benefit Analysis was such a fulfilling project to work on; current iterations of the program have proven beneficial for low-income families in the short term and have shown strong promise for improving long-term outcomes for younger children. Expanding this program to 1,000 families is an exciting prospect with serious potential for improving the lives of the next generation of Ohioans. Every dollar of value created through this program represents the potential for a material improvement in the life of a child.
Developing and refining the list of impacts included in this analysis was the most rigorous yet satisfying portion of this project. This process involved theorizing a range of potential impacts, working with Rob to determine which effects would be included, analyzed qualitatively or quantitatively, and how they would be calculated, and how they would influence our model. Through this internship I was able to hone my skills in research and problem solving and built a complex model with many interdependent components. I consulted over 20 different sources while analyzing these impacts, with the National Institute of Health and the United States Census Bureau standing out as particularly valuable resources.
Much of my analysis draws from insights included in The Effects of Exposure to Better Neighborhoods on Children: New Evidence from the Moving to Opportunity Experiment by economists Raj Chetty, Nathaniel Hendren, and Lawrence F. Katz. Their follow-up study on the 1994 experiment provides valuable information on how the program has affected outcomes for children who moved at a young age and theorizes how the change in neighborhood conditions may continue to benefit their life trajectory as they grow into adulthood. Their study served as a blueprint for similar economic mobility programs like Families Flourish, which currently serves nearly 100 single mother households in Ohio and consistently receives positive participant feedback.
I am proud of the work that I’ve completed with Scioto Analysis and am thankful for the kindness and guidance the team has provided me. I plan to continue to closely follow Moving to Opportunity-styled programs like Families Flourish and the growing body of research evaluating their effects on children and families.