In this episode, Provost Richard Locke speaks with Economist John Friedman, whose work combines economics, big data, and public policy to understand why some children rise out of poverty and some do not.

He’s particularly interested in measuring upward mobility - or what we call “the American Dream”- whether low income children grow up to earn more than their parents.

His research is designed to inform powerful policy changes across the country, in specific neighborhoods, and on college campuses.