Embedded Files
Gopi studied economics in order to generate evidence to address important policy issues. During her government service, she contributed to a wide range of policy areas including health care, Covid-19, child care, pensions, the labor market recovery and competition policy. This work involved conducting internal research and analysis, producing external communications, interfacing with other offices and agencies as part of the policy process, and preparing briefings on releases of new statistical data.
Public Service
Public Service
From July 2021 - July 2022, with support from Stanford's Scholars in Service program, Gopi served as a senior economist at the White House Council of Economic Advisers. She also served on California Governor Gavin Newsom's Council of Economic Advisors from January to August 2024.
Briefing Book
Briefing Book
Gopi is a founding member of Briefing Book, a collaboration among economists with research and policy experience that aims to help its readers develop informed views about economic policy issues. Briefing Book publishes regular posts on a wide array of policy topics and is read by a community of academics, policymakers and journalists.
Research in Rulemaking
Research in Rulemaking
Gopi is working to facilitate the creation and submission of evidence-based public comments on rules and regulations issued by federal agencies by academic researchers. Through this effort, she participated in a webinar co-hosted with Yale's Tobin Center for Economic Policy and the White House Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs (OIRA) regarding the historic revisions to regulatory cost-benefit analysis guidelines.
Media coverage
Media coverage
The Significance and Solvency of Social Security | Econofact Chats, May 2025.
What’s Happening With Social Security | Scholars Strategy Network, April 2025.
How excess deaths in the COVID-19 pandemic impacted Social Security , Marketplace, February 2025.
Ageing Populations, Health Economics, and Covid-19 | Beverage Report Podcast, January 2025.
Older Americans are falling through the cracks of the programs designed to save them, Business Insider, December 2024.
Social Security: Are future benefits in peril? WDSU, November 2024.
How Much Does Long COVID Cost Society? New Data Shed Light, Medscape, October 2024.
Fixing Social Security means raising taxes -- and not just on the superrich, Vox, October 2024.
Trump’s Tax-Cut Proposal Shakes Up Social Security Debate, The Wall Street Journal, September 2024.
Social Security benefits have lost 20% of their buying power since 2010, report finds, Marketplace, July 2024.
How economists could make themselves more useful, Financial Times, April 2024.
7 Proposals to Close the Racial Retirement Gap, AARP, October 2023.
Long Covid has led to financial hardship for patients, research finds. Experts say these changes can help, CNBC, July 2023.
More Americans are retiring than ever before. See what that means for you. The Washington Post, July 2023.
Long COVID may be to blame for surge in women with disabilities, putting them out of work, Financial Post, March 2023.
Long Covid has an 'underappreciated' role in labor shortage, study finds, CNBC, January 2023.
Long Covid is distorting the labor market — and that’s bad for the U.S. economy, CNBC, December 2022.
Covid’s Drag on the Workforce Proves Persistent. ‘It Sets Us Back.’, The Wall Street Journal, November 2022.
Why retirement calculators fail the people who need them most and what to do about it, Marketwatch, October 2022.
COVID symptoms blamed for 500,000 workers not returning to labor pool, New York Post, September 2022.
Covid Made Labor Force Shrink by 500,000, Reason for Labor Shortage, Business Insider, September 2022.
Now we know how many people COVID is keeping out of the workforce—and how much it's costing us. Long COVID is only the tip of the iceberg, Fortune, September 2022.
Covid-19 and labor supply, Marginal Revolution, September 2022.
Covid caused huge shortages in US labor market, study shows, The Guardian, September 2022.
Long-haul COVID symptoms drain the workforce, Marketplace, September 2022.
Who Are America’s Missing Workers?, The New York Times, September 2022.
Covid-19 Illnesses Are Keeping at Least 500,000 Workers Out of U.S. Labor Force, Study Says, The Wall Street Journal, September 2022.
In ‘Great Resignation,’ some are retiring early but delaying Social Security, The Washington Post, November 2021.
There’s a proposal to pay Social Security benefits at a flat rate. Here’s how it would work, CNBC, December 2020.
How to Undo Claiming Social Security Early, U.S. News and World Report, May 2020.
For a larger Social Security check, tap your IRA first, CNBC, April 2019.
Struggling to save money? Blame your brain, Policygenius, November 2018.
Fears Obamacare Would Be a Job Killer Were Wrong, Study Finds, The Wall Street Journal, July 2017.
The Two Biases that Keep People from Saving Money, The Atlantic, July 2016.
Our Blind Spots Cut Retirement Savings, Squared Away, April 2016. One of most popular posts of 2016.
Investing for Your Future Health Care, The New York Times, March 2016.
How Does Your 401(k) Contribution Translate Into Retirement Income?, MarketWatch, September 2015.
Two Mental Roadblocks That Keep Us From Saving, NextAvenue, September 2015.
The Real Reasons Americans Aren't Saving Enough for Retirement, Money, August 2015.
The $24 Billion Workers Are Leaving on the Table: Why are employees passing up so much free 401(k) money, NextAvenue, May 2015.
This Mental Trick Could Help You Save More Money, Business Insider, May 2014.
The More You Know, The More You Save, Marketplace, April 2014.
The Most Important Thing to Know About Your 401(k), NextAvenue, June 2013.
The Easiest Way to Get People to Save More, U.S. News and World Report, March 2012.
Why People Don't Buy Long-Term Care Insurance, Forbes, September 2011.
Report Urges Raising Social Security Age, The Wall Street Journal, August 2008.
Economists Warn of Effects of Age Inflation, The Wall Street Journal, August 2008.
Citations in policy discourse
Citations in policy discourse
2024 Economic Report of the President, March 2024.
OMB Circular No. A-4: Explanation and Response to Public Input, November 2023.
U.S. Families' Experiences of the COVID-19 Pandemic: Evidence from the Survey of Consumer Finances | Federal Reserve Board, October 2023.
2023 Economic Report of the President, March 2023.
Social Security: Potential Impacts of Changes in Computation Years | CRS, December 2022.
Speech by Chair Powell on inflation and the labor market | Federal Reserve Board, December 2022.
Pension Benefit Statements-Lifetime Income Illustrations Interim Final Rule | DOL-EBSA, September 2020.
Federal Interagency Task Force on Long-Term Care Insurance | US Treasury, August 2020.
Saving for Retirement: Household Decisionmaking and Policy Options| CRS, July 2020.
RETIREMENT SECURITY: Income and Wealth Disparities Continue through Old Age | GAO, August 2019.
Consumer insights on managing funds at the time of retirement | CFPB, June 2017.
Issue Brief Three: The Economic Security of Older Women | US Treasury Department, January 2017.
SOCIAL SECURITY: Improvements to Claims Process Could Help People Make Better Informed Decisions about Retirement Benefits | GAO, September 2016.
How Much Nursing Home Care Can Home Equity Finance? | ASPE, March 2016.
RETIREMENT SECURITY Shorter Life Expectancy Reduces Projected Lifetime Benefits for Lower Earners | GAO, March 2016.
Social Security Policy Options | CBO, December 2015.
Utility and Effectiveness of the Long-Term Care Savings Plan | Nebraska Legislature Performance Audit Committee, November 2015.
2016 Expiring Tax Credits | State of Oregon Legislative Revenue Office, February 2015.
Why Has Growth in Spending for Fee-for-Service Medicare Slowed? | CBO, August 2013.
Pension Benefit Statements - Advanced Notice of Proposed Rulemaking | DOL-EBSA, May 2013.
A Review of Selected Tax Expenditures | State of Minnesota House Research and Fiscal Analysis Department, March 2009.
Policy and issue briefs
Policy and issue briefs
How proposed changes to Medicaid are expected to impact near-elderly Americans, May 2025 (with Richard Frank and Lily Nevo).
Expanding in-home care coverage is a needed evolution of Medicare, October 2024 (with Courtney van Houtven).
The financial status of entitlement programs: what the headlines miss, May 2024 (with Emma Casey).
How could health insurance change with the 2024 election? March 2024 (with Emma Casey).
How can we strengthen the direct care workforce? December 2023 (with Aaron Sojourner).
How can societies prepare for an aging population? October 2023.
Improving health care access for low-income Medicare beneficiaries - The Hamilton Project, October 2023 (with Jason Brown).
Strengthening the Social Security safety net, April 2023 (with Andrew Biggs).
How Should Women Think about Social Security Decisions?, November 2022 (with Melinda Morrill).
Excess Mortality during the Pandemic: The Role of Health Insurance, July 2022 (with CEA staff).
Reducing the Economic Burden of Unmet Mental Health Needs, May 2022 (with CEA staff).
Care Businesses: A Model that Doesn't Work for Providers, Workers, or Families, April 2022 (with CEA staff).
Mechanisms Behind Retirement Saving Behavior: Evidence From Administrative and Survey Data, February 2018 (with Matthew Levy, Colleen Manchester, Aaron Sojourner, and Joshua Tasoff).
How Do Distributions from Retirement Accounts Respond to Early Withdrawal Penalties?, June 2017 (with Damon Jones and Shanthi Ramnath).
The Role of Exponential-Growth Bias and Present Bias in Retirement Savings, May 2015 (with Matthew Levy, Colleen Manchester, Aaron Sojourner, and Joshua Tasoff).
How Do Retirement Income Projections Affect Saving Behavior?, February 2014 (with Colleen Manchester and Aaron Sojourner).
Do Income Projections Affect Retirement Saving?, April 2013 (with Colleen Manchester and Aaron Sojourner).
Does Understanding the Relation Between Retirement Contributions and Future Monthly Income Encourage Savings?, February 2012 (with Colleen Manchester and Aaron Sojourner).
Health Care Spending and the Federal Budget, July 2011.
Long-Term Care Financing: Is Increasing Insurance Coverage Good Policy?, May 2010.
Non-technical research summaries
Non-technical research summaries
Economic Report of the President draws on work of SIEPR scholars | Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research, April 2024.
In COVID Year 2, Older Workers Faced Tough Choices | Center for Retirement Research, March 2023
Long-Term Care Insurance Changes Employment Among Adult Children with Aging Parents | Penn LDI, October 2023.
Work and Benefit Applications through the Second Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic | NBER, March 2023.
Study finds ‘substantial’ costs on workers with severe COVID-19 illnesses | Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), September 2022.
The Minimum Wage and Social Security Disability Insurance | NBER, March 2021.
Implicit Taxes on Work at Older Ages | NBER, June 2018.
Q&A: Why Obamacare isn't a job killer | Stanford Institute for Economic Policy Research (SIEPR), August 2017.
How Biases Affect Retirement Savings | NBER, March 2016.
Liquidity, Mortality, and Early Social Security Claiming | NBER, November 2015.
How Well Are Social Security Recipients Protected from Inflation? | NBER, December 2010.
Default Rules for Retirement Plan Selection | NBER, September 2010.
A Conversation with Austan Goolsbee and Kevin Hassett
A Conversation with Austan Goolsbee and Kevin Hassett
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