“Mentorship Networks and the Early Career Outcomes of College-educated Women” - Maria de Medeiros

Abstract:

Can mentorship programs improve women's job search and early career outcomes? We run a randomized controlled trial to evaluate a tailored online one-on-one mentorship program that connects experienced women to female college students or early career women, with most mentees being from socially vulnerable groups. We hypothesize that structured one-to-one mentoring programs increase self-confidence, networks, and job search readiness and improve labor market outcomes for the mentees, particularly for women from socially disadvantaged backgrounds. 

"Fostering a Gentler Flight from the Nest: Effects of Foster Care Reform on Labor Market Outcomes" - Kate Musen

Abstract:

Prior to the introduction of extended foster care in 2012, four to five thousand children aged out of foster care every year in California at age 18. The California Fostering Connections to Success Act (AB 12), which first took effect on January 1, 2012, extended foster care eligibility from up to age 18 to up to age 21 over the course of three years. Using an instrumented difference-in-differences design, I estimate the causal effects of AB 12 on college enrollment and earnings for the first youth affected by extended foster care. I find that each additional year of extended foster care increases the likelihood that youth enroll in college and increases earnings at 24 through 26. Aggregated effects mask substantial heterogeneity in the effects of extended care by race and gender, however, with non-Hispanic white men benefiting the most. Further work is needed to clarify the mechanisms behind the effects found and to design optimal foster care policy.