Director, Income and Benefits Policy Center, Urban Institute

Greg Acs’ work focuses on the causes and consequences of long-term unemployment and policies intended to address them. In recent work, Dr. Acs has studied the relationship between the income support programs and work, employers in the low-wage labor market, changes in economic mobility and economic security with a focus on low-income working families.  Dr. Acs has also completed several reports on the well-being of children across living arrangements, how welfare policies influence family composition, and the status of families leaving welfare. He recently took a leave from the Urban Institute to serve as Unit Chief for Labor and Income Security in the Congressional Budget Office.  Dr. Acs holds a Ph.D. in economics and social work from the University of Michigan.

Recent publications include:

• Acs, Gregory.  2011.  Downward Mobility from the Middle Class:  Waking Up From the American Dream.  Washington, DC:  Economic Mobility Project, The Pew Charitable Trusts.
• Acs, Gregory.  2010.  Book Review:  Making the Work-Based Safety Net Work Better: Forward-Looking Policies to Help Low-Income Families.  Contemporary Sociology: A Journal of Reviews.  39(September): 573-575.
• Acs, Gregory and Austin Nichols.  2010. America Insecure:  Changes in the Economic Security of American Families. Low-Income Working Families Discussion Paper #16. Washington, DC: The Urban Institute.
• Acs, Gregory, Pamela Loprest, and Caroline Ratcliffe. 2010. “Progress Toward Self-Sufficiency for Low-Wage Workers.”  (with Caroline Ratcliffe and Pamela Loprest). Report to the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation of the US Department of Health and Human Services.