​If you work harder and earn more, your family should be better off. But for some on the government safety net, that may not always be the case.

On this episode Nic Dunn sits down with the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta’s Alex Ruder. Alex serves as Community and Economic Development Director and Principal Adviser for the Atlanta Fed, where he focuses on workforce development topics including benefits cliffs and career pathways.

They discuss the right way to define the benefits cliff problem, giving an overview of some tools available to policymakers seeking to fix work disincentives in the safety net.

Show notes:

• Mitigating Benefits Cliffs for Low-Income Families: District of Columbia Career Mobility Action Plan as a Case Study — Atlanta Fed
• Career Ladder Identifier and Financial Forecaster (CLIFF) — Atlanta Fed
• Work & Opportunity Issue Page — Sutherland Institute

Defending Ideas is a weekly podcast produced by Sutherland Institute. On this show we are committed to renewing the principles of common sense conservatism, equipping listeners to become more effective champions of sound principle and good policy. Visit defendingideas.org.