Barbara (Bobbi) Wolfe

Barbara Wolfe is Professor of Economics, Population Health Sciences, and Public Affairs at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and Faculty Affiliate at the Institute for Research on Poverty. Her research focuses broadly on poverty and health issues. Current projects examine the effect of expansions in public health insurance on health-care coverage and labor force outcomes; the role of income on health using a natural experiment; whether housing voucher programs lead to higher earnings, higher quality child care, and less reliance on other public assistance programs; the adequacy of resources when individuals retire and during their first decade of retirement; and the increasing selectivity of high quality universities. Recent work addresses the effects of welfare reform; economics of disability; ties among income, wealth, and health; racial disparities in health; and intergenerational determinants of success in young adults. She is a member of the Institute of Medicine and vice-chair of the National Academy of Sciences/Institute of Medicine Board on Children, Youth and Families.

Professor Wolfe’s recent articles have appeared in the Journal of Public Economics, Journal of Human Resources, International Journal of Health Care Finance and Economics, Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Economy Inquiry, Journal of Health Economics, and Demography. She received her doctorate in economics from the University of Pennsylvania.