Amy.Higgins@bos.frb.org
Biography
Amy joined the Boston Fed in 2015 after previous employment at the Cleveland Fed. She is an applied researcher whose work analyzes and informs policies affecting low- and moderate-income individuals and people and communities of color. Her primary research interests focus on household financial security; the racial wealth gap; access to credit, including mortgage market lending; consumer debt; and inflation inequality. Amy is currently pursuing her PhD in Social Policy, with a concentration in economic and racial equity, from Brandeis University.
Work Experience
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland:
Research Analyst in the Research Department 8/2013-7/2015
Quantitative Research Analyst Internship in the Community Development Department 5/2013-8/2013
Stark State Technical College:
Adjunct Faculty, Mathematics Department 1/2012-1/2013
Education
Brandeis University, 2020
Master of Arts in Social Policy
Case Western Reserve University, 2013
Master of Science in Management, Operations Research and Supply Chain Management (MSM-ORSC)
University of Akron, 2011
Bachelor of Science in Applied Mathematics and Economics
Publications
“Household perceptions of price changes and coping strategies,” with Michael Evangelist. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Community Development Field Note 24-1 (2024).
“There’s good news in the economic data, but low- and moderate-income households face challenges,” with Marybeth Mattingly. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Community Development Opinion Piece (2024).
“COVID-19 amplified gender disparities, hurting employment most for mothers and women of color,” with Rebecca Strull, Sara Chaganti, and Marybeth J. Mattingly. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Community Development Issue Brief 23-3 (2023).
Social Capital and Quantifying Success Factors for Cross-Sector Collaboration, with Erin Michelle Graves (2021). In Gitterman, D. P., & Britto, N. (Eds.). The Intersector: How the Public, Nonprofit, and Private Sectors Can Address America's Challenges, (pp. 187-199). Brookings Institution Press.
“Health Insurance and Essential Service Workers in New England: Who Lacks Access to Care for COVID-19?” with Sara Chaganti and Marybeth J. Mattingly. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Community Development Issue Brief 20-3 (2020).
"The Effects of the Novel Coronavirus Pandemic on Service Workers in New England,” with Sara Chaganti, Erin Michelle Graves, Marybeth J. Mattingly, Sarah Ann Savage, and Catherine Tonsberg. Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Community Development Issue Brief 20-1 (2020).
2016 Mortgage Lending Trends in New England. Community Development Issue Brief 18-4 (2018).
Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, Community Development Issue Brief, 2015 Mortgage Lending Trends in New England
2014 Mortgage Lending Trends in New England, with Jennifer Haynes. Community Development Issue Brief 15-2 (2015).
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Working Paper, Do Tenant- and Place-Based Rental Housing Programs Complement Each Other: Evidence from Ohio
Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Economic Trends, A College Education Saddles Young Households with Debt, but Still Pays Off