Yin Elected to National Academy of Social Insurance
Northwestern University’s Michelle Yin has been elected to the National Academy of Social Insurance, the nation’s leading nonpartisan organization focused on Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, disability policy, and related issues in social insurance, workforce, and economic security.
Yin, an associate professor in the School of Education and Social Policy, is director of the Dual Master’s Degree Program in Applied Economics and Social Policy, which is jointly offered with The Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her research spans education and labor economics, with a focus on disability employment and policy. She has led multiple disability-focused studies using experimental research designs.
An economist, Yin is leading a large federal grant examining how eliminating subminimum wages affects education and employment outcomes for people with disabilities, and how work-based learning and apprenticeships support economic independence.
“Michelle’s work helps us understand how economic and technological change affects real lives—and how policy can better respond,” said Bryan Brayboy, dean of the School of Education and Social Policy. “We’re proud to see her leadership and insight recognized at the national level.”
Yin directs the Research and Innovation for Social and Economic Inclusion Lab, which studies how technologies such as artificial intelligence, automation, and broadband access are reshaping opportunities in education and the workforce. “By connecting research, policy, and education, we want to help individuals and communities succeed in a rapidly changing world,” Yin said.
She previously served as principal investigator on an evaluation of a transition work-based learning model for youth with disabilities in Maine and as impact study lead for career pathway demonstration projects in Virginia and Kentucky.
Yin is currently principal investigator on two grants evaluating the impact of Special Olympics Unified Champion Schools on behavioral and academic outcomes for students with intellectual disabilities in the U.S. and abroad. She has also served as evaluator, or supported evaluation efforts, on several grant-funded projects focused on improving employment outcomes for people with disabilities.
She is also a co-investigator on a U.S. Department of Education–funded study examining universal design and accommodations for students with disabilities using National Assessment of Educational Progress process data.
“This election is a meaningful recognition of our work on disability employment, labor markets, and inclusive social policy,” Yin said. “It also reflects the broader strengths of our School in these areas.”