Stephen Roll
Assistant Professor
Contact
Phone: 314-935-3710
Email: stephen.roll@wustl.edu
Education
PhD, John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University
Areas of Focus
Financial well-being
Asset building
Debt management
Low-income populations
Cash transfer policy
Biography
Stephen Roll’s (he/him) research focuses on promoting asset building, debt management, and economic security in lower-income populations. Working within the , where he is the Director of Research, he is involved in research on cash transfers, child savings, and the role of public and employer-based benefits programs in promoting (or harming) economic and social mobility. Roll serves on the Editorial Review Board of the Journal of Consumer Affairs and as a co-lead of the Grand Challenges for Social Work Network to Reduce Extreme Economic Inequality.
His most recent work focuses on the role of cash transfer programs in improving household balance sheets and economic mobility outcomes, which includes studies of the Expanded Child Tax Credit and six Guaranteed Income experiments in Georgia, North Carolina, and Missouri. He is also leading studies examining the barriers to economic mobility embedded in many public benefits programs.
His work has been featured in numerous media outlets including The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The Washington Post, and the New York Times, and he has briefed the White House Domestic Policy Council, the Senate Joint Economic Committee, and the United States Supreme Court on the results of his research.
Prior to joining the Brown School, he worked in the private sector as a consultant for Proctor & Gamble.
In Brown School News
Assistance needed in Aisle 1: What Missouri WIC families face
September 2, 2026
WashU researchers launch next phase of wealth-building research
August 12, 2026
Public benefits ‘cliffs’ can trap low-wage workers, study finds
July 29, 2026
Panel explores how federal cuts could reshape support for St. Louis families
July 9, 2026
Guaranteed income improved artists’ finances, innovation
April 10, 2026
Publications
Financial well-being in low- and moderate-income households: How does it compare to the general population?
December 2018