Martha Bailey

Martha Bailey is a Professor of Economics at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), and a Research Associate at the National Bureau of Economic Research (NBER). Her research focuses on labor economics, demography, and health within a long-run economic history framework, emphasizing the impacts of modern contraception, public policies like the Great Society programs, and historical social safety nets. Bailey leads the NSF-funded LIFE-M project and the M-CARES study, and serves on the editorial boards of the American Economic Review and Journal of Labor Economics.

She holds a Ph.D. and M.A. in Economics from Vanderbilt University (2005 and 2003). Her work examines topics such as intergenerational mobility, the effects of public education, and the long-term consequences of policies like the Equal Pay Act and Civil Rights Act. Recent research includes analyses of paid family leave, contraceptive access, and the socioeconomic impacts of historical events like the Great Depression and the 1960s civil rights legislation.

Notable projects include the creation of the LIFE-M database, which tracks family and individual trajectories over time, and the M-CARES study evaluating contraceptive accessibility. Her scholarship bridges historical and contemporary issues, with a focus on gender equality, poverty reduction, and healthcare equity. Though no specific awards are listed, her contributions to economic history and labor economics are widely recognized in academic circles.

Advising and grants encompass NSF funding for longitudinal studies and evaluations of social policies. Bailey’s work often intersects with interdisciplinary teams, emphasizing methodological innovation in historical data analysis. She is a key figure in understanding how past policies shape current socioeconomic disparities and opportunities.