Anna Bokun

Sociology PhD Candidate

MPC Population Studies Trainee Alumna

bokun001@umn.edu

College of Liberal Arts Page

Curriculum Vitae

Research Interests

Sociology of Work | Education & Workforce Transitions | Family Demography | Policy Analysis | Life Course

Biography

I am a Sociology PhD Candidate and a Trainee alumna at the Minnesota Population Center.

I have two main research streams: the sociology of work and family demography, with a special focus on cash transfers as policy tools. I use statistical methods alongside intersectional, descriptive analyses to study how economic inequality shapes education-workforce transitions, fertility, and how they are patterned for different demographic subgroups. I also specialize in research methodologies, measurement, open science, and reproducibility.

My dissertation, supervised by Dr. Ann Meier, analyzes the relationship between job displacement, occupational retraining, and economic mobility for non-college educated workers, with a focus on sub-baccalaureate programs. In all 3 empirical chapters, I use the Statewide Longitudinal Education Data System of Minnesota (SLEDS), a unique panel of administrative, linked education-workforce data.

My long-term research agenda has broadened to consider how social policies, such as cash transfers and basic income programs, can cushion against employment dislocations and support families’ economic well-being. My work in this area extends beyond academia. Currently, I am a Graduate Research Fellow at Hennepin County, Minnesota, working on a quantitative evaluation of the County’s Guaranteed Basic Income cash transfer pilot.

Presentations

2023 American Educational Research Association Annual Meeting (Chicago, IL). “The Effect of Job Displacement on Post-secondary Enrollment: Evidence from Minnesota.”

2022 Gerontological Society of America Annual Meeting (Indianapolis, IN). “Older Americans Living Alone: An Intersectional Analysis of the Risks of Social Isolation During the Covid-19 Pandemic” (co-authored with Phyllis Moen and Sarah Flood)

2022 Population Association of America Annual Meeting (Atlanta, GA) | The Network for Data-Intensive Research on Aging (NDIRA) (Minneapolis, MN). “Follow the Yellow Brick Road: The Effects of Occupational Retraining on Economic Mobility.”

2021 Population Association of America Annual Meeting (virtual).

– “Couples’ Work Arrangements After First Birth: The Role of Family Leave Policies.” (co-authored with Ann Meier, Kelly Musick, and Jessie Himmelstern)

– “The Unequal Impact of Covid-19 on Children’s Economic Vulnerability." (co-authored with Ann Meier, Kelly Musick, Jessie Himmelstern, Wonjeong Jeong, and Rob Warren)

2020 Population Association of America | American Sociological Association Annual Meetings (virtual). “Couples’ Labor Market Involvement After Parenthood: The Role of Local Economic Conditions.” (co-authored with Ann Meier and Rob Warren)

2020 Minnesota Population Center Workshop Series | The Inaugural Cross-Center Demography Seminar (“DemSemX”), organized by 8 U.S. population centers (virtual). “Baby Boom or Bust? Cash Transfers and Fertility: Poland’s Family 500+ Program.”