Emmi Obara

Ph.D. Candidate

Biography

Emmi Obara is a doctoral candidate expecting to graduate in Spring 2020. Emmi’s doctoral work focuses on policies that affect incarceration and reentry in the United States, such as criminal justice, poverty, and racial inequality. Her dissertation concentrates on how individuals cycle through prison multiple times with a particular focus on variation in trends across states. Her work is funded by the National Science Foundation’s Graduate Research Fellowship Program. While at the Evans School, Emmi worked with Drs. Scott Allard and Jennifer Romich on a research project surveying Seattle employers to measure responses to the Seattle minimum wage increase. She also worked with Dr. Alexes Harris in the UW Sociology department on a research project studying fines and fees in the criminal justice system as well as on the privatization of the criminal justice system. Prior to her doctoral studies, she worked as a research assistant at a social policy research firm, MEF Associates. She worked on projects to design, implement, and evaluate programs related to prison reentry, youth violence prevention, child support, TANF reengagement, employment and training, adult education, and asset building.

Education

B.A. in Sociology, Reed College, 2012

Specializations

Race and Inequality
Social Welfare Policy
Criminal Justice

Recent Publications

Harris, A., Smith, T., Obara, E. (2019). Justice “Cost Points”: An Examination of Privatization Within Public Systems of Justice. Criminology and Public Policy.

Romich, J., Allard, S., Althauser, A., Buszkiewicz, J., Obara, E. (2018). Employer Responses to a City-level Minimum Wage Mandate: Early Evidence from Seattle. Urban Affairs Review.

Glosser, A., Cullinan, D., Obara, E. (2016). Simplify, Notify, Modify: Using Behavioral Insights to Increase Incarcerated Parents’ Requests for Child Support Modifications. OPRE Report 2016-43. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Admin. for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Farrell, M., Smith, J., Reardon, L., Obara, E. (2016). Framing the Message: Using Behaviorial Economics to Engage TANF Recipients. OPRE Report 2016-02. Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research and Evaluation, Admin. for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Plotnick, R., Glosser, A., Moore, M.K., Obara, E. (2015). Increasing Child Support Collections from the Hard-to-Collect: Experimental Evidence from Washington State. Social Service Review, Vol. 89, No. 3, pp. 427-454.

Glosser, A. & Obara, E. (2015). Evaluation of Career Bridge: Final Report. MEF Associates: prepared for the City of Seattle, Office of City Auditor.

Glosser, A., Obara, E., Dyke, A., Harris, A. & Kim, E. (2014). Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative – Evaluability Assessment: Final Report. MEF Associates: prepared for the City of Seattle – Office of City Auditor.

Glosser, A. & Obara, E. (2014). Building Assets for Fathers and Families – Washington State: Final Report. MEF Associates: prepared for the Washington Department of Social and Health Services, Division of Child Support.