Catherine Thomas

I study poverty and inequality and their remedies using the insights of social psychology and lens of cultural psychology. My research seeks to uncover social psychological processes that undermine the economic mobility of people in poverty and simultaneously depress public will to address inequality, perpetuating systems of poverty and inequality. Yet, I show how brief social psychological interventions can interrupt these systems. Specifically, my research reveals how attending to culturally specific forms of agency and motivation can promote both social inclusion (e.g., status, dignity, social support) and economic inclusion (e.g., economic mobility, support for redistributive policies). In other words, my research aims to identify drivers of social and cultural inclusion, economic equity, and their interactions. In this work, I conduct lab and field experiments in the US and low- and middle-income countries, including in partnership with nonprofits and governments and with interdisciplinary teams of economists and sociologists. 

For prospective Ph.D. students: I will be reviewing applications this cycle for grad students interested in joining my lab in Fall 2025. The UM application deadline is in November. My lab would be a good fit for people interested in: (1) topics like poverty, inequality, social class, and culture, (2) intervention science / behavioral science, (3) interdisciplinary research, and (4) field research.

Recent popular press:
Thomas, C. & Kumar, S. (2024, April 10). “Beyond “The Poor”: Using Empowering Narratives to Advance the Impacts of Aid”. FinDev Gateway. https://www.findevgateway.org/blog/2024/04/beyond-poor-using-empowering-narratives-to-advance-impacts-of-aid.

Byrne, Dom. (2024, January 26). ‘Why we should think about more than cash when seeking to eradicate poverty’. Nature Careers Podcast. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-024-00208-3.

Bossuroy, T., Premand, P., & Thomas, C. (2023, February 16). Can Psychosocial Interventions Make Anti-Poverty Programmes More Cost-Effective? Evidence from Niger. VoxDev.