Bio: Emilia (Emi) Cooper is a recent graduate of the Levy Economics Institute Master of Science in Economic Theory and Policy. Emi has presented her research on the systemic risks of modern-day payday lending at the World Social Science Association conference in Albuquerque earlier this year. She currently is developing a job guarantee for formerly incarcerated individuals. Emi’s thesis synthesizes a theoretical framework that positions incarceration as a central mechanism of labor market governance, testing the extent to which employment and incarceration are connected. Emi has led carceral justice projects, including the Bard New Orleans Exchange program and the Bard ReEntry Collaborative. She recently interned with the Restoring Promise team of the Vera Institute of Justice, where helped state departments of corrections align institutional policies Vera’s dignity principles and analyzed survey data to evaluate program implementation in a prison unit. Prior to that, she worked as a research assistant for the Economic Democracy Initiative, researching the pilot job guarantee programs and generating content for the official job guarantee website. Emi has also worked on data-driven policymaking on the federal level at Results for America, was the Racial Justice and Neighborhood Equity Fellow for New Economy Project, has interned for the Kingston Emergency Food Collaborative, and held the position of a Global Engagement Fellow for the Open Society University Network.