The Worker Institute at Cornell engages in research and education on contemporary labor issues, to generate innovative thinking and solutions to problems related to work, economy and society. The institute brings together researchers, educators and students with practitioners in labor, business and policymaking to confront growing economic and social inequalities, in the interests of working people and their families. A core value of the Worker Institute is that collective representation and workers' rights are vital to a fair economy, robust democracy and just society.

This research project is a collaboration between Dr. Zoë West at the Worker Institute and Prof. Yiran Zhang. The Worker Institute at Cornell engages in research and education on contemporary labor issues, to generate innovative thinking and solutions to problems related to work, economy and society. The institute brings together researchers, educators and students with practitioners in labor, business and policymaking to confront growing economic and social inequalities, in the interests of working people and their families. A core value of the Worker Institute is that collective representation and workers' rights are vital to a fair economy, robust democracy and just society.

The Consumer-Directed Personal Assistance Program (CDPAP) is a New York Medicaid program where home care recipients can select their caregiver, who may be a family member or friend. This research explores how the structure of the CDPAP program shapes caregivers’ experience of the care work, including the boundaries between paid and unpaid care work and their employment and care relationships. The WI Undergraduate fellows will participate in collecting and analyzing interview and other qualitative data, and reviewing literature and legal materials. 

Fellow could be fully remote or hybrid with in-person work in the NYC office.