Clay Fannin

Clay Fannin is a National Poverty Fellow for 2024–2026 in residence at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation (ASPE). He completed his Ph.D. in Public Administration from Syracuse University where he specialized in social policy and public finance. His research applies quasi-experimental methods to public and administrative data to evaluate how the design and implementation of U.S. social programs affect participants. His core research interests include the determinants of program participation, the consequences of administrative burden, and the relationship between social policy and labor market outcomes. In recent work, Fannin has investigated how drastic administrative changes to nutrition assistance programs during the COVID-19 pandemic impacted program outcomes. Before pursuing his doctoral studies, he was a Policy Analyst at The Council of State Governments and earned an M.P.P. and a B.S. in Economics from the University of Kentucky. Fannin is mentored by IRP affiliate Carolyn Heinrich and Susanne Macartney in the Office of the Assistant Secretary of Planning and Evaluation in HHS.