Two faculty from Florida State University’s Reubin O’D. Askew School of Public Administration and Policy have been awarded a $10,000 grant provided by the International City/County Management Association with the support of the Gates Foundation for the project “An Evaluation of Earned Wage Access as a Strategy to Support Economic Mobility Among Municipal Employees in Tallahassee.”
Raoul Lavin, MPA, teaching faculty and co-director of the Askew School’s Master of Public Administration (MPA) program, serves as the project’s principal investigator (PI). He is joined by Danielle Atkins, Ph.D., associate professor of public administration.
The project began in August 2025 and will continue until June 2026 and represents a partnership between the Askew School, ICMA, and the City of Tallahassee.
The purpose of the project is to explore the potential of Earned Wage Access (EWA) to strengthen financial stability and economic mobility among the City of Tallahassee’s workforce. EWA allows employees to access a portion of their earned wages before payday, helping reduce income volatility and reliance on predatory lending. While EWA has grown in the private sector, its application within local government is limited.
Student teams in the Askew School’s MPA capstone course will assess organizational needs, evaluate various EWA models, and develop actionable, equity-focused recommendations for the City of Tallahassee to consider. The project provides students with the opportunity to apply their academic training to a real-world issue, while also contributing to the city’s ongoing efforts to support a resilient and equitable workforce.
Through the support of this grant, participating students attended the International City/County Management Association Conference in Tampa, October 25–29, where they took part in sessions on Economic Mobility and Opportunity and presented their work during the Economic Mobility Strategies for Next Gen Leaders Luncheon.
In addition, the Askew School will host an Economic Mobility and Opportunity Summit in early 2026, showcasing effective practices from practitioners and featuring research presentations from FSU faculty and students on strategies that promote economic mobility.
This grant also aligns closely with the Askew School’s new approach to the MPA capstone experience, which shifts the final paper from a traditional academic assignment to a consultancy model. Under this model, student teams collaborate with public sector and nonprofit organizations on issues identified by the partners, conduct applied policy analysis, and develop implementation plans while engaging directly with practitioners. The final product delivers actionable recommendations and a practical roadmap that agencies can use to support decision-making and implementation.
“I’m excited about this project because it gives students the opportunity to work in a team environment on real issues faced by public and nonprofit agencies,” Lavin said. “They are not just learning about public administration in theory; they are applying it in practice.”
For more information about FSU’s Askew School of Public Administration and Policy, visit askew.fsu.edu.