ERI Postdoctoral Scholar
Pronouns: he/him
E-mail: angst@usc.edu
Dr. Sean Angst (he/him) earned a Ph.D. in Public Policy and Management from the University of Southern California. His research focuses on housing, community development, and racial justice. Dr. Angst recently completed his dissertation on housing affordability and neighborhood change in South Los Angeles, which examined the impacts of those processes on survival and stress. During his time at USC, Sean also served on the school’s Teaching Excellence Committee and as an organizer among graduate student workers. In these roles, he fought for policies that prioritize student voice, belonging, and accountability.
Dr. Angst’s broader research agenda centers around urban poverty and health. He spent much of his graduate school career working at the Price Center for Social Innovation where he analyzed structural inequality and innovative policy interventions. In addition, his past projects include an evaluation of cash transfer programs for aging adults in Yucatan, Mexico for RAND Corporation, an investigation of state Medicaid expansion decisions in the wake of the Affordable Care Act at The Century Foundation, and an examination of wellness initiatives in Los Angeles Public Schools for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s REACH Demonstration Project.
Before Los Angeles, Sean taught high school mathematics in Yazoo City, MS and served as Academic Resource Specialist at College Track – San Francisco. He also holds a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Southern California and a bachelor’s degree in Finance from the University of Illinois – Urbana Champaign.
Research topics:
community development, housing, public health, inequality, program evaluation
Selected publications:
Angst, S., Rosen, J., De Gregorio, S., & Painter, G. (2023). How do Renters Survive Amidst Declining Affordability? Household Level Impacts of Rent Burden in Los Angeles. Journal of Urban Affairs.
https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/07352166.2023.2235039
Angst, S., Rosen, J., De Gregorio, S., & Painter, G. (2021) “Housing Affordability in the Wake of COVID-19: Regional Solutions for Southern California” Othering and Belonging Institute. Inland Empire Paper Series.