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World-class researchers, from a variety of disciplines, work here at the ILR School. Through the Center for Applied Research on Work (CAROW), we support research that solves practical problems, improves the lives of workers and informs policy-making.

We serve as an incubator for applied research. We provide funding and coordination for innovative projects and initiatives. Our network of affiliated faculty, researchers, and practitioners help guide and facilitate novel approaches to advancing how we work.

Our membership includes programs and initiatives that study work and endeavor to improve the world for workers and their families, employers, and communities.

Employment and Work In New York State

Empire State Poll

Every year researchers at the Cornell School of Industrial Labor Relations conduct the Empire State Poll to survey New York state residents about how work impacts their lives. 

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Empire State Poll

Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is no longer the "future of work." It has arrived and having very real implications for work, labor and employment throughout the U.S. and globally. Yet, much is still unknown about how it is being deployed and where it can provide unique opportunities for businesses and workers.

CAROW is collaborating with ILR faculty, member institutes, and grantees to highlight research utilizing and evaluating the impact of artificial intelligence on work.

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The CAROW Care Economy & Work Hub

Growing demand for childcare and home care in the US is reaching crisis levels. Although crucial to the economy, care workers are often invisible, undervalued, and marginalized. The majority of care workers in the US are women of color, many of whom are immigrants, who face poor and precarious working conditions and low wages.

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CAROW Events

CAROW Stories

News, events and articles

What the Proposed Rule to End Subminimum Wage Means for Workers with Disabilities

On December 3rd, 2024, the United States Department of Labor proposed a new rule to end the 14c waiver program for people with disabilities. The Yang-Tan Institute's Ellice Switzer responds to a Q&A on the new proposed rule.
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What the Proposed Rule to End Subminimum Wage Means for Workers with Disabilities

New Labor Study Explores Impact of Trade Agreements on Mexican Auto Workers

Funded by Cornell ILR’s Center for Applied Research on Work (CAROW), the study intends to measure the real-world impact of the USMCA trade agreement on workers’ voices and power in the Mexican Auto Industry. Additionally, the study explores the RRM's awareness, effectiveness and outcomes.
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New Labor Study Explores Impact of Trade Agreements on Mexican Auto Workers

Domestic Workers Rising

Domestic workers perform the critical labor of caring for children and cleaning homes but face many forms of exploitation. Zoë West, Ketchel Carey, and Anne Marie Brady of ILR’s Worker Institute break down how an innovative peer training model is empowering domestic workers to demand more on the job.
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Domestic Workers Rising
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Yang-Tan WorkABILITY Incubator

K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan

The K. Lisa Yang and Hock E. Tan CAROW WorkABILITY Incubator funds and supports innovative research that drives positive change for people who work.

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Yang-Tan WorkABILITY Incubator

In the News

Media Mentions

Pessimism, Cost of Living Are on the Rise, New York at Work Report Finds

Cornell Chronicle
Studying two decades of data collected through the Empire State Poll, researchers have found that the cost of living dominates respondents’ key concerns, eclipsing other priorities, such as the environment.
Pessimism, Cost of Living Are on the Rise, New York at Work Report Finds

New York wages fail to match inflation as cost of living dominates: Cornell polling

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Insight into New Yorkers’ economic concerns, household income and public trust from two decades of data is in the 2026 edition of the Empire State Poll report from ILR’s Center for Applied Research on Work.
New York wages fail to match inflation as cost of living dominates: Cornell polling

Home-Based Care Advocates Push For Permanent Medicare Telehealth Legislation

Home Health Care News
Several advantages of telehealth visits are described by Madeline Sterling, a primary care doctor at Weill Cornell Medicine and director of the Initiative on Home Care Work, housed in ILR’s Center for Applied Research on Work.
Home-Based Care Advocates Push For Permanent Medicare Telehealth Legislation

Contact CAROW

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Contact CAROW

Get in touch

Center for Applied Research on Work

Cornell University, ILR School
Ithaca, NY 14853

Tel: (607) 255-4380
Email: carow@cornell.edu

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