Dr. Hilary Olson is a PhD graduate from the USC Sol Price School of Public Policy, specializing in social innovation and program evaluation. With extensive experience as a mixed-methods researcher, she focuses on bridging theory and practice to tackle complex social challenges. She has contributed to projects on Social Impact Bonds and Emergency Aid funds at the USC Price Center for Social Innovation and conducted research on immigration detention and Community Bail Funds at the USC Gould School of Law. Her work is driven by a passion for social finance, collaborative governance, co-production, and systems change.
Dr. Olson is also a published author in journals such as the International Public Management Journal and Journal of Social Policy.
This paper examines how co-created, strengths-based services within Social Impact Bonds (SIBs) can catalyze early-stage innovation, using four UK SIBs as case studies.
This presentation explores how Emergency Aid (EA) programs can be designed to reach those students most in need while responsibly managing limited budgets and without imposing overly-burdensome application requirements.