Rourke received his BA in Social Studies from Harvard University. Rourke’s interests include poverty, domestic and comparative social welfare policy, and wealth inequality. Prior to his arrival at Princeton, Rourke served as a Policy Analyst with the Asset Building Program at the New America Foundation, a public policy institute in Washington where he continues to serve as a nonresident research fellow. His ongoing research includes analyzing the impact of welfare eligibility policy on the savings behavior of the poor. Rourke is a recipient of the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship.