Chika Okafor and Martin Naunov: Dissecting Declination Policies and Discrimination
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IPR faculty Chika Okafor (l.) and Martin Naunov (r.)
In March 2026, two IPR faculty received Sheldon Danzinger Pipeline Grants from the Russell Sage Foundation. In all, 19 awardees from around the U.S. and Canada received 15 grants.
Does deciding not to pursue charges for a low-level offense like marijuana possession affect a person’s ability to get a job? IPR legal scholar and economist Chika Okafor will use his Pipeline Grant to study this question. Studies indicate that Black Americans with criminal records do have worse job prospects, but no causal evidence exists on whether judicial reforms like dropping low-level criminal charges lead to employment gains for these individuals. He plans to use data from census employment records in addition to declination policies from up to 50 prosecutors’ offices between 2018 and 2023 to produce the first national body of evidence on how such policies might affect earnings and employment. Given that up to 10 million arrests occur each year, Okafor believes even modest gains could generate substantial benefits.
What kinds of differences lead people to discriminate? Political scientist and IPR associate Martin Naunov seeks to find out by testing a new framework for understanding prejudice. He plans to examine differences in biases that might stem from individuals’ auditory or visual “cues,” such as speaking with an accent, versus those against entire groups of people, such as immigrants or Black people. Naunov will test his framework using three specific scenarios: Do immigrants face biases because they speak with an accent? Are Black people who testify in court seen as less credible if they speak in African American Vernacular English? Do transgender political candidates face political backlash if they speak on gender issues in an androgynous tone?
The RSF Pipeline Grants program was originally launched in 2020 to develop research for emerging faculty on economic mobility and access to opportunity. They were renamed the Sheldon Danziger Pipeline Grants in 2025 to honor Danziger’s service as RSF president.
Find out more about Chika Okafor’s and Martin Naunov’s research.
Photo credits: Tony Rinaldo (l.) and courtesy Martin Naunov (r.)
Published: April 29, 2026.
