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Alondra Nelson

Sociologist Alondra Nelson to Discuss AI, Public Policy, and Democracy at Northwestern

March 05, 2024
How should we approach the governance of artificial intelligence models and tools to steward their potential public benefit? Do we need new rules, regulations, and standards to accompany each new...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2024 Former White House official to offer insights on 'Governing the Future'
image of multiple microscopes

‘An Existential Crisis’ for Science

February 28, 2024
In 2011, one of the American Psychological Association’s flagship, peer-reviewed journals published a study that claimed to prove that ESP—or extrasensory perception—exists. Th...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2024 What IPR scholars are doing to solve the replication crisis
Young man sitting on chair

New IPR Research: February 2024

February 28, 2024
This month’s new research from our faculty experts examines age differences in anxiety and depression among U.S. adults during the pandemic and childhood trauma and adverse birth outcomes. ...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2024
Beth Tipton headshot

Elizabeth Tipton to Become a 2024 AERA Fellow

February 15, 2024
IPR statistician Elizabeth Tipton has been named one of 24 fellows for 2024 by the American Educational Research Association (AERA), the nation’s largest interdisciplinary association devot...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy 2024 IPR statistician recognized for her exceptional contributions to education research
Ruha Benjamin and Bryan Brayboy

Reckoning with the Impossible

February 01, 2024
  Princeton University professor Ruha Benjamin (left) speaks with SESP Dean Bryan Brayboy (right) on Jan. 23. Ruha Benjamin wants us to reckon with the impossible. A world without prisons? S...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2024 Princeton author and scholar Ruha Benjamin urges us to question the status quo
Newborn baby

New IPR Research: January 2024

January 31, 2024
This month’s new research from IPR faculty investigates the COVID-19 "baby bump," racial disparities in school belonging and long-term health outcomes, and how to make space for Black and L...
Education Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2024
Laurel Harbridge-Yong

Laurel Harbridge-Yong to Become IPR’s Ninth Associate Director

January 24, 2024
Political scientist Laurel Harbridge-Yong will step into the role of associate director at Northwestern’s Institute for Policy Research (IPR) on Sept. 1. Harbridge-Yong is known for her stud...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development 2024 IPR political scientist brings rigorous scholarship, media savvy, and administrative acumen to the role
Tribal constitutions

Examining Tribes’ Sovereignty Through Their Constitutions

January 16, 2024
  In 2020, the Supreme Court ruled in McGirt v. Oklahoma that nearly half of eastern Oklahoma is on an Indian reservation, and crimes committed on that land involving Native Americans had to ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2024 IPR’s Beth Redbird is leading a research team to catalogue and analyze Native American tribal constitutions
teacher in classroom with pre-k students learning the alphabet

Universal Pre-K Expansion in Chicago: An Update for 2023-24

December 21, 2023
  Over the 2018–19 school year, Chicago began expanding free, full-day prekindergarten (pre-K) for 3- and 4-year-olds through Chicago Public Schools (CPS). How has the expansion fared i...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2023 Report indicates universal pre-K expansion is providing new seats where they are most needed
Christine Percheski speaking at Northwestern

Researching Our Longest Lasting Relationships

December 20, 2023
IPR social demographer Christine Percheski shares her research at an IPR colloquium on Nov. 6.  According to the American Psychological Association, eight out of 10 children in the United S...
Education Policy 2023 IPR social demographer Christine Percheski discusses her research into sibling relationships in adulthood
Social media icons

Why Are Online Political Discussions So Toxic?

December 18, 2023
  The lack of civility in political conversations has increased alongside the rise in partisan hatred—and nowhere is that toxicity more evident than on social media platforms. But why i...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023 New research shows how toxic commenters distort public discourse
Book cover

Learning How to Think About Experiments

December 15, 2023
  A century ago, political scientists understood their discipline as an observational science—not an experimental one. Today, experiments have become central to political science as the...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023 IPR’s James Druckman distills his knowledge, arguing for a slower approach to their design and use
K street sign

From Politician to Lobbyist

December 15, 2023
  K street in Washington, D.C. is often associated with lobbying and lobbying organizations. On May 2, 2023, four ComEd employees, including former ComEd lobbyist Mike McClain, were convicte...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023 IPR’s Silvia Vannutelli explores how state lobbying laws influence who runs for office and political competition
Thom McDade

Three Assumptions About Inflammation That May Be Wrong

December 14, 2023
  Inflammation protects against infections and aids in healing. But if left uncontrolled, it can lead to heart disease and other degenerative diseases of aging and is often considered a "norm...
Social Disparities and Health 2023 IPR anthropologist examines how inflammation affects aging and health
James Druckman presents his research

Polarizing Trust in Science

December 14, 2023
  IPR political scientist James Druckman discusses his research on trust in science at an IPR colloquium on Nov. 27, 2023.  During the pandemic, the United States quickly responded to t...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2023 IPR’s James Druckman shows Americans’ trust in science drove who got vaccinated during COVID, more than partisanship
Asian American woman protesting

The Past and Future of Affirmative Action in College Admissions

December 14, 2023
   By the end of June, the Supreme Court will rule on the consideration of race in college admission decisions. Two cases allege that Harvard University and the University of North Carol...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023 IPR talks with sociologist Anthony Chen about the Supreme Court and race-conscious admissions
young women talking

Post-COVID, Young Adults Struggle More with Their Mental Health Than Those Over 40

December 13, 2023
  Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic almost four years ago, people across the U.S. have reported increased rates of depression and anxiety. While the mental health crisis touched a bro...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2023 18–39 year olds experience lower levels of wellbeing, with economic vulnerability a likely contributor
collage of top images from articles

2023 in Review

December 12, 2023
While the World Health Organization officially declared an end to the global pandemic in 2023, concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic’s lingering effect remain clear in IPR’s top s...
Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023 IPR’s top articles cover the pandemic’s lingering impact, new leadership, innovative studies, and engaging policy dialogue
elderly man looking out window

New IPR Research: December 2023

December 11, 2023
This month's new research from IPR faculty examines the relationship between suicidal thoughts and social disconnection in older adults, the impacts of LSD on brain function, whether a to...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2023
man being interviewed by reporters

How ‘Jarring Revelations’ Can Affect Political Campaigns

December 01, 2023
 As the 2024 presidential election draws near, media attention will be centered on both official and unofficial campaign events, from tumultuous debates to jarring revelations and scandals. Bu...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023 Study shows how media use can shape voters' views of candidates
Ruha Benjamin

Ruha Benjamin to Deliver Joint SESP/IPR Distinguished Lecture

November 29, 2023
Sociologist and author Ruha Benjamin, whose latest book argues that seemingly small efforts can help build a more just and joyful world, is the featured speaker for Northwestern University’...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health 2023 Princeton sociologist and author is known for her original research on race, technology, and justice
girl waves flag at naturalization ceremony

U.S. Immigration: Rhetoric and Reality

November 28, 2023
  The daughter of an immigrant holds a flag at her mother's naturalization ceremony in 2019. Even before the United States was founded, Benjamin Franklin worried about the number of Germans ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023 IPR experts' findings illuminate how the two can differ, with some counterintuitive results
two baboons

New IPR Research: November 2023

November 28, 2023
This month's new research from IPR faculty explores gut microbiota in wild baboons that have access to trash containing processed food high in sugar, the challenges of balancing primary and ge...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health 2023
child at doctor

How Administrative Burdens Push Down Children’s Public Healthcare Coverage

November 27, 2023
  The number of uninsured children in the U.S. has been declining for decades. But between 2016 and 2019, the trend reversed and the number of children without health insurance started rising...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2023 Study finds that certain policies hinder Medicaid and CHIP enrollment, disproportionally affecting disadvantaged populations
book cover

Books Examine Aspects of Inequality and Security

November 06, 2023
 Police et Société en France (Policing in France)  Edited by Jacques de Maillard and Wesley G. Skogan   Presses de Science Po, 2023  In France, the security ma...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2023 IPR faculty tackle key issues around policing, race, and digital access
High school student

School Climates and the ‘Weathering’ of Bodies

November 03, 2023
  New research suggests that a school’s racial climate is linked to students' physical health long after they leave the classroom.  In a recent JAMA Pediatrics study, IPR health p...
Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023 Study suggests a school’s racial climate is linked to Black students’ health later in life
graphic of two heads

Tackling a ‘Once in a Century Education Crisis’

November 01, 2023
 The federal funds allotted to school districts to combat pandemic-induced learning loss will end in less than a year, but the U.S. is stalled on progress to reverse the once-a-century educati...
Education Policy 2023 How tutoring can turn the tide on pandemic learning losses
Aerial top view of farmers watering crops

Connecting Water and Food Insecurity

October 24, 2023
The theme of this year’s World Food Day was “Water is life, water is food. Leave no one behind.” The journal Nature Water commemorated the day on October 16 by hosting a webina...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2023 Sera Young argues if we care about food insecurity, we must pay attention to water insecurity
graphic of two heads

The Political Consequences of Poor Mental Health

October 23, 2023
   Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nation’s mental health has been in decline. Years of uncertainty, lockdowns, grief, and economic precarity led to at least four out...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2023 Research suggests that ignoring the decline in Americans’ mental health could eventually put U.S. democracy at risk
Terri Sabol

IPR Research Program Prepares Undergraduates for Careers After College

October 23, 2023
SESP and Weinberg senior Amelia Vasquez (right) discusses a research project with IPR developmental psychologist Terri Sabol (left), who mentored Vasquez during the SURA program over the sum...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy 2023 Over 40 students picked up valuable hard and soft skills working with IPR faculty researchers this summer
silhouette profile face group of men and women

New IPR Research: October 2023

October 20, 2023
This month’s new research from IPR faculty examines support for political violence, a two-generation program to improve immigrant parents' english, and proposes a multidisciplinary roadm...
Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023
students in preschool

Building a Research Tool, Thanks to Community Power

October 17, 2023
Researchers filmed interactions of preschoolers to create a new video measure of implicit bias in classrooms. On a balmy summer day, 17 Evanston preschoolers happily played with blocks, worked on ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2023 IPR researchers create a toolkit to measure racial bias in preschools with help from Evanston families and a local business
Mesmin Destin

Mesmin Destin Becomes First Faculty Director of Student Access and Enrichment

October 10, 2023
Northwestern Provost Kathleen Hagerty has appointed IPR social psychologist Mesmin Destin as faculty director of student access and enrichment, effective Sept. 1. In this inaugural role, Destin ...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023 IPR psychologist will work to enhance engagement with first-generation and lower-income students across Northwestern
Kirabo Jackson

IPR Economist Joins President’s Council of Economic Advisers

September 27, 2023
On August 11, President Joe Biden announced his intention to appoint IPR economist Kirabo Jackson as a senior member of his Council of Economic Advisers (CEA). The CEA sits within the Executive O...
Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023 Kirabo Jackson brings expertise in labor and education policy
Photo of Eli Finkel

Faculty Matter

September 26, 2023
Daniel Galvin, Eli Finkel, Laurel Harbridge-Yong, Ofer Malamud, Sally Nuamah, Elizabeth Tipton (from top left, clockwise) Northwestern's Institute for Policy Research (IPR) welcomed social ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development 2023 New gift establishes a named faculty fellowship, IPR celebrates faculty promotions
child outside

New IPR Research: September 2023

September 21, 2023
This month’s new research from IPR faculty investigates early-life psychological stress and long-term health effects, the incarceration rates of immigrants and U.S.-born men, and public perce...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023
Sylvia Perry

The Value of Cross-Disciplinary Interactions

September 13, 2023
During the 2022–23 academic year, IPR psychologist Sylvia Perry took leave for a fellowship at the Center for Advanced Study in Behavioral Sciences (CASBS) at Stanford University. Each year...
Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023 IPR psychologist Sylvia Perry discusses her recent fellowship and leading a diversity workshop
Image of a university campus

What Do Universities Owe Their Students?

August 30, 2023
By the end of March 2020, over 4,000 colleges and universities across the country had closed their campuses in response to the COVID-19 outbreak, affecting more than 25 million students. Eighty-f...
Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023 IPR legal experts explain how the pandemic challenged the university-student contract
Andrew Papachristos at a podium

Andrew Papachristos Tapped to Become IPR’s Next Director

August 30, 2023
Andrew Papachristos speaks at a CORNERS symposium in December 2022.   Northwestern University has appointed prominent sociologist Andrew Papachristos director of its Institute for Policy...
Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy 2023 Prominent sociologist is an engaged policy researcher and community collaborator
young students in classroom

Early Care and Education Trends in Chicago’s 47th Ward

August 24, 2023
IPR developmental psychologist Terri Sabol and IPR economist Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach recently released a new IPR rapid research report, “The Chicago Universal Pre-K ...
Education Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023 Report finds increase in pre-K capacity due to growth in community-based childcare
Photo of Salil Chandramohan

SURA 2023 Student Blog

August 16, 2023
Each summer since 1998, the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) has run the Summer Undergraduate Research Assistants (SURA) program, which gives undergraduate students first-hand experience in the ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development 2023
christopher kuzawa speaking at task force

Anthropologist Testifies Before California Task Force on Reparations

August 03, 2023
In 2020, California established a Reparations Task Force to study “the institution of slavery and its lingering negative effects on living African Americans” and develop proposals for...
Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health 2023 IPR anthropologist Christopher Kuzawa emphasizes that reparations must consider physical health inequities
popular news apps

New IPR Research: July and August 2023

August 02, 2023
This month’s new research covers studies examining the relationship between an individual’s COVID-19 vaccination status and their preferred news source, the impact of concerns abou...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023
working on womanhood counseling session

In-School Counseling Program Improves Teen Girls’ PTSD Symptoms

August 02, 2023
  Young women, especially Black and Latina girls, suffer disproportionately from trauma-related depression, PTSD, and anxiety, yet little is known about treatment options. Recent research by...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023 Study finds that program decreased PTSD symptoms by 22%, depression by 14%, and anxiety by nearly 10%
white house

White House Economic Report Cites IPR Faculty Research

August 01, 2023
The 2023 "Economic Report of the President" to Congress outlined some of the country's greatest economic challenges from food insecurity to affordable education, presenting policymakers with poss...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2023 Studies support policy recommendations on climate change, education, and the economy
photo collage of faculty

IPR Experts Turn Research Excellence into Policy Impact

August 01, 2023
Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach, Mesmin Destin, Christopher Kuzawa, Soledad McGrath, Jonathan Guryan, Terri Sabol, Kirabo Jackson, Andrew Papachristos, Sera Young, Dan Galvin (from top left, ...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Social Disparities and Health 2023 Studies cited in president’s report, legislation, and elsewhere signal depth and rigor of IPR research
two pre-k students in classroom play at a table

Pre-K Capacity and Enrollment in North Lawndale

July 31, 2023
IPR developmental psychologist Terri Sabol and IPR economist Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach and their colleagues, Kathryn Gonzalez, Tianshi Wang, and Elana Rich, recently released an IPR rapid resea...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023 Report finds declines in enrollment and capacity, trends that COVID-19 exacerbated
Elisa Jácome

Faculty Spotlight: Elisa Jácome

July 20, 2023
IPR economist Elisa Jácome studies public policy issues centered on immigration, crime, and mental health.
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023 IPR economist studies public policy issues centered on immigration, crime, and mental health
Sera Young works with farmers in rural Tanzania to expand gender equality in farming

Empowering Women Farmers Yields Higher-Quality Crops in Low-Income Countries

July 11, 2023
Sera Young (far left) works with farmers in rural Tanzania on an experiment to improve gender equality in farming. Empowering women farmers in low- and middle-income countries can lead to greater ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2023 Study shows doing so can improve global food supply, while supporting women’s rights
Diane Schanzenbach at podium introducing a speaker

Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach to Step Down as IPR Director

June 26, 2023
Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach introduces Harvard economist Raj Chetty in February 2023. Under her leadership, IPR became a nexus for policy discussion and debate at Northwestern. Economist Diane Whi...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Urban Policy and Community Development 2023 IPR economist and fellow will take up senior role at the University of Florida in August
voting booth

Exploring How Legislators Navigate the ‘Primary Premium’

June 22, 2023
The 2024 primary election cycle will kick off in less than a year, determining which candidates will end up on ballots in the November general election. But appealing to primary voters and their ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023 Prioritizing primary voters over general election voters may pay off, but can increase polarization
coronavirus

Coronavirus Media Mentions and Research by IPR Faculty

June 20, 2023
Stay up-to-date with the latest IPR faculty media mentions concerning COVID-19 as well as other IPR news related to the coronavirus in 2023. See media mentions and research from 2020, 2021, an...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy 2023
WCC award medal

Hedges to Receive International Education Award in Helsinki this November

June 15, 2023
 The World Cultural Council (WCC) announced on June 15 that esteemed IPR statistician and methodology researcher Larry Hedges will receive the José Vasconcelos World Award of Education on...
Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2023 The World Cultural Council will honor his ‘groundbreaking’ research in meta-analysis
woman gathering food

New IPR Research: June 2023

June 14, 2023
This month’s new research covers studies examining how water insecurity relates to food insecurity, the connection between low socioeconomic status and responses to immediate rewards, and&#16...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2023
Jenn Richeson

‘Puncturing’ the Narrative of Racial Progress

May 23, 2023
Yale social psychologist Jennifer Richeson discusses her research examining the myth of racial progress. The abolition of slavery, repeal of Jim Crow laws, and election of the first Black presiden...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023 Distinguished social psychologist reveals how Americans overestimate advances in racial equality, distorting reality and derailing progress
Group of graduates

New IPR Research: May 2023

May 22, 2023
This month’s new research from IPR faculty investigates how pre-pregnancy maternal mental health impacts children, federal agencies with substantial personnel change in the Trump era, and a n...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2023
Protestors breach the U.S. Capitol

New Wave of Gun Owners More Likely to Support Political Violence

May 18, 2023
 Protestors breached the U.S. Capitol building on January 6, 2020 over the results of the 2020 election. A record-breaking 17 million Americans bought one or more guns in 2020, and the gun-bu...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023 Survey finds pandemic gun buyers are also more likely to believe in conspiracies, distrust government
illustration of the brain

IPR Psychologist Collaborates on an Interdisciplinary Model to Address Mental Health

May 18, 2023
  Approximately one billion people, or one in seven, around the globe suffer from a mental health condition, according to the World Health Organization. Despite billions of dollars being spen...
Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023 Robin Nusslock and his colleagues outline model in the inaugural issue of Nature Mental Health
tap water

Survey Reveals How Unsafe Tap Water Affects an Aboriginal Community in Australia

May 02, 2023
  Water insecurity is often considered a problem in low-income countries, but new research is showing that many high-income nations around the globe struggle with water, too. Recent survey d...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2023 Tool developed by IPR anthropologist shows how even wealthy nations struggle with water insecurity
teacher in classroom with pre-k students

Universal Pre-K Expansion in Chicago Led to More Full-Time Pre-K Enrollment

May 01, 2023
  Over the 2018–19 school year, Chicago began expanding free, full-day prekindergarten (pre-K) for 3- and 4-year-olds through Chicago Public Schools (CPS). IPR developmental psychologis...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2023 IPR researchers examine the expansion’s impact, detailing progress on capacity, enrollment, and programming
group of leaders in mexico city

Food and Water Insecurity: ‘A Borderless Topic’

April 27, 2023
 Attendees came from 40 different government, NGOs, development banks, and academic institutions in Latin America, as well as from U.N. entities. Access to adequate, safe, and reliable water ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023 More than 60 thought leaders gather in Mexico City to discuss how better measurement can lead to global progress in public health
Student taking a test

New IPR Research: April 2023

April 25, 2023
This month’s new research from IPR faculty investigates academic testing and genetic factors in autism, how childhood adversity is linked with health among potential parents, and educators' b...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2023
girl standing in a flooded street

Manifesting, Measuring, and Mitigating Climate Change

April 24, 2023
  It’s April, another Earth Day has arrived, with another alarming report on the state of our climate and our planet. In March, the United Nations’ Intergovernmental Panel on Clim...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023 IPR researchers focus on climate change’s human costs and climate inequality
covid vaccination card

Survey: Is the CDC Missing the Mark on Vaccination Rates?

April 12, 2023
  The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have reported rising COVID-19 vaccination rates since the start of the pandemic, but these data might give an overly optimistic view of ...
Social Disparities and Health 2023 Researchers show many more are unvaccinated than what CDC data suggest
Jennifer Richeson

Psychologist Jennifer Richeson to Examine ‘The Mythology of Racial Progress’

April 12, 2023
How does Americans’ understanding of racial disparities, including perceptions of the wealth gap between Black and White Americans, affect the nation’s path to racial progress? Yale s...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2023 Distinguished scholar to discuss how this mythology shapes beliefs about, and solutions for, racial inequality
Sally Nuamah

Closed for School, Closed for Democracy

April 03, 2023
  When IPR social policy expert Sally Nuamah attended a Chicago community meeting in 2012 about potentially shutting down a school, she heard residents discuss the closure like it was “...
Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023 A new book examines links between school closings and democratic disillusionment in Black and Brown communities
Raj Chetty

Restoring the American Dream

March 29, 2023
Harvard economist Raj Chetty (right) takes questions from the audience about big data and upward mobility with IPR's Diane Schanzenbach, who moderated the discussion. In his IPR Distinguished Publ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Social Disparities and Health 2023 Influential economist describes novel work tracking economic mobility and policies to boost it
Linda Teplin headshot

Linda Teplin Elected AAAS Fellow

March 29, 2023
Behavioral scientist and IPR associate Linda Teplin was elected a 2022 fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) in recognition of her “distinguished contribu...
Urban Policy and Community Development 2023 IPR associate honored for distinguished contributions to public health policy
Food market

New IPR Research: March 2023

March 27, 2023
This month’s new research from IPR faculty examines a meaningful measure of food policy progress, how liberals and conservatives engage with social media posts from elites, and effects o...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023
Depressed woman in bed

As Social Lives Resume, a Mental Health Crisis Continues

March 02, 2023
  Nearly three years into the pandemic, young adults are returning to their pre-pandemic social lives. Yet a mental health crisis among America’s young adults persists, according to a r...
Social Disparities and Health 2023 Survey finds depression remains high among young adults, with 34% reporting thoughts of suicide or self harm
faculty members on the COVID-19 panel

How Has COVID-19 Affected Children and Adolescents?

February 27, 2023
 IPR experts Emma Adam, Terri Sabol, and Jonathan Guryan spoke on a panel about the impact of the COVID-19 panel on children and adolescents moderated by Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach (seated fr...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2023 IPR experts discuss how the pandemic altered childcare, schooling, and mental health
Food market

New IPR Research: February 2023

February 22, 2023
This month’s new research from IPR faculty examines whether food security can improve mental health, the legacies of apartheid and psychiatric illness, and whether infants exposed to sign lan...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development 2023
Becky Blank

In Memoriam: Rebecca Blank, 1955–2023

February 19, 2023
 Rebecca Blank, shown here in her IPR office, was an IPR fellow. Rebecca M. Blank, who was poised to become Northwestern’s 17th president this summer, died on February 17 near Madison, ...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2023 Esteemed economist, presidential adviser, and university leader was an IPR fellow for 10 years
Twitter headquarters

Twitter Use Dips After Elon Musk’s Takeover, Largely Driven by Democrats' Departure

February 06, 2023
 Twitter's headquarters in downtown San Francisco. Since Elon Musk bought Twitter in October, the platform has experienced several tumultuous months under his leadership. His controversial de...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023 Democrats are significantly more likely than Republicans to distrust Musk
storefront with snap signs

The Impact of SNAP Emergency Allotments on SNAP Benefits and Food Insufficiency

January 27, 2023
 A store in Portland, Oregon, advertises that it accepts SNAP. Since April 2020, states have been able to award Emergency Allotment, or EA, payments to SNAP recipients to supplement the form...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023 IPR's Diane Schanzenbach estimates the allotments' amount and impact in a new report
State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas

'We Are Making the City Safer'

January 26, 2023
 Illinois State Senator Cristina Pacione-Zayas spoke about how crucial it is for participants to come together to stop gun violence at the symposium on community violence intervention on Dec. ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2023 Corners previews promising evidence that community violence intervention and citywide partnerships can help prevent shootings
Female politician at podium

Are Voters Biased Against Women Candidates?

January 24, 2023
 In the 2020 election, a record number of Republican women won congressional elections around the country. Yet Republican women still represented a small minority of GOP politicians in the 117...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023 Mary McGrath and Sara Saltzer find evidence that gender biases among primary voters contribute to the gender gap in office
Newborn baby

New IPR Research: January 2023

January 23, 2023
This month’s new research from IPR faculty examines the connection between eviction rates and adverse pregnancy outcomes, the association between childhood risk and cardiovascular risk, and...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2023
Lauren Tighe

From Teaching to Policy-Relevant Research

January 10, 2023
 It was a dorm that led IPR postdoctoral fellow Lauren Tighe to a career in academic research. During her first year at the University of Michigan, she shared how becoming part of a research ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality 2023 IPR postdoctoral fellow Lauren Tighe discusses her journey from teacher to researcher on two-generation initiatives
Raj Chetty

Economist Raj Chetty to speak on ‘Creating Equality of Opportunity in America’

January 09, 2023
How can we give children from all backgrounds a better chance of succeeding? Harvard economist Raj Chetty will discuss his efforts to study the science of economic opportunity using big data&...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2023 Lecture will detail how big data can help combat child poverty and inform policy
coronavirus

Coronavirus Media Mentions and Research by IPR Faculty

December 22, 2022
Stay up-to-date with the latest IPR faculty media mentions concerning COVID-19 as well as other IPR news related to the coronavirus in 2022. See media mentions and research from 2020 and 2021. The ...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2022
Ukrainians fleeing the war

Nearly 8 in 10 Americans Still Concerned About Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine

December 21, 2022
 In March 2022, Ukrainians go to the Lviv railway station to escape the country after Russia's invasion. As the war in Ukraine nears its one-year anniversary in February 2023, American news c...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 Survey results show that there is broad bipartisan support for an aggressive use of force if Russians use nuclear weapons
A man gets vaccinated

Survey Looks at the State of the COVID-19 Pandemic at the End of 2022

December 14, 2022
  A survey of American adults found that nearly half reported having been infected with COVID-19 at least once, with 35% saying they have tested positive more than once. The report also revea...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Child, Adolescent and Family Studies 2022 New report sheds light on the state of vaccinations and ongoing health risks at a time when the nation is experiencing a “tripledemic”
collage of top images from articles

Looking Back at 2022

December 13, 2022
Over the past year, the articles that were among IPR’s most read took stock of unfolding current events—from spreading misinformation to the midterm elections, abortion politics, raci...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 IPR’s most-read coverage reflects pressing social issues, from inflation and abortion to racism and shootings
Black girls laughing

New IPR Research: December 2022

December 13, 2022
This month’s new research from IPR faculty explores Black girl space, when citizens engage in corruption, and the gun spike during the pandemic. It also examines the link between drug ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2022
Richard Reeves and Diane Schanzenbach

Of Boys and Men

November 21, 2022
  Brookings scholar Richard Reeves (left) speaks to IPR Director and economist Diane Schanzenbach on November 3.  Men are falling behind women in school, in the workplace, and in other ...
Education Policy 2022 Boys and men are struggling, says Brookings’ Richard Reeves, but helping them can also help women and gender inequality
Laurel Harbridge-Yong, Stephanie Edgerly, and Erik Nisbet

Unpacking the 2022 Midterm Election Results

November 21, 2022
IPR scholars Stephanie Edgerly, Laurel Harbridge-Yong, and Erik Nisbet (left to right) share their insights during the 2022 midterm elections panel.  In opening IPR’s 2022 midterm ele...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 IPR scholars share insights on the ‘red wave that wasn’t,’ misinformation, and media viewing
Northwestern University students

Connecting Social Science Research to Critical Societal Issues

November 21, 2022
  IPR social demographer Christine Percheski (front left) and some of IPR's 2022 summer undergraduate research assistants take a photo break during a training session.  How might spouse...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2022 Undergraduates discuss what it was like conducting research with IPR faculty and what they learned
Breakfast

New IPR Research: November 2022

November 17, 2022
This month’s new research from IPR faculty explores racial and ethnic differences in eating duration and meal timing, whether education protects against job loss during an economic downturn...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy 2022
woman carrying water

IPR Faculty Recognized for Teaching and Impact on Northwestern Students

November 14, 2022
Katherine Amato, Matthew Easterday, Steven Epstein, Diane Schanzenbach, Onnie Rogers, Vijay Mittal, Eli Finkel (from top left going clockwise) Seven IPR scholars were selected for Northwest...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health 2022 Seven scholars were honored for their commitment to the classroom
woman carrying water

Study Reveals First Snapshot of Global Experiences with Water Insecurity

November 10, 2022
Countries in Latin America, Asia, and Africa have experienced severe droughts and unprecedented floods in the last year. How are individuals in these and other regions faring in terms of their ab...
Poverty, Race and Inequality 2022 IPR scholar deploys a more holistic measure that reveals the impact on millions of individuals
Mar-A-Lago

A Slight Majority of Americans Approve of the FBI’s Search of Mar-a-Lago

October 25, 2022
  Donald Trump's estate, Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach, Florida. On August 8, 2022, the FBI raided former President Donald Trump’s Florida estate, Mar-a-Lago, to search for classified docu...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 Political party played a role in whether Americans supported or opposed the raid
Raphael Bostic headshot

Atlanta Federal Reserve President Reflects on Efforts to Combat Inflation

October 17, 2022
Raphael Bostic discusses inflation, the legacy of racism in the economy, and more at IPR's Distinguished Lecture.  Rising rents, distressing dinner tabs, climbing gas prices, and ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 In an IPR lecture, Raphael Bostic describes challenges in battling inflation, cautions against ‘temptation’ to lower interest rates prematurely
Two students writing

New IPR Research: October 2022

October 17, 2022
This month’s new research from IPR faculty explores racial inequalities in birth weight among college-educated mothers, improving generalizability in academic studies, and how social psycho...
Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health 2022
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker

Survey: Governors’ Approval Ratings Hold Steady Before November Elections

October 12, 2022
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker delivers his inaugural address on January 14, 2019, in Springfield. Twenty-eight governors, 15 Republicans and 13 Democrats, will be up for re-election in November, and a...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 But partisans rate Democratic governors more positively and that could be ‘consequential’ for close races
Girl and instructor work on a robotics project

New Collaboration Will Establish Resource Hub to Develop STEM Education Research

October 06, 2022
Between 2021 and 2031, the Bureau of Labor Statistics projects U.S. employment in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, or STEM, jobs will rise by nearly 11%—double the rate fo...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy 2022 IPR researchers will be part of a national effort to improve resources and teaching excellence
New fellows (from left to right): Economist Elisa Jácome, African American Studies scholar Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, and political scientist Brian Libgober.

New Fellows Deepen IPR’s Interdisciplinary Policy Expertise

September 29, 2022
IPR's new fellows (from left to right): Economist Elisa Jácome, African American Studies scholar Keeanga-Yamahtta Taylor, and political scientist Brian Libgober. Three new fellows joined No...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 They examine critical policy topics, including immigration, housing, discrimination, and inequality
Two students writing

New IPR Research: September 2022

September 19, 2022
This month’s new research from IPR faculty investigates how reflecting on positive events influences academic achievement, the effects of protective caregiving practices on mental heal...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022
Larry Hedges leads NSF workshop

IPR Scholars Led Workshop on R&D in STEM Education

September 07, 2022
  IPR statistician Larry Hedges leads a training during the Improving Evaluations of R&D in STEM Education Summer Institute. How can researchers conduct small education studies when lar...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy 2022 Larry Hedges and Elizabeth Tipton trained researchers in the latest evaluation methods
Raphael Bostic headshot

Atlanta Federal Reserve President to Deliver IPR Distinguished Lecture at Northwestern

September 07, 2022
Raphael Bostic, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, will deliver the 2022 Fall Distinguished Public Policy Lecture at Northwestern University’s Ins...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2022 Raphael Bostic to discuss the 'battle against inflation' on Oct. 5
A group of protestors rallied in support of Amazon workers and unionization on January 15, 2022, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Labor Unions Are Key in Protecting Workers’ Rights in States

August 30, 2022
A group of protestors rallied in support of Amazon workers and unionization on January 15, 2022, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Workers at Starbucks, Chipotle, Amazon, REI, Trader Joe’s, a...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 Research suggests that states with more union members maintained better work conditions and offered workers more protections, despite a period of steep decline
Photo of Donny Tou

SURA 2022 Student Blog

August 24, 2022
Each summer since 1998, the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) has run the Summer Undergraduate Research Assistants (SURA) program, which gives undergraduate students first-hand experience in the ...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2022
pro-choice abortion sign

The History of Abortion Politics

August 16, 2022
   In 1989, pro-choice demonstrators gather outside the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. Even before the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade, abortion remained one of the most polariz...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 IPR talks with IPR political scientist Chloe Thurston about politicians’ changing views on abortion and the role interest groups play
Mother and daughter walking

Mexican American Mothers Reveal Challenges in Seeking Mental Healthcare for Their Teens

August 11, 2022
Research suggests that Mexican American adolescents may be at greater risk for major depression and suicide than White teenagers. In an effort to help their teens, some Mexican American parents &...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2022 IPR anthropologist explains how moms navigate being a ‘good mother’ and what it might mean for policy
water pump

As Access to Water Expands, Improvements Appear Unequal

August 08, 2022
  Our lives depend on water, but climate change, population growth, and poor governance can all jeopardize our water security. One of the goals of sustainable development is to ensure equal d...
Social Disparities and Health 2022 IPR anthropologist Sera Young investigates how improvements in water security do not always occur equitably
tap water

Avoiding Tap Water Can Increase Chances of Experiencing Food Insecurity

August 02, 2022
  Many Americans take tap water for granted. Water bills are often less expensive compared to people’s other bills, and tap water has been a part of most Americans’ lives since th...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2022 IPR researchers highlight the connection between water and food insecurity
Census taker

Federal Statistics: Managing the Tension Between Data Privacy and the Social Good

July 25, 2022
A worker fills out information for the 2020 Census.  In 1997, computer scientist Latanya Sweeney was able to identify then-Massachusetts Governor William Weld from anonymous hospital records ...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 Researchers call for using benefit-cost analysis to protect privacy and enhance research and policymaking
pro-choice abortion sign

After Supreme Court Ruling Overturned Roe v. Wade, Support for Abortion Increased

July 21, 2022
  After the Supreme Court’s June 24 landmark decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturning Roe v. Wade, how did the announcement shift public opinion? And c...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 Support is highest among those who say they plan to vote in the midterm elections
student in classroom

New IPR Research: July 2022

July 11, 2022
This month’s new research from IPR faculty examines the effects of social support on inflammation in high school students, functional neurological disorder's link to trauma, mental health, ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy 2022
gun store

More People with Depression Bought Guns for the First Time During the Pandemic

July 11, 2022
  For years research has shown that owning a gun increases the risk of suicide—a prospect that has only been amplified with the rise in gun ownership during the COVID-19 pandemic. In o...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2022
SIBASS participants learn to draw blood

What Can Biosocial Approaches Reveal About Human Biology and Experience?

July 08, 2022
SIBASS participants practiced biological approaches to research, such as learning how to draw blood. Do poverty and racism affect your health? If so, what are the best methods for measuring the ef...
Social Disparities and Health 2022 IPR experts train 30 social science researchers in the latest methods
Highland Park Shooting Memorial

The Lasting Mark of Shootings

July 08, 2022
  Residents visit a memorial to the victims of the July 4, 2022, shooting in Highland Park, Illinois. Mass shootings have been on the rise in the U.S.—not just in schools like the ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2022 IPR experts detail the sweeping effects on survivors and communities—and discuss policies to help prevent them
Morton Schapiro and James Kvaal

College Access and Success

June 09, 2022
Susan Dynarski holds up her copy of “Keeping College Affordable” by Morton Schapiro and Michael McPherson, sharing how it informed her research, as fellow panelists Eric Bettinger (fa...
Education Policy 2022 Symposium honors Morton Schapiro for his research and efforts to make higher education more accessible
Panel 1 at the symposium

College Access and Success: Using Research to Inform Education Policy

June 09, 2022
From left: Diane Schanzenbach, Eric Bettinger, Susan Dynarski, Sarah Turner, and Jesse Rothstein discuss how their research can inform policy around college access. IPR Director and economist Dian...
Education Policy 2022 The nation’s top higher education scholars dig into the role of money, financial aid, and other challenges
Panel 2 at the symposium

College Access and Success: Creating Avenues for Policy and Practice

June 09, 2022
From left: David Figlio, Adam Gamoran, Bridget Long, Sandy Baum, and Michael McPherson address what colleges can do to increase access and student success. While the first panel of the May 10...
Education Policy 2022 Prominent higher education leaders outline how institutions can use evidence to promote student success
Morton Schapiro

Increasing College Access and Success

June 09, 2022
Morton Schapiro (left) and James Kvaal cover some of higher education’s top headlines. Two panels on higher education research and practice set up the May 10 “College Access and Succes...
Education Policy 2022 Northwestern’s president and the U.S. under secretary of education informally discuss student debt, loan forgiveness, and other topics
Group of boys and girls

Headstrong Girls and Dependent Boys Earn Less Than Their Peers as Adults

June 08, 2022
  Can your behavior as a child influence your income as an adult? New research by IPR economist Ofer Malamud and Robert Kaestner of the University of Chicago shows that it can. The study, pu...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2022 Research suggests that children who do not fit gender stereotypes are penalized
Headshots of Kirabo Jackson, Alice Eagly, and Sylvia Perry

IPR Faculty Receive Prestigious Honors

June 06, 2022
Three IPR scholars earned notable recognition for their policy-focused research. IPR economist Kirabo Jackson was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and IPR psychologist Alice...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2022 Honors reflect IPR faculty’s expertise and innovation in social science research
Tabitha Bonilla speaking at CAB 2022

Workshop Examines Political Microtargeting, Democratic Erosion, and Other Key Questions Ahead of 2022 Midterms

June 06, 2022
IPR political scientist Tabitha Bonilla presents on “The Role of Descriptive and Substantive Representation in Voter Decision-Making” at the CAB 2022 Conference. On May 6, nearly 80...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 Faculty and graduate students returned to Evanston after two years of remote conferences
Man repairing car

New IPR Research: June 2022

June 01, 2022
This month’s new research from IPR faculty investigates how supply disruptions led to a drop in community college enrollment during the pandemic, if and why fathers spend less on their daug...
Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022
Police car

Networks of Potential Criminal Cops Identified in Chicago Police Data

May 04, 2022
New research can help officials identify hidden networks of officers engaging in misconduct and criminal behavior within police organizations. The study shows that police misconduct is a group ph...
Urban Policy and Community Development 2022 New study shows cop “crews” cause disproportionate amount of police misconduct, especially in Black and Latinx communities
Volunteering

Improving Evaluation to Address Social Needs

May 04, 2022
Legislation currently before Congress, the Levering Integrated Networks in Communities (LINC) to Address Social Needs Act, is meant to better connect social service and health organizations via p...
Education Policy 2022 Research-based recommendations for better public-private social service and health networks
Images of multiple faculty

IPR Scholars Recognized for the Scope of Their Work

April 21, 2022
Five IPR faculty have recently been recognized in their fields for the impact of their policy-driven research. Their studies span a range of topics, including COVID-19 infections and antibodies, ...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2022 Accolades highlight the influence of IPR research
collage of images of unexpected events

When the Unexpected Happens

April 19, 2022
Assassination. Secret air pollution. Draught. Police shootings. Unexpected and beyond the control of individuals, these outside forces can “shock” people in ways beyond just a psychol...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development 2022 IPR experts explain how the shock of external events and disasters affects health and lives
Students in classroom

New Report Aims to Improve IES and Education Research

April 19, 2022
As the 20th anniversary of the Institute of Education Sciences (IES) approaches, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) convened a committee to review current pract...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy 2022 Two IPR researchers served on the committee that authored a report outlining new priorities in education sciences
Ambulance

New IPR Research: April 2022

April 18, 2022
  This month’s new research from IPR faculty explores trends in gun violence in Cook County, Illinois, between 2018–20, whether social relationships can improve students' academic...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022
Working mom with baby

Women at Work: From a Milestone to a ‘Shecession’

March 24, 2022
In January 2020, the U.S. labor market reached a milestone: Women held more paid jobs than men for only the second time in American history. Then the COVID-19 pandemic hit, plunging the U.S. eco...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2022 IPR researchers discuss the pandemic’s effect on U.S. women’s employment and policies to support them
Man rests his face on his knees

New IPR Research: March 2022

March 14, 2022
  This month’s new research from IPR faculty investigates the role of systemic inflammation in the impact of trauma on mental health, how school shootings affect elections, and the asso...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022
A child gets vaccinated

Child Vaccination Rates Rise Slightly, But Parents' Intention to Vaccinate Drops

March 10, 2022
  How have parents’ likelihood of vaccinating their kids changed since vaccines were authorized for 5- to 15-year-olds last year? A recent national survey reveals that parents of child...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2022 Parents of kids under 5 are the least likely to report they plan to vaccinate them
Black student

How Black Lives Matter Shaped Children’s Racial Identity

March 08, 2022
  In 2014, Black Lives Matter (BLM) became a political movement after the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri that would go on to shift public and political conversations about race....
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2022 Onnie Rogers traces how children drew from its broader conversations about race
mother and child

African Women Who Migrate to France Have Fewer Children

February 25, 2022
  A new report shows that African women who migrate to France have more children than French-born women—but not as many as women in their home countries. The migrant women’s use o...
Education Policy 2022 New findings shed light on aspects of migrant integration, an issue in the 2022 French elections
Crowd protesting

Disrupting Racism and Bias at Home, at School, and at Work

February 24, 2022
On June 6, 2020, people gathered on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia to protest the murder of George Floyd. After the murder of George Floyd in May 2020, millions of Americans ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2022 IPR faculty share research insights about how children and adults can be anti-racist
High school lockers

New IPR Research: February 2022

February 18, 2022
  This month’s new research from IPR faculty explores the prevalence of adverse childhood experience of students in Chicago Public Schools, the connection between parents' education and...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Social Disparities and Health 2022
Andy Papachristos speaking at N3 symposium

IPR Sociologist Named Harry Frank Guggenheim Distinguished Scholar

February 03, 2022
Andrew Papachristos welcomed guests to an N3 symposium on the science and practice of street outreach in December. The Harry Frank Guggenheim (HFG) Foundation named IPR sociologist Andrew Papachri...
Urban Policy and Community Development 2022 Andrew Papachristos will explore how powerful politicians and warring street gangs shaped Chicago’s concentrated violence
mother and child

Migration and Family Planning

February 03, 2022
  Can migrating to a very different society affect a woman’s contraceptive use? A new study in Demography by IPR sociologist Julia Behrman and her colleagues shows that it can. She and...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2022 IPR sociologist studies how migration affects women’s contraception
Book cover the Importance of Campaign Promises

New Book Explores How Voters Relate to Candidates’ Promises

February 02, 2022
  At the Republican National Convention in 1988, presidential candidate George H. W. Bush told fellow Republicans that he would not allow Congress to raise taxes, saying “Read my lips, ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 Tabitha Bonilla shows what campaign promises signal to voters
news headlines about fake news

Fake News, Big Lies: How Did We Get Here and Where Are We Going?

January 26, 2022
“Are we going to be a nation that lives not by the light of the truth but in the shadow of lies?” President Joe Biden asked the country on the first anniversary of the January 6 insur...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 IPR experts explain how mis- and disinformation affect our lives and offer ideas for how to counter it
Sleeping baby

New IPR Research: January 2022

January 21, 2022
This month’s new research from IPR faculty examines whether the assassination of President John F. Kennedy (JFK) affected birth outcomes, how Black residents’ political behavior chang...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2022
N95 Masks

Surveys Reveal New Insights on Masks, At-Home Test Kits, and Misinformation

January 21, 2022
More than a quarter of those surveyed remain unsure if N95s offer more protection than cloth masks. Up to 6% of adult COVID-19 cases are not being counted due to the use of at-home test kits. ...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 N95 masks are seen as better, but most still wear cloth; at-home test kits are likely causing case undercounts
Capitol Insurrection on Jan. 6 2021

One Year After Capitol Insurrection Americans Remain Divided in Their Feelings About It

January 06, 2022
On January 6, 2021, supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol. One year after supporters of Donald Trump stormed the U.S. Capitol on January 6, 2021, a new survey finds that 52% of Ame...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 Overall support for the insurrection is low, but an increasing partisan divide is ‘concerning,’ says IPR researcher
Parents at school board meeting

The Majority of Americans Are Concerned with How American History Is Taught

January 04, 2022
  In June 2021, community members at a North Carolina school board meeting express their support and opposition to teaching critical race theory. Over the last few years, Critical Race The...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 Support for teaching CRT and racism varies by political party and racial/ethnic group
Child receives her COVID-19 vaccination

Over Half of All Parents Report Concerns About COVID-19 Vaccines for Their Kids

January 04, 2022
In November 2021, children in the Province of British Columbia received their first doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Will parents vaccinate their kids as pediatric COVID-19 hospitalizations rise ...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy 2022 Republican, Asian, and rural parents have higher levels of concerns than other parents
Trump press conference in 2020

Why Leaders’ Competence Is a Life-and-Death Matter

January 03, 2022
  Former president Trump gives a White House coronavirus update briefing on April 13, 2020.  Competent elected leaders are often successful in improving the lives of those they serve, b...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2022 2020’s pandemic response shows why studying leaders’ abilities matters
coronavirus

Coronavirus Media Mentions and Research by IPR Faculty

December 31, 2021
Stay up-to-date with the latest IPR faculty media mentions concerning COVID-19 as well as other IPR news related to the coronavirus in 2021. See media mentions and research from 2020 on the followi...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2021
school board meeting

In the Last Year, 1 in 5 Adults Voted in a Local School Board Election

December 17, 2021
  In October 2021, community members attend a school board meeting in Burlington, North Carolina. Conflicts around COVID-19 restrictions and teaching critical race theory have increased atte...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy 2021 Top concerns when choosing a school board include school safety, COVID-19 vaccines, and mental health
child getting vaccinated

Nearly One-Third of 5- to 11-Year-Olds Are Getting Vaccinated

December 17, 2021
  Parents who are Democrats, college-educated, city dwellers, and older (over age 35) were more likely to say their 5- to 11-year-olds were getting vaccinated over those who were not, accordi...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2021 But worrying trends seen in parental enthusiasm for COVID vaccines and teen vaccinations
N3 symposium

The Science and Practice of Street Outreach in Illinois

December 14, 2021
N3 executive director Soledad McGrath moderates the final panel on the future of street outreach during N3's 2021 Symposium on Dec. 8, 2021.  At the end of November, Chicago’s homicid...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021 Symposium examines lessons learned and the future of a promising violence reduction strategy
Russia

New IPR Research: December 2021

December 14, 2021
This month's new research from IPR faculty examines how news consumption in Russia shapes belief in COVID-19 misinformation, mentor strategies in emerging fields, and measuring children's experie...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2021
2021 Top Articles

IPR's Top 2021 Articles

December 14, 2021
Snapshots from IPR's most-read 2021 articles (captions below) As the COVID-19 crisis continued to ravage the U.S. and the globe, 2021 saw a January 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, the inaugur...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021 Beyond the pandemic, our most-read content also covered violence, education, opioids, and racism, among others
College graduate

College Dream vs. Reality

December 03, 2021
Over 1 million students are currently in the midst of applying to college, and for good reason. Research shows that college typically confers many critical lifelong benefits on those who attend&#...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2021 College-for-all policies have set most U.S. high school seniors on paths to higher learning, but are they the right paths for all?
College students walking

Students Are Happier if Their College Requires Vaccines

November 18, 2021
A new survey of more than 1,200 U.S. college students shows those in colleges with mask and vaccine mandates were more likely to approve of their universities’ handling of COVID-19 than tho...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 But nearly half of those surveyed could not accurately describe their colleges’ COVID-19 policies
2021 SURA orientation on Zoom

Northwestern Undergraduates Experience the ‘Nuts and Bolts of Day-to-Day’ Research

November 17, 2021
This summer, the SURA program launched with a Zoom training about campus research resources and best practices for being a research assistant led by IPR social demographer Christine Percheski. ...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 Over 40 undergraduates worked on policy-relevant research with IPR faculty this summer
Little girl learning

New IPR Research: November 2021

November 17, 2021
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers whether increased public K–12 school spending improves student outcomes, the threats facing Medicaid and the Child Health Insurance Pr...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health 2021
Capitol building

The State of Bipartisanship

October 27, 2021
For over a decade, Americans’ approval of the way Congress handles its job has been well below 50%. Recent congressional sparring over previously bipartis...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 IPR asks Laurel Harbridge-Yong about congressional conflict around current legislation, the debt ceiling—and what it all means for midterms and democracy
Kids in masks running

As Approval of a COVID-19 Vaccine for Younger Kids Draws Near, a Survey Shows Parents’ Concerns About Vaccines Grew

October 26, 2021
On October 26, the Food and Drug Administration's vaccine advisory committee voted to endorse use of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine on 5- to 11-year-olds. If approved, this could set the st...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 Nearly one-third of parents said they were unlikely to get their kids under 12 vaccinated
Student testing

New IPR Research: October 2021

October 25, 2021
This month's new research from IPR faculty examines stress and high-stakes testing among students from low-income backgrounds, the disproportionate school punishment of Black students and their l...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2021
Woman with elderly mom

Why Do Unvaccinated Americans Wear Masks?

October 22, 2021
While 29% of Americans are still unvaccinated, nearly two-thirds of this group (19%) are concerned enough about the spread of COVID-19 to regularly wear a mask—and the No. 1 reason for a la...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 National poll cites their No. 1 reason as concern for protecting their loved ones
COVID-19 Vaccine card

Most Americans Continue to Support Vaccine Mandates—and Want More

October 11, 2021
As coronavirus cases continue to surge around the nation, President Biden has taken a harder stance against those unwilling to vaccinate by issuing vaccine mandates. Recent polling shows that mos...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 Support for vaccine mandates remains high, while approval drops for the president’s handling of the pandemic
Women carrying water

Scale Identifies Who’s Water Insecure Globally

October 06, 2021
As the world struggles to stop a global pandemic and reel in climate change, globally comparable information about water insecurity is crucial for action. A new study by IPR anthropologist Sera ...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021 IPR anthropologist’s scale provides snapshot of people’s experiences during global water crisis
Leah Salditch

IPR Graduate Research Assistant Recognized for Scholarship

October 01, 2021
 IPR associate Seth Stein, Northwestern PhD student Molly Gallahue, and former IPR graduate research assistant Leah Salditch at the 2019 AGU Fall Meeting in San Francisco, California.  ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2021 Leah Salditch was honored for her research on natural hazards and risks
young children playing

Time for Long-Term Investments in Children and Childcare?

September 30, 2021
Even before COVID, childcare was a challenge. The pandemic’s swift economic plunge only made it worse, closing down childcare centers, shedding workers, increasing food insecurity, and turn...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021 IPR researchers outline ways that improving children’s lives supports the nation
birthday cake

America’s Worsening ‘Death Problem’

September 29, 2021
New research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) finds that Americans, even the nation’s wealthiest, have shorter lives when compared with Europeans. At ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2021 Americans now have shorter lives than Europeans, even though the Black/White gap has been cut in half, study finds
Teen on phone

New IPR Research: September 2021

September 27, 2021
This month's new research from IPR faculty investigates how adolescents respond to racism on social media, whether a family's attitude toward gender impacts a girl's math score, and the impacts o...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021
Sheridan Fuller

A Shift from Policy Administration to Policy Insights

September 24, 2021
  This spring, IPR graduate research assistant Sheridan Fuller received two competitive awards for his research, one of which was the Presidential Fellowship, Northwestern’s highest hon...
Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 IPR graduate researcher Sheridan Fuller receives two fellowships for his research on the social safety net
CP4P community outreach event

Early Signs of Success for Chicago Street Outreach Collaboration

September 10, 2021
Street outreach workers, part of a Communities Partnering 4 Peace organization, serve meals to neighborhood residents. Individuals’ gun victimization dropped by nearly 20% after 18 months of...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021 Collaboration reaches and helps those at high risk for gun violence
Childcare worker with young children

How Did Illinois Child Care Programs Fare with COVID-19 Funding? A New Report Investigates

September 09, 2021
Like many parts of the economy, the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted child care as 60% of programs nationwide were forced to close in spring 2020. It left parents and caregivers with no or few child c...
Education Policy 2021 Findings by IPR developmental psychologist suggest good news for the state
Woman getting vaccine

Study Finds COVID-19 Antibody Response Falls Two Months After Second Shot

August 30, 2021
How long do the immunity benefits of Pfizer and Moderna vaccines last? A new study by IPR researchers biological anthropologist Thomas McDade, postdoctoral fellow Amelia Sancilio, and professor o...
Social Disparities and Health 2021 IPR biological anthropologist finds that prior exposure to COVID-19 does not guarantee a high level of antibodies
CRED outreach workers

Addressing Chicago’s ‘Unfathomable Violence’

August 17, 2021
Chicago CRED street outreach workers connect with at-risk men in Chicago to prevent gun violence. After a near record increase in 2020, levels of gun violence in Chicago remain stubbornly e...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021
Stressed Black woman

New IPR Research: August 2021

August 11, 2021
  This month's new research from IPR faculty covers how racial discrimination gets under the skin, the case for teaching preregistration in graduate school, and improving work-related social ...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021
Classroom in India

India Scales Up Program to Combat Gender Inequality

August 10, 2021
  Despite having one of the largest economies in the world, India lags behind many countries around issues of gender equality. Female labor participation in India dropped to 20% over the last...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021 IPR economist shows a school-based intervention shifted adolescents’ attitudes about gender
Joe Choi

SURA 2021 Student Blog

August 10, 2021
Each summer since 1998, the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) has run the Summer Undergraduate Research Assistants (SURA) program, which gives undergraduate students first-hand experience in the ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2021
Person on facebook

Is Facebook ‘Killing Us’? A New Survey Investigates

July 29, 2021
Following the Surgeon General’s July 15 advisory on health misinformation and social media, President Joe Biden remarked that Facebook and other social media platforms are “killing pe...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 Facebook likely plays role in COVID-19 misinformation, affecting vaccination rates
President Biden speaking about vaccines

Want to Vaccinate More Americans? Get Top Republicans to Endorse Vaccines

July 28, 2021
  As the highly transmissible Delta variant pushes up cases of COVID-19 cases and deaths in the U.S. to alarming levels, President Joe Biden and other top administration officials have taken ...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 Messages from Democrats risk “backlash effects” that could deter Republicans from getting vaccinated
Research stock photo

Peterson Foundation Grant Fuels COVID-19 Research

July 26, 2021
The Peter G. Peterson Foundation Pandemic Response Policy Research Fund at Northwestern University is funding eight projects to inform and advance future pandemic policy responses, three of which...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2021 $1 million research initiative seeks to inform and improve pandemic relief and recovery policies
Middle aged couple

Greater Wealth at Midlife May Be Tied to a Longer Life

July 22, 2021
Living a longer life may be tied to how much money you have made by midlife. In the first wealth and longevity study to incorporate siblings and twin pair data, the researchers, led by IPR postd...
Social Disparities and Health 2021 Study examines association between wealth and longevity within siblings and twin pairs
Girl wearing a mask and reading a book

Survey Shows Growing Support for Vaccinating Children and School Vaccine Mandates

July 21, 2021
Children under 12 may be eligible for COVID-19 vaccines by September or October, but will parents vaccinate their children? New survey results from a consortium of universities, including Northw...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 Young mothers and mothers of young children remain the most vaccine hesitant
Rob Greenwald

In Memoriam: Rob Greenwald

July 12, 2021
Rob Greenwald, a long-time IPR colleague and founding executive director of the Society for Research on Educational Effectiveness (SREE), died of natural causes on June 26. Greenwald, who was 60, ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2021
Unemployed male

Social Isolation Is Down Overall, But Some Americans Remain Isolated

July 09, 2021
As states reopen and lift COVID-19 safety measures, a new survey of more than 185,000 people from all 50 states shows another sign of improvement—levels of social isolation are fa...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 A study finds that poorer and less educated respondents remain more isolated than others
Opioids

The Opioid Crisis: An ‘Epidemic Within the Pandemic’

June 28, 2021
  Before the COVID crisis, there was the opioid crisis. Though the pandemic has grabbed the headlines, Americans continue to die of opioids at alarming rates: 136 Americans die every day from...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021
Hospital room

New IPR Research: June 2021

June 23, 2021
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers how opioid use impacts the hospital system in Illinois, predicting homeowners' gender, and designing a five-question index to measure women's age...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2021
Child listening to mother

How Listening to Language Boosts Infant Cognition

June 15, 2021
Even before infants can roll over in their cribs, research has shown that listening to language boosts their cognition. For infants as young as 3 months, listening to human speech supports their ...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2021 IPR researchers identify neural mechanisms underlying the unique human link between language and cognition
Sally Nuamah

Sally Nuamah Receives Recognition for Her Work on Education, Gender, and Race

June 15, 2021
IPR social policy expert Sally Nuamah recently received two prestigious awards that recognize her contributions to research and activism in education, gender, and race this spring. In April, Nua...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021 Policy expert honored for her scholarship and work as a filmmaker and activist
Volunteering

Can Balancing the Support You Give with What You Receive Help You Live Longer?

June 10, 2021
Helping someone with their homework or running errands for a homebound senior are examples of social support that have been associated with better mental health and wellbeing, as well as better p...
Social Disparities and Health 2021 IPR scholars find that a balance of giving and receiving social support is linked to a longer life
Woman at rent relief protest

Breaking New Ground on Fair Housing?

May 28, 2021
Protestors gather in Graham, North Carolina, in January 2021 to protest evictions and call for housing security.  Is America heading out of a pandemic lockdown into a housing lockout? On one...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2021 At a moment of promise and peril, IPR experts offer insights to key policy prescriptions
Students in classroom

New IPR Research: May 2021

May 27, 2021
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers the effect of exposure to immigrants on the academic outcomes of U.S.-born students, how the gut microbiome can improve health inequities, and wh...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health 2021
Mary and Jamie at CAB 2021

Understanding Political Attitudes and Experiences, Diversity, and Collaboration

May 27, 2021
IPR political scientist James Druckman, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign assistant professor of political science Aleks Ksiazkiewicz, and IPR political scientist Mary McGrath at CAB 202...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021 This year’s workshop highlights novel research by four women political scientists
Thomas McDade

Thomas McDade Elected to Two Acclaimed National Academies in the Same Month

May 25, 2021
 IPR biological anthropologist Thomas McDade was elected to the National Academy of Sciences (NAS) and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, two of the nation’s most prestigious s...
Social Disparities and Health 2021 IPR biological anthropologist earns membership for his pioneering research achievements
Diane Schanzenbach

IPR Director Testifies at Congressional Hearing on Hunger

May 25, 2021
“During COVID, hunger has swelled,” IPR Director Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach told the members of the U.S. Representatives House Rules Committee on April 28 during a virtual three-hour...
Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 Economist Diane Schanzenbach calls for bipartisan support to end hunger in America
Teenager looking out the window

The Economy and Pandemic Are Improving, Mental Health Is Not

May 21, 2021
With vaccination rates increasing and states reopening, many are hopeful that the pandemic is finally nearing its end. Despite the optimism around the pandemic’s progress, a national survey...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 Young adults have been hit the hardest with depression
Chicago skyline

New Community Policing Program Shows Some Positive Progress, But Requires More Work

May 17, 2021
Chicago’s skyline, taken from the city’s East Village/Ukrainian Village neighborhood. A two-year-old program in Chicago designed to change policing and ensure communities have a voice ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2021 Preliminary evaluation finds challenges arose due to the pandemic, aftermath of George Floyd, and others; offers recommendations for greater impact
Vaccine passport

More Americans Oppose Vaccine Passports Than Support Them

May 14, 2021
  As more Americans receive the COVID-19 vaccine and communities begin re-opening, many remain divided about whether proof of vaccination, or “vaccine passports,” should be requir...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2021 Attitudes vary across party affiliation, gender, and race/ethnicity
Farmers and agricultural researchers discussed a composting technique

Tanzanian Farmers Boost Diets, Mental Health with Sustainable Methods

May 11, 2021
  Farmers and agricultural researchers discuss a composting technique during training using the participatory Farming for Change curriculum. A groundbreaking study finds that an innovative p...
Social Disparities and Health 2021 Peer mentorship reduces food insecurity and gender inequity
Abby Smith

IPR Research Assistant Named as a 2021 Rising Star in Data Science

May 07, 2021
 IPR graduate research assistant Abby Smith was named as one of the Center for Data and Computing’s inaugural Rising Stars in Data Science. The center, based at the University of Chic...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2021 Abby Smith was recognized for her work in entity resolution and network science
Child being pulled in wagon

Support for School Vaccination Requirements Edges Up, But Some Resistance Remains

May 06, 2021
  New survey results from a consortium of universities that includes Northwestern, Harvard, Northeastern, and Rutgers reveal a slight increase in Americans who support vaccination requirement...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021 Survey indicates cities and Democratic-leaning states will be more likely to implement them
Johnson and Johnson vaccine boxes

Americans Shift Toward "Pro-Vaccine" Direction After J&J Vaccine Pause

May 04, 2021
  Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine arrives at Javits Convention Center in Manhattan, New York A new survey from a research consortium that includes Northwestern reveals that 74% of respo...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2021 The survey also shows clear preferences for certain vaccines
Parent talks to child

White Parents Need to Talk About Race with Younger Children, Too

May 03, 2021
  In 2015, a 21-year-old white supremacist shot and killed nine Black Americans during a Bible study at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. Stories of the shooting flooded media...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2021 Survey reveals importance of talking about racism with White 8- to 12-year-olds when Black children start to experience it
playground image

Which Networks Are Most Effective at Improving Student Achievement?

April 28, 2021
  Children playing in Centennial Park Playground in Howard County, MD. How can organizations in different sectors work together to improve educational outcomes? A Northwestern study shows ci...
Education Policy 2021 Study shows 'collective impact' framework no more effective than others; simplifies ‘formula’ for achieving social impact
Emma Adam

Effort to Standardize Citation Rankings Shows Impact of IPR Experts’ Research

April 20, 2021
More than 30 IPR faculty have been recognized as being among the top 2% most cited academics in their respective fields, according to a database published in PLOS Biology by Stanford University r...
Social Disparities and Health; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021 IPR faculty rank globally among the 2% of most-cited researchers in their fields
COVID-19 map

New IPR Research: April 2021

April 19, 2021
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers the spread of COVID-19 in metropolitan areas in the fall of 2020, Chicago students' self-reported risk behaviors, and improving high school couns...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021
Margaret Gordon

In Memoriam: Margo Gordon, IPR’s Third Director

April 19, 2021
  Former faculty fellow and director Margaret (Margo) T. Gordon, 81, died on April 1 in Seattle. A groundbreaking scholar and accomplished administrator, Gordon became IPR’s third dire...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2021
assay plate with reconstituted blood samples

Community-Based Research Shows More People Exposed to COVID-19 Virus Than Previously Known

April 13, 2021
 An assay plate contains mailed-in samples of reconstituted blood. As the U.S. rushes to vaccinate Americans to prevent a wider outbreak of COVID-19, the FDA has currently authorized three va...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development 2021 Northwestern study reveals need for two doses of mRNA vaccines for mild and asymptomatic cases
Doctor receives his vaccination

Vaccination Rates for Healthcare Workers Have Doubled

March 26, 2021
Since January, more U.S. healthcare workers have said they are ready to get vaccinated, with rates of vaccine hesitancy dropping from 37% to 29%, according to a new survey from a research consort...
Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 But survey shows lags for those who earn less and have less education
Maryland Governor Larry Hogan visits Emergent BioSolutions, where Johnson & Johnson’s COVID-19 vaccines are made

Democrats More Likely to Approve Their Republican Governors’ Pandemic Performance

March 23, 2021
  Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan (R) is one of five Republican governors who has higher approval ratings from Democrats than Republicans.  How much Americans approve—or disapprove&#821...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2021 New survey also shows 53% of Americans support Biden’s handling of the COVID-19 crisis
A mother vaccinates her child

Survey Shows Parents Are More Hesitant to Get Vaccines for Their Kids

March 22, 2021
  While coronavirus vaccines are yet to be approved for children, public health officials worry that the increasing numbers of parents skeptical of vaccinating their children for any disease ...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 Young mothers are largely driving the resistance among parents
Girl wearing mask inside classroom

Back to School: IPR Researchers Discuss the Pandemic’s Impact

March 17, 2021
A student sits behind a protective shield inside a school classroom in October 2020.    How are students faring as U.S. schools reopen after being shuttered due to the pandemic? M...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2021 As millions of children return to schools, IPR faculty examine key education issues through their work
High School Class

New IPR Research: March 2021

March 17, 2021
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers the role of social-emotional development in students' lives, policy and science during the pandemic, and whether bipartisan policymakers are more...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021
Student Sitting on Chair

The Power of Balanced Messaging

March 12, 2021
A Northwestern study finds that messages about the positive power of a student’s background can support the achievement and wellbeing of marginalized high school or college students. The fi...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021 Low-income students benefit from messages that acknowledge their backgrounds as strengths
Older American gets vaccine in Des Moines

New Survey Shows Wide Gaps in Who Is Getting Vaccinated

March 12, 2021
   A Des Moines public school employee gets a first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine on February 6. In his March 11 primetime address, President Biden pledged that all adults over the age o...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021 Wealthy and more educated Americans are more likely to be vaccinated; complex distribution systems can hinder efforts to vaccinate the most vulnerable
Student at tutoring session

Study Finds 'High-Dosage' Tutoring Can Double or Triple Math Learning, Help Reduce Widening Disparities

March 12, 2021
IPR economist Jonathan Guryan released a study with the University of Chicago Education Lab that demonstrates individualized, intensive—or “high-dosage”—tutoring can doubl...
Education Policy 2021 As school districts grapple with learning loss from COVID-19, a new study shows personalized tutoring can bring adolescents to grade level quickly and at low cost
Stephanie Edgerly

Faculty Spotlight: Stephanie Edgerly

February 26, 2021
  As a child, Stephanie Edgerly remembers observing her mom engage in politics and current events through media outlets like the “Today” show, “The View,” and the Nati...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 IPR associate studies how audiences consume and engage with the news
BLM protest

Want to Close Racial Gaps, Advance Equity? Try These Policy Ideas

February 25, 2021
Protesters in Kansas City, Kansas, call for measures to ensure equity in policing in July 2020.  On his first day as president, Joe Biden signed an executive order that the federal governme...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2021 IPR researchers’ data-driven suggestions seek to diminish inequities through federal policy proposals
Girl with a cold

New IPR Research: February 2021

February 24, 2021
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers how good relationships with parents during childhood can be a buffer to the common cold later in life, how experiences earlier in life, such as b...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2021
Doctor receives a COVID-19 vaccine

National Survey Shows 13% of Healthcare Workers Are Vaccinated

February 19, 2021
  A doctor at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, in Bethesda, MD., gets vaccinated on Dec. 14, 2020. Women working in healthcare reported more resistance getting a vaccine than me...
Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 White men and those with higher education and income levels are more likely to be vaccinated
girl doing online learning

In Survey, Two-Thirds of Parents Voice Concern About Students’ Learning Losses

February 09, 2021
  Two-thirds of respondents (67%), whether students or parents, say they are concerned about the quality of K–12 learning during the pandemic, according to a new national survey of more...
Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021 But a majority also comes out against a return to physical classrooms
Trump protestors with guns

Guns Sales Spike in 2020

February 05, 2021
  President Trump supporters carry guns at a United We Stand & Patriots March in St. Paul, Minnesota on September 12 to protest shutdowns. Amid the protests and turbulence of 2020,...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2021 New survey shows those who protested, got COVID-19, or felt extremely stressed were more likely to buy guns
Frontline worker gets vaccine

As Biden Seeks to Vaccinate 100 Million, Researchers Offer Insights into How

January 27, 2021
  An employee of the Metropolitan Transit Authority receives a COVID-19 vaccine at New York City's Javits Center on January 13. As President Joe Biden promises to vaccinate more than 10...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 National survey finds most Americans favor vaccination, suggests doctors are best in convincing you to get one
Opioids

New IPR Research: January 2021

January 27, 2021
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers some of the real causes of the opioid crisis, how teachers can humanize relationships with Black students, identity frames and support for Black ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development 2021
Craig Garfield

Faculty Spotlight: Craig Garfield

January 27, 2021
How did an English major working on a dairy farm end up as a pediatrician? IPR associate Craig Garfield began by deciding that he would prefer to help people rather than cows. Going from English...
Social Disparities and Health 2021 Pediatrician Finds His Research Calling as a Stay-at-Home Dad
School Hallway

The Cost of School Shootings

January 27, 2021
More than 240,000 U.S. students have experienced gun violence at school since the 1999 Columbine shooting, according to an analysis by the Washington Post. In a new working paper, IPR economists ...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2021 College attendance and employment rates are lower among high school students who were exposed to a shooting at school
2020 Top Articles

2020: A Year Like No Other

January 26, 2021
2020 was a year in which we saw the unrelenting spread and devastation of the coronavirus, George Floyd’s death and Black Lives Matter protests, a turbulent presidential election amidst entrenched political divisiveness, misinformation and disinformation, growing disparities, deadly gun violence, and a widening recession. Across IPR’s top content of year, seven key research themes emerged: food insecurity, poverty, racial disparities, policing and violence, politics, education, and, of course, the pandemic itself.
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Social Disparities and Health 2021 IPR’s top content over the year reflects key social themes and the coronavirus pandemic
CRED participants shaking hands

Program Shows Promise in Reaching Those at Highest Risk of Gun Violence

January 22, 2021
  A CRED mentor and participant shake hands. With gun violence at a 20-year high in Chicago, a new report by IPR’s Northwestern Neighborhood & Network Initiative (N3) examines a promis...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2021 N3 report details preliminary findings from Chicago CRED’s street outreach program
bullet casing in hand

Network Analysis Shows Concentration of Gun Violence in Chicago’s Neighborhoods

January 08, 2021
  A protestor shows a bullet casing found at the scene of a drive-by shooting in Chicago, 2016. At the same time that Chicago was battling a global health epidemic in 2020, it also experienc...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2021 Most victims connected to other victims through their social networks
coronavirus

Coronavirus Media Mentions and Research by IPR Faculty

December 30, 2020
Stay up-to-date with the latest IPR faculty media mentions concerning COVID-19 as well as other IPR news related to the coronavirus in 2020. The University has been sending out official commun...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020
Mother financially suffering

As Latest Relief Package Passes, 1 in 5 Americans Confronts Severe Economic Hardships

December 21, 2020
A new survey reveals the dismal scope of many Americans’ economic struggles as Congress approved an eleventh-hour $900 billion pandemic relief package before their remaining benefits expire...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 Parents with children at home, Hispanics, and COVID-stricken have been particularly hard hit
Snapshot from the app

App Explores Seven Key Economic Topics

December 21, 2020
  An evicted family's belongings line the street in Detroit. The app provides information on seven economic indicators, including on missed mortgage or rent payments.  During the COVID-...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2020 Data highlight the severity of the ongoing pandemic crisis for many Americans
Biden and Harris Victory Speech

Policy Forward: IPR Experts Offer Evidence-Based Recommendations

December 17, 2020
Vice-President-Elect Kamala Harris and President-Elect Joe Biden share the stage at a victory rally in Wilmington, Del., on November 7. As President-Elect Joe Biden continues to fill out his incom...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2020 Policy advice addresses key social challenges
Sally Nuamah

Faculty Spotlight: Sally Nuamah

December 17, 2020
“My mother, like most of our parents, really emphasized the power and the value of school and education as a mechanism for trying to improve our life chances,” said IPR social policy ...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 IPR social policy expert advocates for feminist schools and studies school closures
medical appointment

New IPR Research: December 2020

December 16, 2020
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers the connection between mortality effects and health insurance choice, monitoring children's internet use, the punishment of Black girls in school...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2020
Affirmative action protest

The History of Diversity as an Educational Value

December 16, 2020
Boston protestors offer their support for the lawsuit by Students for Fair Admissions against Harvard University in October 2018. In November, an appellate court ruled on the latest challenge to t...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2020 Study examines the origins of affirmative action in higher education
Mother with children

Another Fallout from the Pandemic: The Widening Gender Pay Gap

December 16, 2020
  When the coronavirus shut down the economy, U.S. working women were hit with what has been called the "shecession": They lost jobs in greater numbers than in previous downturns and working ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2020 Study calculates women’s wages might not recover before 2040
Social Distance Sign

More Wearing Masks But Fewer Staying Six Feet Apart

December 03, 2020
  As the United States waits to see how high already grim rates of COVID-19 will go after Thanksgiving, a new survey shows that the states with the lowest levels of social distancing behavior...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 States with lowest rates of distancing and mask wearing now suffering worst COVID outbreaks
Closed Signs

Most Americans Support Restrictive Measures to Curb COVID-19

December 03, 2020
Despite differing opinions about whether shutdowns have been effective, new survey results show 6 in 10 Americans support more restrictive measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Following t...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Six in 10 approved of limits to large gatherings, travel, events, and others
Art Institute lion wears face mask

As Coronavirus Cases Jump, Illinoisans Slip in Following Public Health Guidelines

November 30, 2020
  More Illinoisans are wearing masks, like one of the Art Institute of Chicago's iconic guardian lions, but have fallen short on other behaviors that would help prevent the spread of the coro...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Being indoors more and COVID fatigue likely behind second wave; ‘surge upon surge’ expected
Hannes Schwandt

Hannes Schwandt Named to Capital Magazine's '40 under 40'

November 24, 2020
IPR economist Hannes Schwandt, a professor in the School of Education and Social Policy, was named one of Capital magazine’s “Young Elite - the Top 40 under 40” this year in the...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2020 IPR scholar receives recognition from German business magazine
Depressed parent

New IPR Research: November 2020

November 18, 2020
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers how parent and adolescent stress influence executive functioning in urban youth, principals relationships with parents, how the internet can help...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2020
Election Celebration

Election 2020: Where Do We Go From Here?

November 18, 2020
 Biden-Harris supporters in Washington, D.C. celebrate the news on November 7. Four days after Election Day on November 7, major news organizations called it for Joe Biden. On November 9, the...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 IPR panelists dissect what election results indicate for key social issues and for the incoming administration
Depressed young adult

Depression Among Young Adults Soars During Pandemic

November 12, 2020
The next administration will face more than the COVID-19 infection in its battle against the pandemic: It will also have to face an unprecedented national mental health emergency. A new survey o...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Thoughts of suicide and self-harm increased 10 times over the rate before COVID-19
shoppers in line, queens

Computer Model Uses Cell Phone Data to Predict How COVID-19 Spreads

November 11, 2020
Grocery shoppers wait in line during the pandemic in Queens, New York. Using anonymous cell phone data to map the hourly movements of 98 million people to places like restaurants, gyms, and church...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Study identifies 'super-spreader' sites, shows how to better protect those most at risk for getting the virus
open poll in Fairfax County, VA

Public Opinion About Government Handling of COVID-19 and Voter Choice

November 03, 2020
In Virginia, wearing a mask is required in polling stations like this one in Fairfax County on November 3, 2020. How have Americans’ opinions changed about the government responses to COVID-...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Surveys show views of pandemic influence presidential picks
Voters in line

Which Issues Top Americans’ Minds as They Vote?

November 03, 2020
Voters wait in line at the start of early voting in Evanston, Ill., on October 20, 2020. As the nation heads into Election Day, a survey of more than 20,000 American voters on the most important p...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Survey also indicates how these top issues might affect their choice for president
boxing gloves

Democrats and Republicans Despise the Other Party More Than They Love Their Own

November 01, 2020
Political polarization between U.S. parties has only escalated since Newt Gingrich’s partisan attacks against President Bill Clinton in the 1990s. But for the first time, contempt for the o...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Supporters of political parties now operate like warring sects
College student on campus

Study Explores Contradiction Between Ideals of Women’s Empowerment and Participation by College Women in Greek Life

October 30, 2020
As the fall semester gets underway against the backdrop of a national reckoning with racial and social inequality in America, new research sheds light on an apparent conflict between women’...
Social Disparities and Health 2020 Women saw historically white sororities as putting the brakes on efforts to find equal footing with men
Young adults in masks

Growing Mental Health Issues Threaten Young Adults During the Pandemic

October 29, 2020
  Stress from COVID-19—along with stress related to healthcare, the economy, racism and the presidential election—is seriously threatening the mental health of our country...
Social Disparities and Health 2020 IPR's Emma Adam offers recommendations on coping with uncertainty
Woman fetching water

The Dangers of Collecting Drinking Water

October 29, 2020
An international study is one of the first to reveal how those who set out to collect drinking water in low- and middle-income countries can face serious injury. Co-authors IPR anthropologist Se...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 Anthropologists reveal social and gender inequities of a hidden global health challenge
I voted sticker

Election 2020 Insights

October 22, 2020
  With less than two weeks to go until November 3, the 2020 election will be historic on many levels—from casting votes during a pandemic and ongoing protests around racial injustice to...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 IPR political experts dissect voter behavior, opinions, and partisanship amid a historic election marked by COVID-19
Social Media Users

Survey Finds Older Americans Tweet More Fake News About COVID-19

October 21, 2020
  Older Americans and Republicans are more likely to share fake news websites about COVID-19 on Twitter, new research shows. But at the same time, older people are less likely to believe misi...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Republicans also tweet out fake news sites more than Democrats, independents
Right Wing Group

Study Finds Connection Between Populist Ideology and Criminal Behavior

October 21, 2020
During this socially volatile moment in the U.S., is there a connection between having been arrested and belief in the “American First” ideology espoused by President Trump? A new st...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2020 IPR researcher links “America First” beliefs and lifetime criminal arrests
Therapist with patient

New IPR Research: October 2020

October 20, 2020
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers how therapists can help with unexplained illness, which groups are most likely to be misinformed about COVID-19, and the link between household w...
Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020
COVID-19 test

COVID-19 Testing Speeds Increase

October 19, 2020
A woman hands a COVID-19 testing kit to a vehicle at a testing center at the Walmart Supercenter in Elizabethville, PA.  The average turnaround time for COVID-19 nasal swab tests decreased ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2020 Despite the faster test results, turnaround times are still too slow for broad contact tracing
Teacher in classroom

Supporting Interdisciplinary Research on Learning

October 14, 2020
On October 14, the Mindset Scholars Network announced the launch of the Data Archive for Interdisciplinary Research on Learning, or DAIRL, a new data and paper repository, that has been desi...
Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2020 IPR statistician Elizabeth Tipton is part of a network opening access to 34 datasets to improve education studies
Hannes Schwandt

Faculty Spotlight: Hannes Schwandt

October 14, 2020
Growing up in Germany, IPR economist Hannes Schwandt became curious about what underlies happiness—peoples’ health, their children, their well-being. He was also intrigued by the stud...
Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 IPR economist studies how economics can impact peoples’ wellbeing
Zoom screenshot

Undergraduates Gain Valuable Research Skills in a Rapidly Changing World

October 13, 2020
IPR director and economist Diane Schanzenbach worked with undergraduate research assistant Natalie Tomeh on Zoom this summer to study food insecurity and employment.  The Institute for...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2020 Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, students still got 'hands-on' policy-relevant research experience, albeit remotely
food insecurity US map

State Levels of Food Insecurity During COVID-19

October 09, 2020
The map shows average food insecurity rates for April 23–July 21 for all respondents. See a larger version of the map. During the COVID-19 crisis, rates of food insecurity have soared. Acc...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2020 New app allows users to visualize food insecurity data
Mail in ballot

Survey Shows Why 2020’s ‘Election Day’ Might Turn into ‘Election Week’

October 09, 2020
A new survey indicates why Americans might see President Trump ahead at the end of election night on November 3, but then see Biden pull ahead and declared the winner by the end the week. The re...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Counting a record number of mail-in votes could turn an early Trump lead into an eventual Biden win
Covid-19

Human Biologists Confront COVID-19

October 07, 2020
Several members of Northwestern's anthropology department, former and current, are among a diverse group of scholars who contributed to a special issue of The American Journal of Human Biology. T...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2020 Northwestern faculty and students examine critical issues in special journal issue
Support by State

As Relief Talks Stall, 80% of Americans Back Passage of a Fifth Coronavirus Bill

October 05, 2020
In the face of stalled talks on a new coronavirus relief package, the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed a largely symbolic $2.2 trillion one on October 1. A new national survey finds 80% of Americans support passage of a new relief bill. The survey, conducted between September 4 and 27, asked more than 20,000 Americans for their opinions on the next COVID-19 relief bill. Congress has passed four COVID-19 relief packages totaling $3.4 trillion since the start of the pandemic in the United States, including the latest, the CARES Act, on March 27. The strong support for a fifth bill cuts across party affiliation and race.
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 New survey shows Americans prefer giving direct cash payments to individuals over other types of aid
Evanston police car

IPR Researchers Review Evanston’s Use of Force Policy

September 29, 2020
In September, the Northwestern Neighborhood and Network Initiative (N3), housed within IPR, delivered a report to the City of Evanston reviewing its use of force policy and data for its police de...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2020 N3 Initiative partners with city on report that could lead to greater accountability and transparency in its policing
Social Media Apps

National Survey: Misinformation About COVID-19 and Vaccine Acceptance

September 23, 2020
  If you get your news from social media, you are more likely to fall for misinformation about coronavirus conspiracies, risk factors, and preventative treatments, according to the latest sur...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Survey shows social media users are more likely to believe misinformation, local TV news and media websites lower misperceptions
SAGA Tutoring

Tutoring Program Supports High Schoolers Who Fall Behind During COVID-19

September 18, 2020
Former U.S. Secretary of Education Arnie Duncan visited tutors and students in the SAGA program at Bogan High School in Chicago. SAGA Education, an intensive math tutoring program, has been...
Education Policy 2020 SAGA can add up to two years of math in a single year; new funding to expand program in Chicago and New York
Street outreach workers

Managing Multiple Epidemics

September 17, 2020
A team of street outreach workers with Communities Partnering 4 Peace helps to manage three epidemics in Chicago. Chicago’s more than 180 street outreach workers, who work to prevent gun v...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 How street outreach workers are addressing gun violence and COVID-19
Candlelight Memorial

“How Do We Stop the Bleeding Today?”

September 16, 2020
  A vigil in June 2020 for George Floyd and others who have lost their lives to police brutality.  The protests that followed the killing of George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis pol...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2020 IPR sits down with sociologist Andrew Papachristos to discuss the pandemics of gun violence and COVID-19, as well as policing
Francesca Gaiba

Spotlight: Francesca Gaiba

September 15, 2020
  Francesca Gaiba (left) presents a gift to the Williams Institute's Jocelyn Samuels at a joint IPR-ISGMH lecture in 2019.  In August, cultural anthropologist Francesca Gaiba joined IPR...
Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 IPR welcomes its first senior director of operations and outreach
White House Task Force

Public Trust and Americans’ Willingness to Vaccinate for COVID-19

September 15, 2020
The White House Task Force takes questions from reporters early on the pandemic in March 2020.  How much do Americans trust politicians, organizations, and others to “do the right thi...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Survey shows that a desire to vaccinate depends on trust in leaders and institutions
Ron DeSantis

Americans’ Approval of Governors’ Ability to Handle COVID-19 Continues to Decline

September 10, 2020
  Florida Governor Ron DeSantis saw his approval rating drop significantly in the latest survey results by IPR political scientist James Druckman looking at Americans' attitudes about the cor...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 New survey data shows their approval drops despite the decrease in cases across states
Memorial

The Riskiest Age to Become a Homicide Victim in Chicago

September 09, 2020
Despite the tragic and sudden rise in the number of young homicide victims in Chicago in 2020, the number of very young homicide victims has decreased sharply since the 1990s, according to new re...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 New research shows that the typical victim is in their late 20s
Food Distribution

Food Insecurity Remains Elevated Across All 50 States

September 09, 2020
Armando Leal Jr. Middle School's staff in San Antonio, Texas, distribute food to drivers picking up meals for their children.  The COVID-19 health emergency has led to a sharp economic slow...
Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2020 Large increase in unemployment explains more than half of the increase in food insecurity
Texas food bank lines

Food Insecurity in the Census Household Pulse Survey Data Tables

September 09, 2020
 At a mass distribution site next to the Alamodome in Texas, recipients receive food from the USDA's Food and Nutrition Service Disaster Household Distributions and the San Antonio Food Bank. ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2020
Harry Xie

SURA 2020 Student Blog

September 02, 2020
Each summer since 1998, the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) has run the Summer Undergraduate Research Assistants (SURA) program, which gives undergraduate students first-hand experience in...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020
Women cleaning with water

Experts Highlight Importance of Water Security Amid COVID-19 Pandemic

August 24, 2020
Doctors and epidemiologists have continually emphasized the importance of handwashing during the COVID-19 pandemic, but still people across the globe struggle to access the clean water necessary ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2020 Nearly 25% of households in lower-income countries struggle to find water for handwashing
Pregnant Woman

New IPR Research: August/September 2020

August 20, 2020
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers whether personality traits are associated with smoking and drinking during pregnancy, how retail health clinics affect emergency room use, privat...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2020
Girl at School

Americans Not Confident Schools Can Re-Open Safely

August 18, 2020
According to the latest results from an ongoing national survey of attitudes about COVID-19, most Americans do not believe it is safe for K-12 students to return to in-person classes ...
Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Survey found differences across groups of Americans, notably by gender and race
Mother and Baby

Naming Guides How 12-Month-Old Infants Encode and Remember Objects

August 18, 2020
Even for infants just beginning to speak their first words, the way an object is named guides infants’ encoding, representation, and memory for that object, according to new research by IPR...
Education Policy 2020 Research by IPR’s Sandra Waxman sheds light on the advantage of naming on infant object categorization
Police car

New Tool Maps Racial Disparity in Arrests Across the Country

August 14, 2020
As communities across America have gathered in recent months to protest police abuses, researchers are taking a close look at how, where, and why racial disparities in policing occur. IPR sociolo...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2020 IPR sociologist Beth Redbird measured racial disparities in data from 1999–2015

Outreach Program “Opens Doors”

August 13, 2020
When Communities Partnering 4 Peace (CP4P) launched a new partnership among several leading outreach organizations aimed at reducing gun violence in Chicago, some resistance was expected. In many...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Participants in a program to curb urban violence praised its methods in a new report
Trump Rally

Examining President Trump’s Unusual Style of Party Leadership

August 13, 2020
  In February, President Donald Trump spoke at a "Keep America Great" rally in Phoenix, Arizona. Every Republican president dating back to Dwight D. Eisenhower seemed to act out the same bas...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Daniel Galvin outlines the unparalleled way in which Trump dominates the GOP
COVID Tests

Most Americans Willing to Vaccinate for COVID-19, While Testing Speeds Lag

August 06, 2020
Researcher examines a COVID-19 test to find out results at the Pennsylvania Department of Health Bureau of Laboratories.  According to the latest results from an ongoing national surve...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Survey shows average wait times miss the window for optimal contact tracing in 44 states
Kirabo Jackson

Northwestern Economist Kirabo Jackson Honored with Public Policy Prize

August 06, 2020
  IPR labor economist Kirabo (“Bo”) Jackson has been honored with the David N. Kershaw Award by the Association for Public Policy Analysis and Management (APPAM). The award recogn...
Education Policy 2020 Kershaw Award recognizes distinguished policy research contributions for scholars under 40
Zoom Screenshot

Exploring COVID-19’s Impact on Politics

August 03, 2020
COVID-19 took center stage at the 14th annual Chicago Area Social and Political Behavior Workshop, hosted virtually on July 10. “We altered the program to focus on COVID-19 and matters of ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Virtual workshop details effects on political engagement and racial attitudes
Sugary beverages

New IPR Research: July 2020

July 31, 2020
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers how parental depression and incarceration each affect children, how the public views partisanship, family sizes in France, narratives about gende...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2020

IPR Researchers Are Putting Data Into Action

July 31, 2020
IPR sociologist Beth Redbird's map of racial disparities in arrests. As the volume of information produced in the world increases every day, more data than ever is at the public’s fingerti...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 New apps and visualization tools are delivering data on critical topics to policymakers and the public
Cynthia Coburn

Faculty Spotlight: Cynthia Coburn

July 30, 2020
IPR associate examines decision making and how research can become effective policy.
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 IPR associate examines decision making and how research can become effective policy
Food bank recipients

Racial Disparities in Food Insecurity Persist

July 09, 2020
A middle school in Arlington, Virginia provides families with meals during COVID-19, particularly for those eligible for free- or reduced-priced meals. During the COVID-19 crisis, food insecurit...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health 2020 New data shows Black and Hispanic households with children much more likely to experience food hardships
Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey

Americans Are Losing Confidence in Government Executives’ Ability to Handle COVID-19

July 09, 2020
Arizona Governor Doug Ducey at a rally in 2018. The latest results from an ongoing survey of Americans’ opinions about the COVID-19 pandemic show that confidence in executive leadership is...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 New survey data from IPR’s James Druckman shows the average governor seeing a steep drop in approval rating.
Community ambassadors and CPD officers

Chicago Community Policing Initiative Shows Promise

July 07, 2020
 District 25 community ambassadors meet with CPD officers. In January 2019, the Chicago Police Department (CPD) in collaboration with the Policing Project at New York University School of Law...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2020 Early results show increased trust and community engagement
Patient in Hospital

COVID-19 Magnifies Racial Disparities in Health

June 25, 2020
  Only 30% of Chicago’s residents are African American, yet as of late June they comprise 44% of those who have died from COVID-19, according to Chicago’s Department of Public Hea...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health 2020 IPR researchers heed the call for data and policy perspectives
Student Working on Math

New IPR Research: June 2020

June 24, 2020
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers how bullying affects the brain, the effects of increasing private school choice vouchers on public school students, how feelings of uncertaint...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2020
Blood Test Kit

Antibody Testing Research Receives NSF RAPID Grant

June 17, 2020
Kit developed by Northwestern researchers to collect a finger stick dried blood spot. Northwestern University researchers have received a $200,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF...
Social Disparities and Health 2020 IPR project will investigate the origins of social inequalities in COVID-19 across Chicago neighborhoods
African School

Inequality Hurts Education Outcomes in 10 African Nations

June 16, 2020
Experts have begun to refer to a “learning crisis” in the developing world, where many of the poorest nations’ poorest children leave the school system without basic literacy or...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2020 New research from IPR sociologist Julia Behrman shows how poor schools fail poor children
Closed Sign

How the Economy Affects Health

June 11, 2020
The COVID-19 pandemic has raised a difficult dilemma for policymakers as they weigh the cost of protecting public health versus opening the economy. IPR health psychologists Edith Chen and Greg M...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2020 Lessons from the Great Recession can inform policy in the current pandemic
Food Bank Volunteers

State-by-State Estimates of Food Insufficiency and Insecurity

June 10, 2020
Volunteers arrive to distribute food at the San Antonio Food Bank in Texas.  The COVID-19 crisis has not impacted everywhere in the U.S. equally, and to evaluate this as demonstrated b...
Education Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 In the U.S., food insecurity is more than two times what it was prior to COVID-19
Money

Racial Wealth Gap Growing for Families with Children

June 09, 2020
The wealth gaps between black and white families with children, and between Hispanic and black families, have widened since the Great Recession in 2007–09, even though the long-time gap bet...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Black families with children had one penny of wealth for every dollar white families had in 2016
police car

Americans’ Trust in Institutions' Ability to Handle COVID-19 Is Fading

June 08, 2020
According to the latest results from an ongoing survey of Americans’ opinions about the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans’ trust is fraying in their institutions’ ability to respond ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2020 New survey data shows the largest drop among police, with trust falling by nearly 10 points.
Drug Trial

Imprecise Findings in COVID-19 Drug Trials Could Steer Clinicians Away From Innovative Treatments

June 08, 2020
As the COVID-19 pandemic progresses, researchers are reporting findings of randomized trials comparing standard care with care augmented by experimental drugs. The trials have small sample sizes,...
Social Disparities and Health 2020 In a new IPR working paper, IPR's Charles Manski says this could negatively affect patient outcomes
Mask and syringe

Racial Bias in Medicine and Racial Disparities in COVID-19

June 04, 2020
Recent news stories have highlighted the racial disparities in COVID-19 deaths nationally and locally in Chicago, with many noting that the “great equalizer” has been far from equal. ...
Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 Research by IPR’s Sylvia Perry sheds light on racial disparities around COVID-19
Queens food bank

‘I’ve Never Seen Numbers This Bad’

June 01, 2020
People wait in line outside a food pantry at St. Bartholomew's Roman Catholic Church in Elmhurst, Queens.  IPR Director and economist Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach has studied food insecurity...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy 2020 IPR’s Diane Schanzenbach details the nation’s widespread COVID-19 food crisis, calls on lawmakers to act
Ballot

Most Americans Support Vote by Mail During the COVID-19 Pandemic

May 29, 2020
A majority of Americans (60%) support efforts to make it easier to vote by mail in the upcoming November election, including majorities in 46 states, according to the latest report from an ongoin...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Three out of five Americans support efforts to allow them to mail in ballots
McGrath

Soledad McGrath Joins IPR’s N3 as Executive Director

May 27, 2020
On May 1, Soledad Adrianzén McGrath (WCAS 98) joined the Northwestern Neighborhood & Network Initiative, or N3, as its first executive director. McGrath, who returns to Northwestern where s...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 Legal and policy expert discusses new role and ‘coming home’ to Northwestern
Pregnant woman

Worried About Having a Baby During the Pandemic?

May 26, 2020
  How will the coronavirus affect pregnant women and their babies? What can be learned from the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic and seasonal influenza? Studies show that if a woman gets the flu dur...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2020 Research provides cautious optimism about how COVID-19 affects pregnant women and their children
Social Distancing Signs

Most Americans Prefer to Wait to Reopen the Country

May 22, 2020
A majority of Americans (60%) continue to prefer that the country wait at least four weeks before reopening, according to a new survey of more than 20,000 Americans between May 2 and 15. But part...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 But results shows partisan gaps emerging on most survey topics
food bank traffic

Food Insecurity and Food Pantry Use

May 18, 2020
A man assists with traffic control at the Chesterfield Food bank.  The COVID Impact Survey also collected representative information for a select set of states and metropolitan areas. The t...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2020 Report offers second week of estimates for 10 U.S. states and 8 metro areas
food bank

Food Insecurity Remains at Persistently High Levels in May

May 18, 2020
A member of the National guard helps at a food bank in Ohio.  In their May 18 report, IPR Director and economist Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach and research analyst Abigail Pitts continue to mon...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 Second week of data continue to show 1 in 3 respondents reporting food insecurity; 1 in 10 in New York and Texas reported help from a food pantry in the previous week
food bank

Food Insecurity and Food Pantry Interactions

May 14, 2020
The COVID Impact Survey also collected representative information for a select set of states and metropolitan areas. These data allow IPR Director and economist Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach and rese...
Education Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 New report offers estimates for 10 U.S. states and 8 metro areas
food bank

Food Insecurity Triples for Families with Children During COVID-19 Pandemic

May 13, 2020
Food bank in Olympia, Washington.   The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted lives in a manner unprecedented in modern times, but for none more so than low-income working families with children. Une...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 Data show nearly half worry they will run out of food and have no money for more
Office Desk

How Scientists Are Mobilizing to Fight COVID-19

May 07, 2020
An unprecedented challenge like the COVID-19 pandemic calls for not just interdisciplinary collaboration, but for scholars to reach out across communities and pool their resources to better under...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2020 National panel of researchers discussed the shared response to the coronavirus pandemic
COVID-19 Screening

Social Science Takeaways for Policymakers Managing COVID-19

May 06, 2020
Unrest, confusion, and anxiety are growing around the country as policymakers determine how best to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic. In a Nature Human Behaviour article, more than 40 social scie...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 A new study offers research insights for better communication, following guidelines, and more
Voting Sticker

New IPR Research: May 2020

May 06, 2020
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers ethnic and socioeconomic identities in college, whether voters are biased against female political candidates, the motivation behind public service...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020
Blood Samples

A New Test for SARS-CoV-2 Antibodies

May 06, 2020
An assay plate contains samples of reconstituted blood collected from a finger prick that are ready for analysis. As antibody testing ramps up across the country, a team of Northwestern Universit...
Social Disparities and Health 2020 Minimally invasive approach requires one drop of blood
Separated Family

Easing the Impact of COVID-19

April 30, 2020
  As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to spread, with the U.S. now leading the world in reported cases, an international team of leading social scientists came together to analyze what the soc...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 Social and behavioral scientists offer research insights to address isolation, prejudice, relationships, polarization, and other pressing issues
Crystal Clark

Faculty Spotlight: Crystal Clark

April 29, 2020
 In medical school, psychiatrist and IPR associate Crystal T. Clark found herself torn between two passions: psychiatry, and obstetrics and gynecology. Rather than make a difficult choice, s...
Education Policy 2020 Psychiatrist and IPR associate challenges stigmas of mental illness in pregnant women
AAAS Logo

Five IPR Faculty Elected to American Academy of Arts & Sciences

April 29, 2020
IPR faculty Edith Chen, Mary Pattillo, James Spillane, Teresa Woodruff, and Jennifer Richeson were elected to the National Academy of Arts and Sciences  in April.   Five of the Institu...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Social Disparities and Health 2020 The researchers were recognized for their exceptional achievements

Heart Disease More Likely for Adults With Adverse Childhoods

April 28, 2020
Children who experience trauma, abuse, neglect, and family dysfunction are at increased risk of having heart disease as adults, according to a new study by community health scholar and IPR associ...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2020 New study establishes link between childhood family environment and adult health
Women with Mask

Social Science Research in a COVID-19 World

April 08, 2020
  As COVID-19 continues to spread in the U.S. and around the globe, its effects have been wide-ranging and abrupt, throwing untold tens of millions out of work, shutting down societies and ec...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2020 IPR researchers apply their research, launch new projects to tackle pandemic’s wide-ranging effects

IPR Experts Discuss Diversity in Developmental Science

April 02, 2020
Three IPR fellows spoke at a university-wide March forum on diversity-related issues in developmental science, presenting their own research and new frameworks on topics including children’s social awareness of racial issues and racial disparities in school expulsions.
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 Three psychologists examine issues of racial identity and bias in their field
Capitol Building

Why Do Legislators Reject ‘Half-Loaf’ Compromises?

April 01, 2020
In her new book Rejecting Compromise, IPR political scientist Laurel Harbridge-Yong and her colleagues find that one of the key predictors of rejecting compromise was the perception that vot...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2020
Sabol class presentations

Tackling Early Childhood Education

March 24, 2020
  Students in IPR developmental psychologist Terri Sabol's class, including undergraduate Alan Perez (center), made policy recommendations before  the Illinois governor's office abo...
Education Policy 2020 In a course taught by IPR’s Terri Sabol, undergraduates give policy recommendations to the governor’s office
Jason DeParle

Global Migration: ‘The World’s Greatest Anti-Poverty Program’

March 19, 2020
New York Times reporter Jason DeParle spoke about his immersive reporting on global migration and its impact on one family at Northwestern University. In 2018, remittances to low- and middle- in...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 New York Times reporter recounts one family’s journey from Manila’s slums to Galveston’s suburbs
Vegetables

New IPR Research: March 2020

March 18, 2020
This month's new research from IPR faculty covers nutrition in pregnancy, women’s empowerment and child nutrition, effects of grade-retention policies, polarization and democratic norms, the ...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020
Prison Cell

Believing in a Positive Future Can Help Resist Stigma

March 17, 2020
IPR sociologist Simone Ispa-Landa found that anger and optimism for the future helped those with a criminal record resist stigma.  An estimated 77 million Americans, or as many as 1 in 3, h...
Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 IPR sociologist Simone Ispa-Landa finds that anger and optimism for the future helps those with a criminal record resist stigma.

For Agrarian Communities, Climate Change’s Effects Are Personal

February 28, 2020
Climate change has implications for everything from immigration to agricultural policy, but its most immediate impact is on the daily lives of people experiencing its effects. In a recent working...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2020 IPR sociologist Julia Behrman examines how extreme weather affects marriage, births in Malawi
Occupy Wall Street protests

New IPR Research: February 2020

February 28, 2020
Below is this month's new research from IPR faculty.   Politics, Institutions, and Public Policy  How Anger in Protest Movements Can Backfire The past decade of American life ha...
Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2020
Coburn Jackson

Two IPR Faculty Elected to the National Academy of Education

February 27, 2020
IPR faculty Cynthia Coburn and Kirabo Jackson were elected to the National Academy of Education in February.   IPR faculty experts Kirabo Jackson and Cynthia Coburn were two of 15 prominent...
Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2020 Jackson and Coburn join more than 200 prominent scholars, including eight IPR faculty
Molly Schnell

Faculty Spotlight: Molly Schnell

February 25, 2020
IPR economist Molly Schnell studies healthcare access, physician incentives, and mental health.
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2020 IPR economist studies healthcare access, physician incentives, and mental health
Beth Redbird

What Drives Native American Poverty?

February 24, 2020
IPR sociologist Beth Redbird presented her research on what drives Native American poverty on Jan. 29.  Across the United States, 1 in 3 Native Americans are living in poverty, with a media...
Poverty, Race and Inequality 2020 Sociologist Beth Redbird’s research points to job loss, not education, as a key driver
NU football players

What Can College Football Can Teach Us About Democracy?

January 23, 2020
Northwestern's football team takes the field at their opening home game on September 14. Many of the players in this year’s Super Bowl were, at one point, college football stars. Top-divis...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2020 IPR’s James Druckman shows how reforms within the NCAA can illuminate U.S. policymaking
Surgery Stock photo

New Prediction Model Seeks to Improve Success of Kidney Transplants

January 22, 2020
In a study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, IPR economist Charles Manski and his colleagues apply econometric analysis to improve prediction of transplant success. Similar analysis could also benefit other types of organ transplants.
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2020 IPR’s Charles Manski brings econometric analysis to the field of transplant prediction
school books

New IPR Research: January 2020

January 21, 2020
Below is this month's new research from IPR faculty. Click on the study to read more.  The Evolution of Human Trafficking Messaging in the United States by Tabitha Bonilla and C...
Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Urban Policy and Community Development 2020
factory worker

New IPR Research: January 2020

January 21, 2020
Below is this month's new research from IPR faculty.   Politics, Institutions, and Public Policy  The Evolution of Human Trafficking Messaging in the United States Human traff...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy 2020
IPR researchers

Producing Evidence for Better Policy Decisions

January 21, 2020
In 2019, IPR’s most-read articles reflected a year of celebration, as IPR marked its 50th anniversary, and of commitment, as studies tackled many of the persistent problems that society has faced since IPR’s founding in 1968.
Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2020 IPR’s top-read articles of 2019 highlight interdisciplinary policy research

Applying Research in Classrooms

December 23, 2019
In a conversation hosted by IPR’s Statistics and Evidence-Based Policy and Practice (STEPP) Center, IPR associate Cynthia Coburn and Paul Goren, both of the School of Education and Social Policy (SESP), discussed the effort needed on all sides to help research work its way into the classroom.
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy 2019 A researcher and a practitioner explore how school districts use evidence

Assessing the Bankruptcy Law of 2005

December 16, 2019
In 2005, Congress passed the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act (BAPCPA) after heated debate. The new law was designed to deter people from pursuing bankruptcy by making fili...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 IPR economist Matthew Notowidigdo uncovers costs and benefits

New IPR Research: December 2019

December 16, 2019
Below is this month's new research from IPR faculty.  Social Disparities and Health How Culture and Identity Affect Risk-Taking Behavior  Different cultures have different attitudes ...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019
Sylvia Perry

Faculty Spotlight: Sylvia Perry

December 16, 2019
IPR associate Sylvia Perry researches how attitudes and bias form and influence behavior looking at bias awareness, stereotypes of biracial Americans, and bias in medicine.
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health 2019 IPR associate researches how attitudes and bias form and influence behavior
Janet Currie

Distinguished Lecture: Child Health As Human Capital

December 12, 2019
Janet Currie lectured on the importance of child health to long-term academic and labor outcomes.  If the Oxford Dictionary defines capital as “a valuable resource of a particular kind,...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2019 Princeton’s Janet Currie explains how public health insurance improves lives
Margaret Gordon

‘50 Years of Women’ at IPR: The Early Years

November 20, 2019
How does women’s fear of rape influence their behavior? Why did the ERA fail? What changes are women in the labor market making and how does their involvement affect them as mothers? IPR researchers studied these women’s issues, among many, in the first two decades.
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health 2019 IPR researchers have pioneered vital research on women’s issues and gender roles
IPR researchers

‘50 Years of Women’ at IPR

November 20, 2019
From sexism in the workplace and gender attitudes to understanding women’s fear of rape and why the Equal Rights Amendment failed, IPR faculty have pioneered vital research on women’s...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2019 IPR researchers have pioneered vital research on women’s issues and gender roles

New IPR Research: November 2019

November 19, 2019
Below is this month's new research from IPR faculty.  Social Disparities and Health Female Disadvantage in Under-Five Mortality in India In Indian family life infant sons are preferred to d...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2019

Rethinking How We Study Civil Wars

November 18, 2019
Ana Arjona presenting at a November 11 IPR colloquium. Having spent her career studying the local dynamics of conflict zones, political scientist and IPR associate Ana Arjona is now turning to i...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2019 IPR’s Ana Arjona examines how tendency to focus on violence can warp perceptions

Faculty Spotlight: Jordan Gans-Morse

November 15, 2019
Jordan Gans-Morse at the Marshall Center’s 2017 Black Sea-Eurasia Region Countering Corruption Seminar. (Marshall Center photo by Christine June) The last time Ukraine dominated the global...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2019 Discovering the causes of—and solutions to—corruption in government
shoes arrow

The Balancing Act of a Strong College Counseling Program

November 05, 2019
High school guidance counselors can have a significant impact on whether young people pursue higher education. IPR researchers find adding resources to a high school counseling office can boost c...
Education Policy 2019

News, Entertainment, or Both?

October 30, 2019
In a media environment where comedians like Trevor Noah host late-night talk shows highlighting news headlines and combative pundits like Tucker Carlson provide commentary while discussing curren...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 IPR associate Stephanie Edgerly examines how audiences assess what constitutes news

Building an ‘Evidence-Based Ecosystem’

October 29, 2019
The STEPP Center believes in “a scientific approach to transform the social world and a practice-driven approach to advance science,” and says its goal is to “improve lives through methodological innovation in research.” IPR statistician and co-founder Elizabeth Tipton says interdisciplinary cooperation will be key to STEPP’s overall contribution to the policy sphere.
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2019 With new STEPP Center, IPR’s top statistical minds aim to boost policymaking

Faculty Spotlight: Julia Behrman

October 24, 2019
IPR sociologist Julia Behrman got hooked on Africa when she conducted research in Senegal as an undergraduate looking at reproductive health services in 2005. The continent’s rich history a...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health 2019 Taking a Global Perspective on the Family

How Does Partisanship Shape Voters’ Perception of the Facts?

October 21, 2019
Image from Creative Commons. Pollsters blanket the country every two years, if not more, with the mission of taking American voters’ temperature on issues from healthcare to climate change...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 IPR’s John Bullock examines how voters respond to survey questions

New IPR Research: October 2019

October 21, 2019
Below is this month's new research from IPR faculty.  Social Disparities and Health The Consequences of Foster Care Versus Institutional Care in Early Childhood on Adolescent Cardiometabolic...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019

New Research Furthers Understanding About What Shapes Human Gut Microbiome

October 08, 2019
A new Northwestern University study finds that despite human’s close genetic relationship to apes, the human gut microbiome is more similar to that of Old World monkeys like baboons than to that of apes like chimpanzees.
Social Disparities and Health 2019

New tool provides critical information for addressing the global water crisis

September 30, 2019
The HWISE Scale could be transformative for understanding water insecurity.
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Urban Policy and Community Development 2019

IPR Researcher to Discuss New Book on HIV/AIDS Epidemic

September 30, 2019
IPR fellow Celeste Watkins-Hayes will discuss her new book "Remaking a Life" on October 2.  Steven Thrasher, the inaugural Daniel H. Renberg Chair of social justice in reporting and an assi...
Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 Celeste Watkins-Hayes to speak with Medill's Steven Thrasher in October

New IPR Research: September 2019

September 24, 2019
Below is this month's new research from IPR faculty.  Social Disparities and Health Supportive Parenting Protects Developing Brains from Poverty  In the United States, 40 percent of ch...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy 2019

Meet IPR's New Fellows

September 24, 2019
 From left: Tabitha Bonilla, Sally Nuamah, and Molly Schnell.   Three new fellows are joining the Institute for Policy Research in September, adding their expertise in political sci...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 Researchers bring expertise in economics, education, and public opinion

SURA Program Gives Undergraduates Practical Research Experience

September 24, 2019
Northwestern student Mary Okematti (left) discusses a project with IPR psychologist Sandra Waxman (right), who mentored Okematti during the SURA program over the summer.  Since 1998, the Inst...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health 2019 24 undergraduates worked with IPR faculty over the summer
Tabitha Bonilla

Faculty Spotlight: Tabitha Bonilla

September 24, 2019
IPR fellow Tabitha Bonilla studies public opinion and how communication influences voters and policies.  As a first-generation college student, IPR social policy expert Tabitha Bonilla t...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 IPR social policy expert studies public opinion and the everyday consumption of politics

Applying the Tools of Economics to Medical Decision Making

September 10, 2019
IPR econometrician Charles F. Manski applies the tools of economics to medical decision making, showing how uncertainty influences every stage, from risk analysis to treatment, and how this ca...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2019 In his new book, IPR's Charles F. Manski examines how cutting-edge economics can improve decision making methods for doctors

Boycotts Can Alter How Legislators Respond to Voters

September 09, 2019
Image courtesy of Felton Davis, Flickr. The proliferation of calls to boycott companies from Amazon and CVS to Chick-fil-A and Nike has continued unabated in recent years, fueled in part by soci...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 IPR’s James Druckman explores the effects of ‘private politics’ on a democratic society

Top-Notch Methods Training

September 04, 2019
Graduate Student Makeda Austin explains how to use a blood pressure machine during the SIBASS workshop.  Two IPR faculty-led trainings over the summer allowed more than 50 researchers from ac...
Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 IPR-led workshops provide unique opportunity to improve research capacity
Kaitlyn Rubinstein

SURA 2019 Student Blog

August 22, 2019
Each summer since 1998, the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) has run the Summer Undergraduate Research Assistants (SURA) program, which gives undergraduate students first-hand experience in...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019
students in classroom

Preparing the Next Generation of Policy-Minded Scholars

August 21, 2019
Former IPR graduate research assistant Mollie McQuillan (standing), who worked with scholars in various disciplines while at the Institute, teaches an undergraduate class on gender identity,...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy 2019 Former graduate RAs apply interdisciplinary lessons from IPR to their research, careers
crime scene

Peer Influence, Social Networks Might Be Leveraged to Reduce Gun Violence

August 19, 2019
IPR's Andrew Papachristos and George Wood show how leveraging the power of networks could help reduce gun violence in areas typically marked by high crime rates. A new Northwestern University st...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2019 Study shows how "call-in meetings" reduced rates of victimization
group of people

Are Attitudes Contagious?

August 19, 2019
Research may lay the foundation for group-based biases. If you were to meet two new people, and others seem to be more friendly toward one of those individuals, would that lead you to like that ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 Study has implications for how people make sense of the nonverbal messages they are exposed to in everyday life
Chuck Manski

Faculty Spotlight: Charles F. Manski

August 19, 2019
IPR econometrician Charles F. Manski's work is deeply rooted in methodology, but inexorably tied to policy and motivated by real-world problems. A body of nearly 150 peer-reviewed articles and e...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy 2019 ‘Unlearning and discovery’ to improve public policy
Dept of Sociology Building

The Next Generation of Problem-Solving Sociologists

August 19, 2019
Northwestern's Sociology Department is home to the Problem-Solving Sociology Dissertation Proposal Development Workshop founded by IPR's Monica Prasad. Doctoral students in sociology from across t...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 IPR-led workshop helps PhD students develop dissertations to solve real-world issues
book cover close-up

New Novel Looks at Dissent and Political Violence in the 1960s

August 14, 2019
Rebellion, Love, Betrayal John Heinz, Owen L. Coon Professor Emeritus of Law and IPR faculty emeritus, has a new title to add to his many other distinguished honors: novelist.  Since his...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 Retired IPR faculty researcher explores key issues through fiction
students in classroom

Study Finds ‘Growth Mindset’ Intervention Taking Less Than an Hour Raises Grades for Ninth Graders

August 07, 2019
IPR's Elizabeth Tipton worked on a study looking at the academic benefits of an online program designed to help students develop a growth mindset. A groundbreaking study of more than 12,000 nin...
Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2019 Intervention studied by IPR faculty is first to show national applicability, breaks new methodological ground
police car

Police Officers’ Exposure to Peers Accused of Misconduct Shapes Their Subsequent Behavior

August 01, 2019
IPR's Andrew Papachristos and his fellow researchers examined the records of more than 8,000 Chicago police officers named in multiple complaints from 2007 to 2015 to determine the role soci...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health 2019 Study by IPR faculty is one of the first to analyze police officers’ networks to determine how misconduct may be socially transmitted
boy with asthma

Strong Family Relationships May Help With Asthma Outcomes for Children Living in Dangerous Neighborhoods

July 19, 2019
IPR's Edith Chen finds a link between strong family relationships and better asthma outcomes for children living in violent neighborhoods.  Positive family relationships might help you...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health 2019 A study by IPR's Edith Chen looks at the impact of positive family relationships on health
working women

Women No Longer Regarded as Less Competent Than Men but Still Seen as Less Ambitious and Decisive

July 18, 2019
Researchers investigated how gender stereotypes in the U.S. have evolved over seven decades. Good news for women—they are no longer regarded as less competent than men on average, accordin...
Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 Research by IPR's Alice Eagly looks at how stereotypes of women have changed since 1946
IPR panel

The Next 50 Years of Policy Research

July 17, 2019
For its 50th anniversary, IPR decided to look forward rather than back.  Held over June 6–7, the six panels of “IPR@50: The Next 50 Years of Research” investigated governmen...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health 2019 Conference explores how IPR research is set to tackle 21st-century policy challenges
IPR panel

Cells to Society: How Experience Becomes Biology

July 17, 2019
From left: Greg Miller investigates the impact of social and biological environments on health outcomes with Christopher Kuzawa, Edith Chen, and Thomas McDade.  IPR health psychologist Greg M...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019
Lori Beaman on panel

Community Partnerships Produce Better Services and Research

July 17, 2019
   Moderator Paul Goren (pictured below) pursued big-picture questions on community partnerships with, from left, Lindsay Chase-Lansdale, Penny Sebring, Lori Beaman, and David Figlio. &...
Education Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019
IPR conference panel

American Democracy and Its Discontents

July 16, 2019
From left: Peter Slevin dug into the ailments of American democracy, and possible fixes, with with Rachel Davis Mersey, Laurel Harbridge-Yong, James Druckman, and Jennifer Richeson.  Subs...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019
IPR panel

Causes and Consequences of Government Spending

July 16, 2019
From left: Sarah Karp dissected government spending on key social policies with Kirabo Jackson, Monica Prasad, and Matthew Notowidigdo.  What do we know about U.S. government spending on key ...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019
IPR panel

Neighborhood Inequality: What Does the Research Tell Us?

July 16, 2019
From left: Odette Yousef asks panelists Celeste Watkins-Hayes, Jonathan Guryan, and Andrew Papachristos about the impact of unequal neighborhoods on their residents.  How much impact does env...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2019
IPR panel

IPR@50 Panel Summaries

July 16, 2019
Neighborhood Inequality: What Does the Research Tell Us? Inequality is pervasive and persistent, intersecting with issues of race, education, housing, and social status—to name but a fe...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2019
Matthew Desmond

Distinguished Lecture: Evictions in America

July 16, 2019
Matthew Desmond described how soaring housing costs and stagnant incomes are linked to a rise in U.S. evictions.  Many Americans believe that the 2007 subprime mortgage crisis was the last ma...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 Matthew Desmond challenges researchers to publicize data and rethink poverty research
IPR panel

Breakthroughs in Policy Measurement

July 12, 2019
From left: IPR Director Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach discussed the “arduous work” of policy measurement with Burton Weisbrod, Emma Adam, Bruce Spencer, and Sera Young.  “Poli...
Social Disparities and Health; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2019
Celeste Watkins Hayes

Celeste Watkins-Hayes Examines the Process of ‘Dying From’ to ‘Living With’ HIV/AIDS in Her New Book

July 11, 2019
IPR sociologist and African American studies researcher Celeste Watkins-Hayes looks at more than 100 women living with HIV/AIDS in her new book.   “If it weren’t for HIV...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health 2019 'Remaking a Life' draws upon the personal stories of more than 100 women living with HIV/AIDS in Chicago
biracial family

Some Stereotypes Seem to be Universally Applied to Biracial Groups in the U.S.

July 11, 2019
A new Northwestern University study has found evidence that there are some stereotypes that seem to be universally applied to biracial groups in the U.S.    Stereotypes often guid...
Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 A study by IPR's Sylvia Perry suggests biracial people may be thought of as their own racial group
Chloe Thurston

Faculty Spotlight: Chloe Thurston

July 11, 2019
IPR political scientist Chloe Thurston studies the intersection of politics and the economy through historical analysis.  Chloe Thurston never intended to study politics. As an undergrad...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2019 IPR political scientist explores the role government and interest groups play in public policy
Larry Hedges

Yidan Prize Winner Announces New Education Research Center

July 01, 2019
IPR's Larry Hedges was named a Yidan Prize winner in 2018 and co-hosted the Yidan Prize Conference at Northwestern University on May 23–24.  IPR education researcher and statistician La...
Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2019 IPR's Larry Hedges will launch center within IPR for education statistics, policy, and practice
DNA image

Poverty Leaves a Mark on Our Genes

June 28, 2019
Poverty leaves a mark on nearly 10 percent of the genes in the genome, finds IPR anthropologist Thomas McDade. A new Northwestern University study challenges prevailing understandings of gene...
Social Disparities and Health 2019 Study’s findings challenge understandings of genes as fixed features of our biology
traffic congestion

Emissions-Cheating Vehicles Linked to Worse Health Outcomes in Babies, Children Across U.S.

June 19, 2019
A working paper by IPR's Hannes Schwandt finds "cheating" diesel car emissions are linked to lower birth weights for more than 38,600 newborns and to an increase in acute asthma in infants and ...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2019 Study finds lower birth weights and acute asthma across the socioeconomic spectrum
graph

Do Some Countries Discriminate More Than Others?

June 18, 2019
Do some countries discriminate against racial minorities in the hiring process more than others? A new meta-analysis on hiring discrimination by IPR sociologist Lincoln Quillian and his ...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 IPR sociologist Lincoln Quillian explores racial discrimination in labor markets
preschool children playing

The Brain Consumes Half of a Child’s Energy—and That Could Matter for Weight Gain

June 17, 2019
Variation in brain energy expenditure during childhood could be linked to obesity risk, finds IPR biological anthropologist Christopher Kuzawa. Weight gain occurs when an individual’s energy...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2019 New study by IPR's Christopher Kuzawa proposes that variation in brain energy expenditure during childhood could be linked to obesity risk

New IPR Research: August 2019

June 03, 2019
Below is this month's new research from IPR faculty. Education Policy  The Impact of Refugees on Classmates’ Schooling The world today faces the largest refugee crisis since the end o...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy 2019

New IPR Research: June 2019

June 03, 2019
Below is this month's new research from IPR faculty. Performance Measurement and Rewards Overcoming Barriers to Safety Net Sign-Ups Why do people fail to sign up for social safety net programs l...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2019

IPR@50: The Fourth Decade (1999-2008)

June 01, 2019
Cells to Society (C2S) launched in 2005 to understand how experiences shape biology. C2S also trains researchers in how to use biomarkers in studies (above the attendees and organizers of the 2011 ...
Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 New directions, new methods, and new centers
hedges
Social Disparities and Health; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2019
group therapy, closeup on hands

Research Round-Up: Studying Mental Health

May 16, 2019
IPR faculty researchers are making progress in understanding mental health issues and potential policy implications. In a given year in the United States, 43.8 million people experience a mental h...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2019 IPR researchers making progress in mental health research
Annette D'Onofrio

Faculty Spotlight: Annette D'Onofrio

May 16, 2019
IPR associate Annette D'Onofrio studies how language defines our perceptions. Growing up in Minnesota, linguistics scholar and IPR associate Annette D’Onofrio was always attuned to the...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 Linguistics scholar examines how speech defines our perceptions
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2019
poverty

IPR@50: The Third Decade (1989–1998)

May 13, 2019
IPR researchers continued the study of persistent poverty in America. This is the third of a five-part series that will examine how IPR has grown and evolved in each decade. IPR Director Diane Wh...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 Identity and Ambitions
census infographic

Accuracy Versus Cost in the 2020 Census

May 13, 2019
While the U.S. Supreme Court deliberates whether to allow a citizenship question on the 2020 Census, the Census Bureau continues to prepare for its launch on April 1. In a recent working paper, sta...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2019 IPR statisticians consider the potential losses for states due to an inaccurate count
IPR political scientist James Druckman, who organizes the annual workshop, welcoming the 2019 CAB participants.

CAB 2019: Old Friends and New Ideas

May 10, 2019
IPR political scientist James Druckman, who organizes the annual workshop, welcomed the 2019 CAB participants. More than 100 scholars and graduate students from the Midwest gathered on Northwester...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 Long-running workshop launches collaborations and discussions
Photo with social media apps

New IPR Research: May 2019

May 03, 2019
Below is this month's new research from IPR faculty. Social Disparities and Health (Cells to Society) College Graduation Helps and Hurts Disadvantaged Minorities’ Health College graduates ...
Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2019
IPR fellows

Three IPR Fellows Selected for National Recognition

May 01, 2019
IPR faculty Christopher Kuzawa, Lincoln Quillian, and Sera Young each received recognition for their excellence in research.  Three IPR fellows—anthropologists Christopher Kuzawa and Se...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 Major academic accolades underscore research talent
mother and newborn

Pregnancy Complications Rise for Illinois Women

May 01, 2019
Pregnancy complications increased in Illinois between 2010 and 2015, find Feinberg researchers.  Severe maternal morbidity remained stable in Illinois between 2010 and 2015, while more women ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2019 Study by IPR and Feinberg faculty finds severe maternal morbidity remained stable, while other pregnancy complications increased
Sera Young

Scaling Up to Measure Water Insecurity

May 01, 2019
IPR's Sera Young spoke on the importance of water security at an HWISE event in February.  Over the past three years, a tightknit team of interdisciplinary researchers and practitioners devel...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Urban Policy and Community Development 2019 Research network partners with Gallup, UNESCO to expand global survey
infographic

Women Still Ask for Less: Hourly Rates in the Online Marketplace

May 01, 2019
Fewer women than men participate in the labor force, and the ones who do earn less on average than their male coworkers. But do these labor-market and wage gaps still hold in the gig economy? Thro...
Education Policy 2019 IPR associate Elizabeth Gerber finds women bill less than men in the gig economy
Sera Young

Sera Young Named Andrew Carnegie Fellow

April 23, 2019
IPR anthropologist Sera Young was named to the fifth class of Andrew Carnegie Fellows.  IPR anthropologist Sera Young is among the fifth class of Andrew Carnegie Fellows, comprising ...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2019 IPR anthropologist named to fifth class of 32 scholars in the social sciences, humanities
statue of liberty

The Impact of Immigration

April 11, 2019
IPR faculty have studied the history and effects of immigration in the United States. Faculty researchers at the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) have long studied issues related to immigrant...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 IPR faculty researchers detail effects on U.S. population, jobs, and economy
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy 2019
Stateway Gardens Small

IPR@50: The Second Decade, 1979–1988

April 10, 2019
Stateway Gardens, one of the Chicago Housing Authority’s high-rise public housing complexes, housed nearly 7,000 people in 1973. In 1976, the landmark public housing discrimination case, Hill...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2019 Neighborhoods and New Methods
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2019

IPR@50: The First Decade (1968–1978)

March 20, 2019
Protests and riots broke out across the nation in spring 1968 following Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s assassination. This is the first of a five-part series that will examine how IPR has gro...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2019 Innovation and Continuity
decorative image

Effects of Prenatal Testosterone on Females in Male-Female Twin Pairs

March 19, 2019
Women who shared their mother’s womb with a male twin are less likely to graduate from high school or college, have earned less by their early 30s, and have lower fertility and marriage rat...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2019 First nation-level study to suggest fetal testosterone transfer from a male twin impacts education, income, fertility rates in females
Pablo Boczkowski

Faculty Spotlight: Pablo Boczkowski

March 18, 2019
Since joining his first news chatroom in 1996, IPR associate Pablo Boczkowski’s research has followed the transformation of online journalism—from the early days of news websites in the 1990’s to social media’s influence on today’s news consumption.
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 Comparative media scholar says creating space for dialogue is key to the media’s future
infographic

A School that Values Diversity Could Result in Health Benefits for Students of Color

March 11, 2019
Students of color who attend schools with a culture that emphasizes the value of diversity—schools whose mission statements mention goals such as serving a diverse student body and appreciati...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2019 IPR researchers find that emphasizing diversity in schools is linked to better health among students of color
Monica Prasad

'Starving the Beast' Traces Origins of the GOP’s Tax Policy

March 06, 2019
IPR sociologist Monica Prasad examines how Republicans became the party of tax cuts in 'Starving the Beast.' What led Republicans to make tax cuts a defining policy of the modern conservative par...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 Monica Prasad examines how tax cuts became a dominant policy issue in the Republican Party
coworkers collaborating

What Makes People Willing to Sacrifice Their Own Self-Interest for Another?

March 05, 2019
In a new Northwestern University study, researchers show that people are more willing to sacrifice for a collaborator than for someone working just as hard but working independently. &#...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 IPR's Mary McGrath finds people more willing to sacrifice for collaborators
Beth Tipton

Faculty Spotlight: Beth Tipton

March 05, 2019
IPR fellow Beth Tipton studies statistics and explores how they can be used for social good across disciplines. IPR statistician Beth Tipton spent the first three years of her career living and...
Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2019 IPR statistician finds her calling in “social statistics”
Jocelyn Samuels

The Challenges and Opportunities for LGBT Rights

March 04, 2019
Jocelyn Samuels spoke at Northwestern about the challenges and opportunities for LGBT rights. More than 14 million people—roughly 4.5 percent of the U.S. population—identify as lesbian...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 Williams Institute’s Samuels points to how research is key to informing LGBT issues
Terri Sabol

Terri Sabol Named ‘Rising Star’ in Psychology

March 04, 2019
IPR developmental psychologist Terri Sabol was named a Rising Star by the Association forPsychological Science. The Association for Psychological Science (APS) recently named IPR developmenta...
Education Policy 2019 IPR developmental psychologist honored for her early-career contributions
Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach

Diane Schanzenbach Elected to National Academy of Education

March 04, 2019
IPR Director Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach is the 10th Northwestern faculty member to be elected to the National Academy of Education. IPR Director and economist Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach has...
Education Policy 2019 IPR director recognized for outstanding contributions to education research
Larry Hedges Yidan Thumb

The Career of Larry Hedges

February 13, 2019
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy 2019
college classroom

Subtle Racial and Political Discrimination in College Admissions

February 11, 2019
A working paper examined the connection between race and politics in college admissions.  Do college admissions offices respond differently to students who email them for information, dependi...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 Study finds politically engaged African Americans receive fewer responses from admissions offices
Terri Sabol

Faculty Spotlight: Terri Sabol

February 04, 2019
IPR developmental psychologist Terri Sabol studies childhood development through classrooms, families, and neighborhoods. As a first-grade teacher in Chicago’s Lavizzo Elementary School,...
Education Policy 2019 IPR developmental psychologist rethinks early childhood education
melting ice

Northwestern Researchers Examine Political Divide Behind Climate Change Beliefs

February 01, 2019
Despite a scientific consensus, citizens are divided when it comes to climate change, often along political lines, and scholars want to better understand why. “We were interested in unders...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 IPR's James Druckman, Mary McGrath seek to understand partisan divide
preschool kids

U.S. Children Show Clear Evidence of Bias at the Intersection of Race and Gender

January 24, 2019
A study highlights the importance of addressing bias in a child's first years of life.  A Northwestern University study provides strong and consistent evidence of bias at the intersection of ...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 Study by IPR's Sandra Waxman and Danielle Perszyk examines social bias
Simone Ispa-Landa

Why Good Policies Go Bad

January 23, 2019
IPR education sociologist Simone Ispa-Landa is currently studying racial disparities at a large urban high school. Schools are increasingly turning to peace circles, peer juries, and other restora...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2019 IPR’s Simone Ispa-Landa examines disparities in school discipline
Mesmin Destin

Mesmin Destin Wins Early Career Award

January 15, 2019
IPR social psychologist Mesmin Destin received the 2019 Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology. IPR social psychologist Mesmin Destin, whose resea...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2019 IPR social psychologist Mesmin Destin received the 2019 Distinguished Scientific Award for Early Career Contribution to Psychology.
IPR faculty

IPR Faculty Named Highly Cited Researchers

January 09, 2019
From left: Greg Miller, Paola Sapienza, and David Cella Three IPR faculty were recently named 2018 Highly Cited Researchers by Clarivate Analytics’ Web of Science. IPR health psyc...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2019 Miller, Sapienza, and Cella among top 1 percent of citations

IPR's Top Articles of 2018

December 20, 2018
Amid the nonstop news cycle of 2018, IPR faculty research has provided a rigorous, evidence-based foundation for dialogue on pivotal policy issues. Many of IPR’s most-read articles reflect w...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2018 Most-read news and research articles reflect wider policy concerns

The Changing Safety Net for Children

December 20, 2018
Click on the image above to see a larger version of the infographic. Five states now require that Medicaid recipients work, which has cut benefits for tens of thousands of people. As another 11 st...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2018 IPR director finds 80 percent of safety net spending has shifted to families with earnings

Resilience Might Be Neurobiological

December 20, 2018
 Why does second-hand experience of neighborhood violence affect some youth but not others? Neighborhood violence has been associated with adverse health effects on youth, including sleep los...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2018 A new study by IPR faculty explores why a second-hand experience with neighborhood violence affects some youth but not others
Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2018 Hedges, a first-generation college student, is a preeminent scholar in education research
Elizabeth (Liz) Gerber

Faculty Spotlight: Elizabeth Gerber

December 12, 2018
Elizabeth (Liz) Gerber set out to make innovative toys, not get a PhD. Yet as she experimented with new ways for children to share their likes and dislikes, she realized she was more intereste...
Social Disparities and Health 2018 IPR associate explores how a collaborative design process might address social ills

Inequality in Homicide Rates in Chicago Neighborhoods Increased Over 20-Year Period

December 11, 2018
IPR sociologist Andrew Papachristos finds the inequality in crime in Chicago's neighborhoods increased by 10 percent in recent years. The United States has experienced an unprecedented decline i...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2018 Study by IPR sociologist reveals inequality between safest and most dangerous neighborhoods increased by 10 percent

What Can the U.S. Midterms Tell Us About 2020?

December 11, 2018
 Rachel Davis Mersey, right, was one of three panelists discussing the implications from the 2018 midterms. The 2018 midterm election broke several records: 133 million people—48 percen...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 Northwestern researchers discuss implications for politics, media, and the economy

What's Next for Healthcare?

December 10, 2018
Sarah Kliff, left, spoke with Medill professor Abigail Foerstner about the future of healthcare following the midterms. As the dust settles from the midterms, the Affordable Care Act will remain...
Social Disparities and Health 2018 Vox’s Sarah Kliff discusses what midterms mean for the Affordable Care Act

How Contempt Divides America

December 10, 2018
The United States is experiencing a “national crisis” because of extreme polarization, according to Arthur C. Brooks, president of the American Enterprise Institute (AEI).  Arthur...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 AEI president discusses how to mend our political discourse

Launching the Northwestern Neighborhood and Network (N3) Initiative

December 04, 2018
Andrew Papachristos launched the N3 Initiative this fall, continuing his work in neighborhood network science.  This fall, IPR sociologist Andrew Papachristos launched the Northwestern Neighb...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2018 IPR sociologist describes how network thinking can improve neighborhoods, lower crime

What Do Test Scores Miss?

November 28, 2018
 IPR labor and education economist Kirabo Jackston finds that a teacher's ability to cultivate non-cognitive skills is a better indicator of a student's long-term success than test scores...
Education Policy 2018 A new study by IPR labor and education economist Kirabo Jackson finds other indicators of long-term student success

Gender Parity: The Long Game

November 20, 2018
 IPR education sociologist Simone Ispa-Landa calls for a more sustained effort on shifting how we view girls. The midterm elections demonstrated a shift for women in politics and a move to ge...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2018 IPR education sociologist calls for shift in how girls are viewed

Education Lab Receives $15 Million Donation from AbbVie

November 16, 2018
IPR economist Jonathan Guryan cofounded and codirects Education Lab, which designs and evaluates evidence-based programs in partnership with organizations such as Chicago Public Schools. A...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2018 IPR economist Jonathan Guryan codirects lab that conducts groundbreaking research

50 Years of Research Excellence and Policy Impact

November 02, 2018
From left, clockwise: Economist Rebecca Blank in the 1990s, now Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Madison; political scientist Lou Masotti, IPR's second director, in Chicago in the 1970s; I...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2018 Institute to highlight innovative research directions at spring conference
Joseph Ferrie

Faculty Spotlight: Joseph Ferrie

November 01, 2018
To many, the 1918 flu pandemic that killed more than 50 million people around the world is a distant chapter of history. To economist and IPR associate Joseph Ferrie, this historical event offers a...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 IPR associate Joseph Ferrie mines historical data for contemporary policy insights

Sheridan Fuller Named Robert Wood Johnson Scholar

October 11, 2018
Sheridan Fuller focuses on how families' interactions with the social safety net influence the direction of their lives. IPR graduate research assistant Sheridan Fuller is one of 40 stude...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2018 IPR graduate research assistant will seek to advance “culture of health”

Good Cop, Bad Cop?

October 04, 2018
Click image to enlarge. When police officer Jason Van Dyke shot Laquan McDonald in 2014, he already had more than 20 civilian allegations lodged against him for police misconduct, dating back to...
Urban Policy and Community Development 2018 Study finds civilian allegations can act as early warning system for serious police misconduct

The Great Recession: 10 Years Later

September 27, 2018
  In the 10 years since the Lehman Brothers collapse that signaled the start of the Great Recession, the United States has recovered much, if not all, of the ground it lost in terms of jobs, ...
Social Disparities and Health; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2018 IPR faculty research shows America still recovering from economic downturn

A Tireless Champion of Rigorous Methods in Education Research

September 18, 2018
Statement from Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach: The Yidan prize honors a researcher who has made outstanding accomplishments in education research, with an ultimate goal of creating long-lasting impac...
Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2018 IPR Director pays tribute to Larry Hedges, 2018 Yidan Prize Recipient

Larry Hedges Named 2018 Yidan Prize Winner

September 18, 2018
IPR education researcher and statistician Larry Hedges, a preeminent scholar and global heavyweight in education research, has been awarded the 2018 Yidan Prize, the world’s largest prize in ...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Education Policy 2018 World’s largest prize for education research honors first-generation college student

Infographic: Payday Loans Tied to Health Risks

September 18, 2018
About 12 million Americans use payday loans each year, but new research shows these short-term loans could be making borrowers sick. In SSM - Population Health, IPR biological anthropologists Chri...
Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development 2018 IPR anthropologists find short-term lending is associated with risk factors for poor health

Overcoming Barriers to Safety Net Sign-Ups

September 17, 2018
IPR economist Matthew Notowidigdo presents his research at a Fay Lomax Cook Monday Colloquium.  Millions of Americans rely on social safety net programs like unemployment insurance, ho...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2018 Pennsylvania experiment tests outreach to those unenrolled

Spreading the (Partisan) Word

September 14, 2018
Only 10–15 percent of the American public watches partisan news outlets such as MSNBC and Fox News, but their polarizing impact reaches beyond the viewers of their broadcasts, according to ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 New research analyzes impact of partisan news outlets

Gender identities disrupted—and reinforced

September 07, 2018
Onnie Rogers New Northwestern University research analyzing the ways children’s gender narratives reinforce or disrupt gender inequality found that older children—and gir...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2018 New research analyzes children's gender narratives

Let Them Eat Clay

August 29, 2018
 IPR anthropologist Sera Young recently presented on pica, or the eating of earth. Walking into an art installation of edible clay by artist Masha Ru, some visitors popped bits in their mouth...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy 2018 IPR anthropologist bridges science and art at Amsterdam workshop

Meet IPR's New Fellows

August 29, 2018
 Clockwise from left: Robin Nusslock, Hannes Schwandt, Beth Tipton, Terri Sabol, Chloe Thurston, and Julia Behrman. Five new fellows are joining the Institute for Policy Research in September...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Quantitative Methods for Policy Research; Social Disparities and Health 2018 Researchers add expertise in diverse areas

SURA 2018 Student Blog

August 29, 2018
Each summer since 1998, the Institute for Policy Research (IPR) has run the Summer Undergraduate Research Assistants (SURA) program, which gives undergraduate students first-hand experience in...
Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2018

Sexism Follows Women Across States—and Their Lives

August 27, 2018
While U.S. women’s job and life prospects have changed dramatically over the last 50 years, a new study finds the amount of sexism in the state where a woman was born can take a toll on her e...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 New working paper reveals impact of sexism on women's career and life outcomes

Social Policy Can Save Lives

August 23, 2018
A new study by IPR economist Hannes Schwandt reveals income inequality and inequality in mortality are not necessarily linked. Income inequality and health inequality are not necessarily conne...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2018 Mortality study shows how policy can break the link between poverty and poor health

Turning Their Backs on Compromise

August 15, 2018
  Once considered a Great Compromise in and of itself, the U.S. Congress now seems a place of extraordinary inaction. Though ideological polarization is often to blame for today&...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 Why some politicians still resist consensus

Locked Out of Homeownership

July 31, 2018
  IPR political scientist Chloe Thurston discussed how government policies have affected homeownership in the United States at the 2017 Chicago Political and Social Behavior Workshop. Tracin...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2018 IPR associate Chloe Thurston explains how government has helped/hurt homeownership

The Impact of Going Global

July 31, 2018
From the impact of millions of refugees on host countries to the effects of rising global trade on domestic workers, the 2018 Northwestern University Workshop on Globalization focused on the effect...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health 2018 Workshop explores social, economic, and political effects
Andrew Papachristos

Faculty Spotlight: Andrew Papachristos

July 27, 2018
IPR sociologist Andrew Papachristos studies network science to understand the spread of crime and violence. Growing up at the height of Chicago’s homicide epidemic, IPR sociologist ...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2018 For IPR sociologist, networks matter in understanding crime and violence

Riedl Named Director of Program of African Studies

July 11, 2018
IPR political scientist Rachel Beatty Riedl credits a yearabroad in Senegal with developing her interest in Africa. Northwestern University has appointed IPR political scientist Rachel Be...
Education Policy 2018 Will head influential program that has spurred seven decades of scholarship

IPR Faculty Receive Cascade of Honors

June 27, 2018
Since May, more than a dozen IPR faculty have received noteworthy awards from a handful of prominent national academies, scholarly bodies, and universities. Charles F. Manski (center) accepts his ...
Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2018 Awards recognize impact in research and service

From Online Town Halls to One-on-One Discussions

May 30, 2018
 IPR political scientist Jamie Druckman, left, welcomes participants to 12th annual Chicago Area Political and Social Behavior Workshop. More than 110 scholars and graduate students from...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 Workshop blends scholarly presentations with mentoring

The Future of Work

May 30, 2018
Fay Lomax Cook, assistant director of the National Science Foundation, discussed how technology will change the future of work. (Photo: Jason Brown) With the rise of artificial intelligence, machi...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 Former IPR director returns to discuss NSF’s ‘Big Ideas’
Ofer Malamud

Faculty Spotlight: Ofer Malamud

May 30, 2018
IPR economist Ofer Malamud examines whether different college systems have an impact on career choice. A global outlook on decision making comes naturally to IPR economist Ofer Malamud. Born i...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy 2018 An international perspective on education

Christopher Kuzawa Elected to National Academy of Sciences

May 30, 2018
IPR anthropologist Christopher Kuzawa  IPR anthropologist Christopher Kuzawa has been elected to the prestigious National Academy of Sciences. Membership in the academy is one of th...
Social Disparities and Health 2018 IPR anthropologist given one of the highest honors for a scientist in the United States

Election and Interpersonal Dynamics

May 29, 2018
More than 110 scholars and graduate students from the Midwest and beyond gathered at Northwestern University’s Evanston Campus on May 4 for the 12th annual Chicago Area Political and Social...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 Workshop blends scholarly presentations with mentoring

More Students Report Carrying Guns in Chicago than New York or Los Angeles

May 29, 2018
More students report carrying guns in Chicago than in New York or Los Angeles, a new Northwestern Medicine study shows. The findings provide historical background for Chicago’s 2016 spike i...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2018 Findings may help explain Chicago’s 2016 spike in gun violence

Crime in Chicago: What Does the Research Tell Us?

May 28, 2018
“We are gathered today to discuss what is perhaps one of the most pressing topics facing the city of Chicago today: crime and violence,” said Northwestern University sociologist and IPR...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2018 IPR experts offer insights and potential solutions to city's violent crime

Do Politicians Understand Public Opinion?

May 24, 2018
 Christopher Skovron presents findings from the National Candidate Study at a recent lecture. With the 2018 midterms approaching and candidates seeking to appeal to voters, do politicians r...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 Study reveals both Democrats, Republicans overestimate conservatism in their constituents

Decision Making in a 'Broken Political System'

May 24, 2018
Robert Rubin and Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach discuss challenges facing America, decision making, and working in the public versus the private sector. (Photo: Jason Brown) As an economic adviso...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 Former Treasury Secretary Rubin discusses current U.S. challenges, public service

Communication Between Healthcare Providers and LGBTQ Youth

May 18, 2018
Young men who have sex with men have some of the highest rates of new HIV infections. But LGBTQ youth’s experiences with healthcare providers could be a barrier to receiving prevention inform...
Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2018 IPR associate Brian Mustanski finds LGBTQ youth lack trust in healthcare providers

Research Demonstrates Effects of Inequality on Health

May 02, 2018
IPR biological anthropologist Thomas McDade  Poverty, discrimination, and other social and economic inequalities have serious consequences for physical and mental well-being. Recently, so...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health 2018 New studies examine how social environment affects health outcomes
Sera Young

Faculty Spotlight: Sera Young

April 25, 2018
IPR anthropologist Sera Young focuses on maternal and child health, examining the causes and consequences offood and water insecurity. Whether attending an international high school in Wales o...
Social Disparities and Health 2018 IPR anthropologist zeroes in on the first 1,000 days of life

Building the Prison State

April 24, 2018
Schoenfeld examines how the politics of crime evolved. The United States has the highest incarceration rate of any industrialized nation, with about 1 in 100 American adults currently behind b...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 IPR's Heather Schoenfeld reframes the story of mass incarceration

The Legacy of Hardship

April 24, 2018
Can poverty affect health across generations? In Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, IPR health psychologist Greg Miller and his colleagues find that a mother’s economic hardship during childhood ...
Social Disparities and Health 2018 IPR-led study suggests a mother's childhood disadvantage might be transmitted to her baby in utero

Simone Ispa-Landa Named William T. Grant Scholar

April 20, 2018
IPR education sociologist Simone Ispa-Landa will examine how different disciplinary approaches shape the experiences of students of different races. IPR education sociologist Simone Ispa-Landa...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2018 IPR education sociologist will investigate racial inequality in school discipline

Racial Bias in Medicine

April 02, 2018
Healthcare providers in the United States rate African American patients as less likely to improve and adhere to recommended treatments than white patients. When an overweight, middle-aged patie...
Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2018 U.S. health care providers see black patients as less ‘personally responsible’ for their health

Putting a "Premium on Civil Discourse"

March 23, 2018
  Strobe Talbott, left, and Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach discussed the role of academia in public policy at a recent special lecture co-hosted by IPR and the Buffett Institute for Global Studi...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 Strobe Talbott, former head of Brookings, tackles how to merge scholarship and real-world policy

Two Cheers for the Truth?

March 23, 2018
Which word has more letters, Clinton or Trump? The answer may seem obvious: Seven is greater than five, so Clinton is the longer word. Yet in 2017 when conservatives faced a similar question tha...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 Partisan views can erode facts, IPR political scientist John Bullock finds

How Turf Wars Lead to Violence in Chicago

March 21, 2018
  Robert Vargas discusses his findings on violence in the Little Village neighborhood with IPR psychobiologist Emma Adam (left) and Nicole Nguyen of the University of Illinois at Chicago. Ch...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development 2018 Robert Vargas outlines how fights for control create crime hot spots

The Political Weaponization of Gun Owners

March 20, 2018
  The NRA has created a political identity for its members, politically mobilizing them.  After every mass shooting, including the recent Parkland, Florida, school shooting, the Nationa...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 IPR graduate research assistant reveals how the NRA creates identity for its members

A Climate of Change

March 12, 2018
Less than a month after Hurricane Harvey poured 51 inches of rain over Texas and Louisiana, Chicago residents were sweltering in six consecutive days of record-setting September heat.IPR associate ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 David Dana blurs the boundaries of law and psychology to explore environmental policy
Cynthia Kinnan

Faculty Spotlight: Cynthia Kinnan

February 28, 2018
As a college student gathering evidence for her debate team on development assistance in Africa, IPR economist Cynthia Kinnan found fraught claims about what did and did not work. Throughout her...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 Adding rigor to poverty research

Chronic Lack of Sleep Tied to Racial/Ethnic Differences in Disease Risk

February 28, 2018
Polysomnography equipment is attached to a participant in thein-home sleep study. (Photo: Kristen Knutson) Previous research has already linked chronic inadequate sleep—defined as fewer ...
Social Disparities and Health; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2018 Northwestern researcher finds African Americans at higher risk for insufficient sleep

Abstract Rule Learning in Human Infants

February 28, 2018
By showing babies patterns of images on a screen, IPR's Sandra Waxman discovers that babies are able to abstract rules in the visual domain. Three-month-old babies cannot sit up or roll over, ye...
Education Policy 2018 Study is first to show that 3-month-olds can learn abstract rules

Examining Discrimination to Understand Its Impact

February 27, 2018
The #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, and LGBTQIA movements, among others, have raised awareness about the stubborn persistence of various kinds of discrimination that people from all walks of life...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Social Disparities and Health; Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy 2018 IPR researchers provide multidisciplinary insights to help address issues

Democracy in America

February 19, 2018
IPR associate Benjamin Page and his co-author argue that ordinary citizens have little or no independent influence on government policy. In their new book, Democracy in America? What Has Gone Wr...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 Benjamin Page argues ordinary citizens are not being represented

Study: Visualizing Success Can Ease Student Anxiety

February 19, 2018
Click image to enlarge. Visualizing a successful future can help anxious college students manage challenges and stress, according to a Northwestern University-led study published in the jou...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2018 For college students, visualizing success can boost confidence and manage stress

Romantic Relationships Show Protective Effect for Gay, Lesbian Youth

February 16, 2018
A partner can provide critical support during tough times, according to IPR associate Brian Mustanski. Lesbian and gay youth showed significantly less psychological distress and were buffered ag...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2018 IPR associate Brian Mustanski finds same-sex couples are buffered from psychological distress

Infographic: Racial Diversity Among Coaches Drives Diversity of Beliefs

January 30, 2018
 Since NFL player Colin Kaepernick first kneeled during the national anthem in the 2016 season, political protests have become a major topic of discussion in sports. Many athletes have st...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2018 IPR political scientist finds that African American coaches are more supportive of protests

Food or Water?

January 30, 2018
A woman collects water as part of a "go-along" interview near Rongo, Kenya. IPR anthropologist Sera Young is using interviews and other techniques to discover how water insecurity affects live...
Social Disparities and Health 2018 Dilemma leads Sera Young to create first cross-culturally validated household-level water insecurity scale

The 51 Percent

January 29, 2018
In conjunction with the book's publication, IPR Director Diane Whitmore Schanzenbach participated in a forum exploring public policies to promote women's economic opportunity. Over the cour...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2018 New book highlights women’s role in labor market and policies to improve it

Promoting Unhealthy Foods to Kids Online

January 29, 2018
Food companies are using "advergames" to market unhealthy choices to children online, IPR associate Ellen Wartella finds. Food companies are marketing less to children online—which advocat...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2018 IPR associate Ellen Wartella examines use of 'advergames'

IPR's Top Articles Reflect Policy Debates

January 26, 2018
Last year saw a new administration settle into office, with policy debates spilling over from Capitol Hill and the White House into state legislatures, courts, town halls, and the streets. Man...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2018

Northwestern Honors IPR Health Psychologists

January 26, 2018
IPR health psychologists Edith Chen and Greg Miller were honored for their research, teaching, and mentoring. Internationally renowned IPR health psychologists Edith Chen and Greg...
Social Disparities and Health 2018 Chen and Miller discuss their distinguished career trajectories at ceremony
Mary Pattillo

Faculty Spotlight: Mary Pattillo

January 25, 2018
Chicago is IPR associate Mary Pattillo’s home and also her research subject. A sociologist and African American studies researcher, she found a city where she could investigate questions that...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2018 Race and inequalities in the city

Study Links Violent Crime to Less Sleep, More Stress in Children

January 17, 2018
Numerous studies have shown a relationship between high-crime communities and the academic performance of children who live within them. Now, recent Northwestern University research published ...
Education Policy; Social Disparities and Health 2018 IPR's Jenni Heissel and Emma Adam find proximity to crime disrupts sleep patterns

In Memoriam: Cynthia (CC) DuBois, 1985–2018

January 04, 2018
Cynthia (CC) DuBois (PhD ’17), an emerging, award-winning scholar in Northwestern University’s School of Education and Social Policy (SESP), died as a result of brain cancer on Jan. 2 i...
Education Policy 2018
Robin Nusslock

Faculty Spotlight: Robin Nusslock

December 21, 2017
IPR associate Robin Nusslock is examining the brain's relationship with mental and physical well-being. A chance encounter with the Dalai Lama set psychologist and IPR associate Robin Nusslock o...
Social Disparities and Health 2017 Probing the edges of the mind
Mary McGrath

Faculty Spotlight: Mary McGrath

October 24, 2017
Political scientist Mary McGrath investigates how regular citizens make political decisions. “Some of the most important decisions that we make as members of the public are political decisio...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2017 Examining political decision making

Infographic: Persistence of Racial Discrimination in U.S. Hiring

September 13, 2017
Click on the image above to see a larger version of the infographic. The jobless rate for African-Americans persists regardless of their level of educational attainment, when compared with whit...
Urban Policy and Community Development 2017 IPR sociologist finds hiring discrimination in the United States has not declined over time
Joe Feinglass

Faculty Spotlight: Joe Feinglass

August 23, 2017
IPR associate Joe Feinglass studies health inequities and tracks the effects of the Affordable Care Act. The “power of data to inform the public” is what research professor of medicine...
Social Disparities and Health 2017 IPR associate uses science to fight health inequities
Beth Redbird

Faculty Spotlight: Beth Redbird

July 28, 2017
IPR sociologist Beth Redbird examines diverse aspects of inequality. Beth Redbird caught the research bug while working to promote affordable housing in Columbus, Ohio, after contacting an Ohio ...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2017 Pursuing new viewpoints in the study of inequality

Infographic: How Babies' Environments Lead to Poor Health Later

July 05, 2017
Click on the image above to see a larger version of the infographic. New research, led by IPR scholars, underscores how environmental conditions early in development can cause inflammation in ad...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2017 IPR anthropologist Thomas McDade shows how bodies 'remember' experiences

Working to Preserve and Restore Fertility

June 26, 2017
IPR's Teresa Woodruff has developed a miniature female reproductive tract and a functional biosynthetic ovary. Oncofertility specialist and IPR associate Teresa Woodruff is making great gains i...
Social Disparities and Health; Education Policy 2017 IPR associate Teresa Woodruff achieves scientific firsts in the field of women’s health

The Vital Role of Government Statistics

May 31, 2017
A report from the American Enterprise Institute and The Hamilton Project supports investing in federal data. According to a recent bipartisan report between the American Enterprise Institute an...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2017 Hamilton/AEI report calls for continued investment in federal data collection

The Cognitive Consequences of Superfund Sites

May 02, 2017
IPR researchers have captured the short- and long-term cognitive effects of prenatal exposure to Superfund sites. Children who live near hazardous waste sites can benefit from environmental cle...
Education Policy 2017 Research traces the cognitive effects of pre-natal exposure to hazardous waste sites
Heather Schoenfel

Faculty Spotlight: Heather Schoenfeld

May 01, 2017
IPR sociologist/legal scholar Heather Schoenfeld studies mass incarceration and criminal justice policy. A few years out of college, IPR sociologist and legal scholar Heather Schoenfeld went to wo...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Urban Policy and Community Development 2017 IPR sociologist/legal scholar brings historical perspective to studies of criminal punishment
Burton Weisbrod

Faculty Spotlight: Burton Weisbrod

March 29, 2017
IPR economist Burton Weisbrod has conducted pioneering research into the role of nonprofit organizations. From his early studies in chemical engineering, IPR economist Burton Weisbrod found th...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy; Education Policy 2017 A pioneer of the nonprofit economy

Living on Less than $2 a Day

March 29, 2017
Kathryn Edin recounts the day-to-day struggles of the extreme poor, who live on less than $2 a day. It was opening a refrigerator in a bare, rundown apartment and seeing nothing but a milk car...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2017 Johns Hopkins sociologist recounts how 'death of welfare' led to rise in extreme poverty

Do Boycotts Work?

March 29, 2017
IPR associate Brayden King finds that media attention, more than petition signatures, make boycotts effective. Kellogg’s, Pepsi, Uber, L.L. Bean. In recent months, a number of high-profil...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2017 IPR associate finds boycotts threaten reputation more than revenue

Infographic: School Shootings Linked to Increased Unemployment

March 24, 2017
Click on the image above to see a larger version of the infographic. Many researchers have tried to understand why school shootings are a uniquely American phenomenon, but past studies have pre...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2017 Sociologist and IPR associate John Hagan ties gun violence to economic uncertainty
Seema Jayachandran

Faculty Spotlight: Seema Jayachandran

March 02, 2017
IPR economist Seema Jayachandran studies issues like gender inequality in developing countries. IPR economist Seema Jayachandran set out to study engineering and physics, but two years into her Ph...
Urban Policy and Community Development; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Education Policy 2017 IPR economist stays 'grounded in the real world'
Claudia Haase

Faculty Spotlight: Claudia Haase

January 27, 2017
Claudia Haase, developmental psychologist and IPR associate, studies how humans develop across their lives. Growing up in East Germany, “We had no freedom of speech, no freedom of the pres...
Social Disparities and Health 2017 IPR associate captures human development across the life span
Greg Miller

Faculty Spotlight: Greg Miller

December 08, 2016
IPR health psychologist Greg Miller investigates how socioeconomic status relates to health. As a graduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles, IPR health psychologist Greg Mill...
Social Disparities and Health 2016 Examining the link between socioeconomic status and health
Onnie Rogers

Faculty Spotlight: Onnie Rogers

November 21, 2016
IPR developmental psychologist Onnie Rogers examines how stereotypes affect youth identity. As an undergraduate student at the University of California, Los Angeles, and as the only African-Amer...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2016 IPR developmental psychologist examines how children form their identities
Wesley G. Skogan

Faculty Spotlight: Wesley Skogan

October 28, 2016
IPR political scientist Wesley Skogan studies police-community interactions, with a particular focus on Chicago. As a pioneering expert in policing, IPR political scientist Wesley G. Skogan has ...
Urban Policy and Community Development 2016 IPR political scientist studies interface between police and communities
James Druckman

Faculty Spotlight: James Druckman

September 23, 2016
IPR political scientist James Druckman investigates what affects, and changes, our opinions. Purple pride flows strongly through James Druckman’s veins: His father, Daniel, graduated from ...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2016 A scholar of political science and purple pride

Infographic: Do Stop-and-Frisk Policies Affect Trust in Police?

July 20, 2016
In an IPR working paper, political scientist and policing expert Wesley G. Skogan examines the consequences of such a policy in Chicago, focusing on how police encounters affect public trust in police. His major finding? “Stop and frisk” policies can serve to lower the public’s trust in the police. For his study, Skogan conducted a representative in-person survey of 1,450 Chicagoans in 2015, nearly 30 percent of whom reported being stopped by police in the previous 12 months.
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2016 IPR political scientist Wesley G. Skogan examines Chicagoans' police encounters and trust in police
Rachel Beatty Riedl

Faculty Spotlight: Rachel Beatty Riedl

June 23, 2016
IPR political scientist Rachel Beatty Riedl discusses a research experiment on religious messaging in Nairobi, Kenya. Beginning in the late 1980s, pro-democracy forces across Africa toppled some...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2016 IPR political scientist studies African politics through a comparative lens
Simone Ispa-Landa

Faculty Spotlight: Simone Ispa-Landa

June 20, 2016
IPR education sociologist Simone Ispa-Landa forges ahead in the study of "subtle" inequality. From observing how individuals cope with having a visible criminal record, to how white students and...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality 2016 Pinning down social inequality and exclusion
Bruce Spencer

Faculty Spotlight: Bruce Spencer

April 26, 2016
IPR statistician Bruce Spencer is one of the world’s leading experts in statistical accuracy. A discarded pamphlet on a New York subway train is what pushed IPR fellow Bruce Spencer to ...
Quantitative Methods for Policy Research 2016 IPR statistician shows how accurate figures can be a force for good

Infographic: For Hispanic and Latino Adults, Chronic Stress Linked to Obesity

March 24, 2016
Obesity in America remains a serious public health problem—one that disproportionately affects low-income Americans and minorities—and in particular, Hispanics/Latinos in the United States, the fastest-growing and largest ethnic minority group in the country. More than 40 percent of Latino men and women are obese, compared with 32 percent of non-Hispanic, white Americans. Professor of medical social sciences and IPR associate Frank Penedo and a team of investigators supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute seek to understand what might be driving these racial and ethnic disparities in obesity rates.
Social Disparities and Health 2016 Stress management techniques might boost weight loss, suggests IPR associate Frank Penedo
Matthew Notowidigdo

Faculty Spotlight: Matthew Notowidigdo

March 16, 2016
IPR economist Matthew Notowidigdo examines how different policies might affect a host of employment, health, and financial outcomes. IPR labor economist Matthew Notowidigdo often kicks off his...
Education Policy; Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2016 IPR labor economist scrutinizes “overlooked” niches in economics

Why Do So Few Women Hold Positions of Power?

March 08, 2016
Alice Eagly (center) discusses the obstacles women leaders must overcome to negotiate the "labyrinth" of gender inequality with panelists Brigham Young political scientist Christopher Karpowi...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2016 IPR briefing examines potential and challenges for women leaders

Infographic: For First-Generation College Students, Backgrounds Matter

February 29, 2016
A minority at elite institutions, first-generation students suffer academically and psychologically on campus, surrounded by “continuing-generation” peers and faculty who often lack understanding of their situation.
Education Policy 2016 Understanding the importance of personal backgrounds can help students thrive in stressful college situations
Christine Percheski

Faculty Spotlight: Christine Percheski

February 16, 2016
Christine Percheski presents her research on economic inequality at an IPR colloquium. “I didn’t think I was going to be an academic—I thought I’d go into law or maybe pol...
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Education Policy 2016 Sociological focus draws from strong social justice roots

ABCD Institute Celebrates 20 Years

October 14, 2015
Participants confer at the ABCD conference in Blackpool, England. Not long ago, when community organizers and social workers wanted to improve disadvantaged neighborhoods, they began by chronicli...
Urban Policy and Community Development 2015 IPR talks with co-founder John McKnight about its past and future

How Do Stereotypes Form and Can They Be Altered?

August 25, 2015
People form stereotypes based on inferences about groups' social roles—like high school dropouts in the fast-food industry. Picture a high-school dropout. Now, think about what occupation t...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2015 IPR psychologist Alice Eagly finds change is possible

To Reduce Mass Incarceration, Recognize Humanity

June 13, 2015
Mass incarceration, Harvard sociologist Bruce Western argues, has contributed to growing inequality in the U.S. Today, about 1.6 million people are serving time in a state or federal prison in t...
Social Disparities and Health 2015 Harvard's Bruce Western discusses damaging effects of incarceration

The High Cost of Stereotypes

May 16, 2015
Social psychologist Claude Steele gives a lecture on his book, Whistling Vivaldi, at Northwestern University, Feb. 4. In looking at graphs of University of Michigan undergraduate grades brok...
Poverty, Race and Inequality 2015 "Whistling Vivaldi" author, IPR scholars define effects, interventions

Research Traces Effects of Partisanship on American Politics

January 09, 2015
IPR political scientist Laurel Harbridge (at right) poses with former Republican Senator Olympia Snowe during a conference on the ethics of political dysfunction held at the University of Missouri...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2015 IPR scholars explore phenomenon of growing polarization and partisanship

Comparing French and U.S Socioeconomic Segregation

January 24, 2014
Low-income neighborhoods in Paris (left) and New York City, two of the cities compared in the study. A new working paper by IPR sociologist Lincoln Quillian and his colleague Hugues Lagrange of ...
Urban Policy and Community Development 2014

The Great Recession: Over But Not Gone?

January 23, 2014
Foreclosure signs around the nation continue to illustrate to the lingering effects of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression.  While the U.S. economy is predicted to take of...
Education Policy; Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development; Social Disparities and Health 2014 IPR researchers document ongoing effects

"Black Picket Fences" Revisited

October 21, 2013
Recently, sociologist and IPR associate Mary Pattillo released the second edition of her ground-breaking book Black Picket Fences: Privilege and Peril Among the Black Middle Class—one of only a few ethnographic studies of a black middle-class neighborhood. In the 2013 edition, she revisited the same topics discussed in the 1999 original—namely the economy, crime, and housing—and put them in context with the economic downturn and the foreclosure crisis.
Poverty, Race and Inequality; Urban Policy and Community Development 2013 Second edition of book continues to further research on the black middle class

Cecilia Rouse: Economist, Presidential Adviser, Dean, and Mom

May 13, 2013
Cecilia Rouse, Woodrow Wilson dean and Princeton professor, recalls the art of balancing work in the White House and family life with IPR Director David Figlio. How does one advise the presiden...
Politics, Institutions and Public Policy 2013 Princeton’s Rouse recalls policymaking and parenting in the White House

Are Single-Sex Schools Better at Educating Students

December 21, 2012
Does being in an all-male or all-female school lead to better education outcomes? Proponents of single-sex education argue that it does because boys and girls learn differently and thus benefit ...
Education Policy 2012