Research and Working Papers

Faculty Spotlight: Andrew Papachristos

Growing up at the height of Chicago's homicide epidemic, IPR sociologist Andrew Papachristos witnessed gang violence, crime, and policing first-hand in the Greek diner his parents owned in Rogers Park. After graduating college, he had an offer to become a police officer, but instead went to graduate school to study sociology and criminology. He now studies how network science can be applied to understand the spread of crime and violence. MORE

Locked Out of Homeownership

Tracing how government policies have opened the door to a home for many Americans, IPR political scientist Chloe Thurston also shows how the same programs often serve to lock women and minorities out of home ownership in her new book, At the Boundaries of Homeownership: Credit, Discrimination, and the American State (Cambridge University Press, 2018). MORE

Spreading the (Partisan) Word

Only 10–15 percent of the American public watches partisan news outlets like MSNBC and Fox News. But according to research by IPR political scientist James Druckman, their polarizing impact reaches beyond the viewers of their broadcasts. He finds if someone who watched a partisan outlet discusses the media's slant on issues with friends or colleagues, that can influence people who do not even consume partisan media. MORE

Undergraduate Research: 'A Truly Insightful Experience'

Each summer since 1998, IPR has run the Summer Undergraduate Research Assistants (SURA) program, which gives undergraduate students first-hand experience in how to construct and conduct policy-relevant social science research projects. This year, SURA students are sharing their research experience in their own words, with an undergraduate RA featured each week. Read the first two blog posts by rising seniors Alex Carther and Dakota Baker. MORE

IPR Working Papers

Escaping the Abdication Trap When Cooperative Federalism Fails: Legal Reform After Flint (WP-17-23)

David Dana

The drinking water crisis in Flint, Michigan, is an example of a "triple abdication" by the governments responsible for safe drinking water. Federal, state, and local governments all fail to test water adequately and do not address high levels of lead in water because removing and replacing lead pipes is extremely expensive. Politicians and citizens lack the political will to secure the funding. Dana argues that the best way to create the necessary political will is to make states—not just local water authorities—legally responsible for testing water for lead and widely publicizing the results. Visually powerful and interactive online maps of unsafe water would motivate citizens to lobby for funding and make citizen lawsuits an effective tool to combat the triple abdication of responsibility.

Scientific Education and Innovation: From Technical Diplomas to University STEM Degrees (WP-17-24)

Nicola Bianchi and Michela Giorcelli

What is the connection between education and being an inventor? In 1961, the Italian educational system changed. Graduates of industrial high schools once barred from universities were able to enroll and graduate in STEM fields. Bianchi and Giorcelli find that these students were more likely to innovate—measured by the number of patents they held—and to occupy managerial positions in firms that produced inventions. These industrial high school graduates also entered occupations that were once closed to those with only a high school diploma. The researchers' pioneering study is the first to show at the individual level how investing in education affects people's innovation and the occupation they choose.

Infographic: Visualizing Student Success

https://www.ipr.northwestern.edu/about/news/2018/destin-student-anxiety.html

IPR social psychologist Mesmin Destin finds that visualizing a successful future can help anxious college students, particularly young women from low socioeconomic backgrounds, manage challenges and stress. MORE

Faculty Awards & Honors

From fellowships and research grants to presidential and leadership awards, IPR faculty have received multiple awards and honors since spring, recognizing excellence in their respective fields. Among the 13 honored are four IPR faculty (above) who received awards from Northwestern University to explore innovative research projects, and IPR economist Charles F. Manski, who received an honorary degree from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Faculty in the Media

The New York Times

From a Pediatrician, Lessons for Dads-to-Be

A class on pregnancy and childbirth for new fathers, led by pediatrician and IPR associate Craig Garfield, is designed to bridge the "disconnect between wanting to be involved and not being sure exactly what to do."

Chicago Tonight

How to Address Rising Suicide Rates in the U.S.

Psychiatrist and IPR associate Crystal Clark said the recent high-profile deaths of Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain could be a trigger for those who have experienced suicidal thoughts in the past.

The Washington Post

This Is Why Global AIDS Interventions Fail

In a column, IPR political scientist Rachel Beatty Riedl discussed why Africa still has such high rates of HIV/AIDS, pointing to research that could provide new perspectives and approaches for making certain interventions work.