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Poverty, Race, and Inequality

The issues of inequality, poverty, and racism are consistent threads woven throughout IPR faculty research—and have constituted major research themes from the day the Institute first opened its doors. To examine these pernicious problems, faculty researchers cast a wide net, tackling a variety of topics that shed light on gaps in race, socioeconomic status, opportunity, and housing.

A Message From James Rosenbaum, Program Chair

James Rosenbaum

In the program on Race, Poverty, and Inequality, IPR researchers look at various causes of poverty, racism, and inequality and their consequences in the United States, as well as in developing countries around the world. Topics cut across race, education, social status, and more. The researchers’ examinations often overlap with other IPR programs, such as Urban Policy, Social Disparities and Health, and Child, Adolescent, and Family Studies.

Working Papers

Recently published articles and working papers in this program area include:

Dean Karlan and Leigh Linden. 2023. Loose Knots: Strong Versus Weak Commitments to Save for Education in Uganda (WP-23-10).

Lasse Brune, Xavier Giné, and Dean Karlan. 2022. Give Me a Pass: Flexible Credit for Entrepreneurs in Colombia (WP-22-52).

Abhijit Banerjee, Greg Fischer, Dean Karlan, Matt Lowe, and Benjamin Roth. 2022. Does the Invisible Hand Efficiently Guide Entry and Exit? Evidence from a Vegetable Market Experiment in India (WP-22-35).

All Papers

Faculty Experts

Faculty come from the fields of economics, sociology, communication, African American studies, education and social policy, and others.

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Events

There are no upcoming events at this time.

Policy Study: Comparative Perspectives on Racial Discrimination in Hiring: The Rise of Field Experiments

In the Annual Review of Sociology, IPR sociologist Lincoln Quillian and Arnfinn Midtbøen of the University of Oslo examine more than 140 field experimental studies of discrimination in the hiring of various racial and ethnic groups across 30 countries. Among their key findings, they discover that over the last 25 years, discrimination rates in the United States and the United Kingdom have not changed and that discrimination in hiring against racial and ethnic minorities is a worldwide phenomenon. 

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