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Race, Poverty, 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 Chloe Thurston, Program Chair

Chloe Thurston
In the program on Race, Poverty, and Inequality, IPR researchers examine the causes and implications of inequality, poverty and racism in the U.S. and around the world. IPR scholars tackle these questions by examining the psychological processes and role of law, politics, and social processes in creating and maintaining social inequality, whether as seen in disparities in educational outcomes, income and wealth, labor markets, exposure to violence, or health disparities.

Working Papers

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

Lori Beaman, Seema Jayachandran, and Anisha Sharma. 2026. The City Through Her Eyes: Gender-Based Harassment in Public Spaces in Urban India (WP-26-25).

Dean Karlan, Amol Singh Raswan, Christopher Udry. 2026. The Sisyphean Pursuit of Evidence for Poverty Traps (WP-26-24).

Luis Gonzales, Koichiro Ito, and Mar Reguant. 2026. Zero Energy Day: How Nationwide Blackouts Affect the Economy (WP-26-23).

All Papers

Faculty Experts

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

Mesmin Destin
Mesmin Destin
Michael Kraus
Michael Kraus
Beth Redbird
Beth Redbird
Sylvia Perry
Sylvia Perry

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News

panel of two women in front of a room
A New Era for Early Childhood in Illinois

Events

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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. 

View published study