Social and Economic Inequality
Research in this area focuses on three important topics: 1) labor market inequalities in the U.S.; 2) causes and consequences of social inequality; and 3) policies and programs that impact the poorest of the poor. Much of the research uses large-scale, restricted-use data or innovative samples that have been, to date, used sparingly in population research. Projects range from more traditional research into income inequality to new research into the impact of military employment and the part played by schools in fostering inequality.
Inequality and the Military
Ignoring military employment has ramifications for understanding racial inequality both inside and outside the military.
Rooted in Place
William Falk focuses on the African Americans who remained in the historically black impoverished counties of the South that were the source of Great Migration North.
The Economics of Residential and Workplace Segregation
Dr. Judith Hellerstein is leading a team to create the 2000 DEED dataset and to follow up on research into residential and workplace segregation using spatial analysis.
Social Statuses, Schools, and Children’s Problems
Melissa Milkie’s study illustrates relationships across social status, race and ethnicity, gender, classroom and school contexts in children’s mental health, and examines the role of school context in whether childhood behavioral and emotional problems are assessed.
Linking Land Conservation and Rural Stakeholders through Cultural Model Research
Michael Paolisso led a team of investigators working on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay and in the Big Thicket region of eastern Texas to examine cultural knowledge and values about land conservation.
A Generalized Outcome Test of Racial and Ethnic Discrimination in the Bail Decision Process
Initially working with data from the District of Columbia Pretrial Services Agency, Peter Reuter turned to data from the Circuit Court of Cook County in Chicago to examine racial and ethnic discrimination in the bail decision process.