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Maxwell / Centers, Institutes, and Initiatives

  • Centers, Institutes, and Multidisciplinary Research Initiatives

    Maxwell’s unique strength derives from its multidisciplinary approach to the study of contemporary policy issues. Within the school’s research units, you will find faculty scholars and practitioners with expertise across the full spectrum of social sciences and public affairs specialties analyzing and problem solving alongside our students.

    From aging, population, and public health, to the environment, conflict resolution, and the governance of autonomous systems, Maxwell faculty and students engage in the sort of silo-busting work that is essential to developing solutions and educating tomorrow’s effective leaders.

    Aging Studies Institute

    Promoting aging-related research, training, and outreach. Co-sponsored with SU’s Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics.

    Autonomous Systems Policy Institute

    Advancing knowledge and teaching in the field of autonomous systems by exploring new frontiers in policy, law and governance of these fast-expanding technologies.

    Campbell Public Affairs Institute

    Serving a better understanding of contemporary challenges in democratic governance — particularly, the idea of citizenship, its evolution, and the conditions under which it thrives.

    Center for Environmental Policy and Administration

    Exploring environmental issues from an integrated perspective that considers technical, social, and humanistic aspects.

    Center for Policy Research

    A home for domestic policy concerns — among them health studies, econometrics, public education, public finance, social welfare, poverty and income security, and urban and regional studies.

    Institute for the Study of the Judiciary, Politics, and the Media

    Assessing the ways in which judicial independence is established and maintained. Co-sponsored with SU’s College of Law and with the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications.

    Lerner Center for Public Health Promotion

    Dedicated to creating public health programs that are motivating, sustainable, and effective replicated in community and national prevention programs.

    Maxwell X Lab

    Leveraging behavioral science and randomized controlled trials in partnerships with the public and nonprofit sector to build evidence for what works.

    Moynihan Institute of Global Affairs

    Facilitating research on issues raised by an increasingly interdependent world and studies challenges to the quality of governance worldwide.

    Program for the Advancement of Research on Conflict and Collaboration

    Dedicated to the enhancement of knowledge about social conflicts and to collaborative governance and collaborative problem solving.

    Syracuse University Institute for Security Policy and Law

    Educating and inspiring the next generation of national security thought leaders and practitioners, through interdisciplinary research, teaching, public service, and policy analysis. Co-sponsored with the SU College of Law.
    Formerly known as the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism (INSCT).

  • Research News

    Michelmore study on college pricing, student choices published in AER

    "Closing the Gap: The Effect of Reducing Complexity and Uncertainty in College Pricing on the Choices of Low-Income Students," co-authored by Katherine Michelmore, was published in American Economic Review. In a large-scale experiment the authors tested an early commitment of free tuition at a flagship university. The intervention did not increase aid: rather, students were guaranteed before application the same grant aid that they would qualify for in expectation if admitted. The offer substantially increased application (68 percent versus 26 percent) and enrollment rates (27 percent versus 12 percent). The results suggest that uncertainty, present bias, and loss aversion loom large in students' college decisions.

     

    Maxwell scholars publish book on public policy and the life course

    Janet M. Wilmoth and Andrew S. London, two professors from the Maxwell School’s Department of Sociology, the Aging Studies Institute and the Center for Aging and Policy Studies, co-edited a new book “Life-Course Implications of U.S. Public Policies” (Routledge, 2021). Professors Colleen Heflin, Madonna Harrington Meyer and Jennifer Karas Montez, along with Ph.D. student Amra Kandic, contributed to the book.

     

    Ma examines science identity change, college major shifts in new study

    "Math and Science Identity Change and Paths into and out of STEM: Gender and Racial Disparities," co-authored by Associate Professor of Sociology Yingyi Ma, was published in Socius: Sociological Research for a Dynamic World. Using data from the Pathways through College Study, Ma and Ph.D. candidate Shiyang Xiao '20 M.A. (Econ) find that science identity changes matter more than math identity changes in their association with the decision to switch majors. Most notably, underrepresented racial minority women are the most vulnerable in terms of decreasing science identity and the associated probabilities of leaking out of STEM.

     

    Shana Kushner Gadarian is a 2021 Carnegie Fellow

    Shana Kushner Gadarian, associate professor and chair of political science, has been named a 2021 Carnegie Fellow. As recipients of the so-called “brainy award,” each Carnegie Fellow receives a grant of up to $200,000, making it possible to devote significant time to research, writing and publishing in the humanities and social sciences. The award is for a period of up to two years, and its anticipated result is a book or major study. Gadarian’s Carnegie-funded project, “Pandemic Politics: How COVID-19 Revealed the Depths of Partisan Polarization,” will investigate the long-term impacts of the pandemic on health behaviors and evaluations of government performance.

     

    Lopoo, Wolf cited in The Atlantic article on declining fertility rates

    The experiences of developed countries, taken together, suggest that small cash transfers or short parental leaves are unlikely to significantly increase fertility rates, says Professor Leonard Lopoo. Benefits that remove significant financial obstacles—the cost of child care, medical bills for prenatal care and giving birth, or college tuition—and prevent parents from having to leave their jobs are most likely to persuade someone to have a child, he says. Lopoo was interviewed for The Atlantic article, "The Danger of Shortchanging Parents." "Fiscal Externalities of Becoming a Parent," a study co-authored by Professor Douglas Wolf was also cited in the article (linked in the sixth paragraph).

     

  • Faculty Experts

  • Our faculty are available to speak about a wide range of issues, including tax policy, trade, foreign affairs, immigration, education, social welfare, and the environment, among others.

    To find an expert, use our online directory to search by keyword topic or issue .

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