Maxwell School News and Commentary

“State policies, which have been relatively ignored in research on explanations for U.S. mortality trends, turn out to be really important for understanding geographic disparities in mortality,” Shannon Monnat, professor of sociology, tells U.S. News & World Report.

If states had adopted liberal policies across the board, University Professor Jennifer Karas Montez and her co-authors calculated that 171,030 lives would have been saved in 2019 alone; on the flip side, conservative policies in all states would have led to an additional 217,635 working-age deaths.

"U.S. state policy contexts and mortality of working-age adults," co-authored by sociologists Jennifer Karas Montez and Shannon Monnat, was published by PLoS ONE.

“There might be a small drop in one or two years, but the long-term trend has been an increase,” says Shannon Monnat, professor of sociology. She was interviewed for the Grid article, "U.S. suicide rates rose again in 2021, ending a brief decline during the covid pandemic."

Professor of Sociology Shannon Monnat was also interviewed for the story, "‘There Are Two Americas Now: One With a B.A. and One Without’." 

Research on the relationship between lead poisoning and community violence by Robert Rubinstein, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology, and Sandra Lane, professor of anthropology by courtesy appointment, was featured on the CNY Central segment, "Could Syracuse's lead paint problem be causing more youth violence? Researchers think so."

Professor Emeritus Douglas Wolf was interviewed for the Canadian HR Reporter article, "Mandated paid sick leave a matter of life and death: Report."

"U.S. State Preemption Laws and Working-Age Mortality," co-authored by Maxwell professors Douglas Wolf, Jennifer Karas Montez and Shannon Monnat, was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

"U.S. State Preemption Laws and Working-Age Mortality," co-authored by Maxwell professors Douglas Wolf, Jennifer Karas Montez and Shannon Monnat, was featured in CBS News and CTV News articles.

"Self-Rated Physical Health Among Working-Aged Adults Along the Rural-Urban Continuum — United States, 2021," co-authored by Professor Shannon Monnat, was published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.