Skip to content

Filtered by: Social Policy and Inequality

Differences in COVID-19 Experiences Between U.S. Working Age Adults With and Without Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

Nastassia Vaitsiakhovich, Shannon M. Monnat, Andrew S. London, Scott D. Landes

Co-authored by sociologists Shannon Monnat, Andrew London and Scott Landes, the study was published in SSM - Mental Health.

April 7, 2026

Wanting Children: Family-Planning Policies and the Engineering of America’s Population

Leonard M. Lopoo

Leonard M. Lopoo, professor and chair of public administration and international affairs, has written Wanting Children: Family-Planning Policies and the Engineering of America’s Population (University of Chicago Press, 2026). The book traces how America’s first reproductive policies were shaped by eugenicists focused on limiting births among lower-income and minority populations. 

April 1, 2026

Making US Food Pantries More Old-Age Friendly

Madonna Harrington Meyer, Winston Scott

The article, co-authored by University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer and Ph.D. student Winston Scott, was published in the Journal of Aging and Social Change.

March 4, 2026

Why the US Must Measure Food Insecurity in Old Age

Madonna Harrington Meyer, Colleen M. Heflin

The article, co-authored by Maxwell professors Madonna Harrington Meyer and Colleen Heflin, was published in The Milbank Quarterly.

February 23, 2026

Hold Harmless for Whom? The Impact of COVID Era Policies on School Funding, Teachers, and Students

Michah W. Rothbart, Samantha Cervantes, and Amy Ellen Schwartz
February 18, 2026

Who Should Be on Electronic Monitoring: Conceptualizations of Ideal Supervisees

Gabriela Kirk-Werner

The article, authored by Assistant Professor of Sociology Gabriela Kirk-Werner, was published in Punishment & Society.

February 3, 2026

Strengthening Snap’s Ability to Address Old Age Food Insecurity

Colleen Heflin, Madonna Harrington Meyer,

The article, published in Contexts, was co-authored by Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, and University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer. 

January 5, 2026

Public School Districts Should Close Their “Alternative” and “Continuation” High Schools

Sean J. Drake

“Alternative” high schools are meant to help struggling students catch up on credits, but they often function as dumping grounds that perpetuate inequality. 

November 5, 2025

See related: United States

Why Aren’t More People Calling 988 for Mental Health Crises?

Michiko Ueda, Colleen M. Heflin, Yanhong Liu, Qingyi Yu, and Seethalakshmi Ramanathan
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline launched in 2022 is a free, confidential alternative, yet awareness remains low and misconceptions persist. This brief summarizes findings from a study that surveyed nearly 1,900 U.S. adults and found that only 22% knew about 988. Even more striking: nearly 9 in 10 people had concerns about using it, and many of those concerns are based on misconceptions.
October 29, 2025

See related: United States

Policy Recommendations to Reduce Old Age Food Insecurity in the United States

Colleen M. Heflin and Madonna Harrington Meyer

The current policy responses to old age food insecurity are complex, costly, and not nearly effective enough. Based on the book, Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adults Food Insecurity, this brief summarizes five policy recommendations to improve food insecurity among U.S. older adults. 

September 10, 2025

See related: United States

Food for Thought: Understanding Older Adult Food Insecurity

Colleen Heflin, Madonna Harrington Meyer

Written by Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs, and University Professor Madonna Harrington Meyer, the book examines the issue of food insecurity among older adults in the United States. 

September 4, 2025

Trends in Breast Cancer Screening between Medicare Beneficiaries with and without Food Insecurity

Yeunkyung Kim, Jihye Kim, Sungchul Park, Colleen Heflin, Hyunjee Kim, Yue Li

Published in AJPM Focus, the study was co-authored by Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

August 13, 2025

How Can Public Sector Employers Improve the Effectiveness of Email Recruitment?

Leonard M. Lopoo, Robert Bifulco, Hannah Patnaik, Ashraf Haque, Christine Ashby, George Theoharis
This brief summarizes findings from a study that examined which email format - a letter with university logos signed by a university official or an informational flyer with a photograph - was more effective in recruiting applicants for a training program for K-12 teaching jobs. 
April 30, 2025

See related: United States

Civil Lawfare

April D. Fernandes, Brittany Friedman, Gabriela M. Kirk-Werner

“Civil Lawfare,” co-authored by Assistant Professor of Sociology Gabriela Kirk-Werner, was published in Social Problems.

February 5, 2025

Reforming the Shadow Carceral State

Brittany Michelle Friedman, Gabriela Kirk-Werner, April D. Fernandes

Assistant Professor of Sociology Gabriela Kirk-Werner and co-authors examine the repeal of prison pay-to-stay policies in the United States. Published in Theoretical Criminology.

December 16, 2024

The Meatpacking Industry Needs Stronger Worker Protections and Enhanced Oversight

India Luxton and Laura-Anne Minkoff-Zern
This brief summarizes findings from a study that used data from 39 interviews with local, state, and federal officials and bureaucrats, worker advocates, and workers to analyze meatpacking policymaking and oversight during COVID-19. 
December 10, 2024

Waiving Physical Presence Requirements During the COVID-19 Pandemic Increased WIC Caseloads

Colleen Heflin, William Clay Fannin, Leonard Lopoo, and Camille Barbin
This brief summarizes findings from a study that compared WIC caseload data collected across 738 counties in 10 U.S. states between January 2019 and May 2021 to determine how these waives affected WIC participation.
November 19, 2024

How Does the Reauthorization of the Farm Bill Impact SNAP?

Colleen Heflin and Camille Barbin
Negotiations on a new Farm Bill have included SNAP proposals to limit state discretion on work requirements during periods of low job availability, indefinitely freeze the cost of the Thrifty Food Plan, and lift the ban on prepared meals. This brief describes how these proposals could increase food insecurity and suggests way the new Farm Bill could better serve the nutritional needs of low-income households.
October 16, 2024

Stability and Volatility in the Contextual Predictors of Working-Age Mortality in the United States

Jennifer Karas Montez, Shannon M. Monnat, Emily E. Wiemers, Douglas A. Wolf, Xue Zhang

“Stability and Volatility in the Contextual Predictors of Working-Age Mortality in the United States,” co-authored by Maxwell faculty members Jennifer Karas Montez, Shannon Monnat, Emily Wiemers and Douglas Wolf, was published in the Journal of Health and Social Behavior.

September 17, 2024

Explore by:

  • 1 (current)
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Center for Policy Research
426 Eggers Hall