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Policy Design Complexity and Policy Outputs: Theory and Methods

Brandon Charles, Saba Siddiki, Matia Vannoni, Christopher Frantz, Nicholas Oesterling

The article, co-authored by Saba Siddiki, professor of public administration and international affairs, and Maxwell Ph.D. students Brandon Charles and Nicholas Oesterling, was published in Policy Design and Practice.

March 24, 2026

Pirate Gold Provides New Insights Into West African Trade Using pXRF and SEM EDS Analysis

Tobias B. Skowronek, Brandon Clifford, Christopher R. DeCorse

Co-authored by Distinguished Professor of Anthropology Christopher DeCorse, the article was published in Heritage Science.

March 24, 2026

How Does Striving Against Adversity Impact Emotional Well-being and Cardiovascular Risk in Children?

Brooks B. Gump, Stefanie Pilkay, Xiafei Wang, Sara Vasilenko, Nader H. Attallah-Yunes, Sarah Woolf-King, Stephen Maisto, Edith Chen, and Craig K. Ewart
Working hard and persisting through challenges (i.e., striving) are often encouraged for children who face adversity, but these coping strategies come with hidden costs. This brief describes how striving in the face of adversity influences mental wellbeing and cardiovascular health.
March 24, 2026

Transmission of Religiosity Across Generations: Historical, Cohort, and Relational Dynamics

Merril Silverstein, Woosang Hwang, Joonsik Yoon, Wencheng Zhang, Jeung Hyun Kim, Kent Jason Cheng, Maria Teresa Brown

Co-authored by Professor and Chair of Sociology Merril Silverstein, the article was published in the Sociology of Religion.

March 19, 2026

The Inequities of Being Smart: Uneven Development and Smart City Technology Adoption

Austin Zwick, Zachary Spicer

The study, co-authored by Austin Zwick, associate teaching professor of policy studies, was published in Applied Geography. 

March 18, 2026

Living in Liberal Areas Reduced COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy Among Conservatives

Brittany L. Kmush and Rachel E. Dinero
This brief describes how residential political climate influenced COVID-19 vaccination decisions among liberals and conservatives. The authors found that while liberals had low vaccine hesitancy and high vaccine uptake regardless of the politics in their communities, conservatives’ vaccine hesitancy and uptake varied by the political climate of their community.
March 17, 2026

US State Policy Contexts and Mental Health Among Working-Age Adults

Iliya Gutin, Jennifer Karas Montez, Emily Wiemers, Shannon M. Monnat, Douglas A. Wolf

The article, co-authored by Maxwell faculty members Iliya Gutin, Jennifer Karas Montez, Emily Wiemers, Shannon Monnat and Douglas Wolf, was published in The Milbank Quarterly.

March 11, 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

How Do State Labor Policies Impact Disability for Latino Adults in the U.S.?

Marc A. Garcia, Blakelee Kemp, and Erin Bisesti
This brief describes how these policies influence disability rates among Latino adults aged 45-85 in the United States. The authors find that, from 2000 to 2016, Latino disability rates were lower in states with more worker-friendly labor protections. The disability rate among Latinos was 21.6% in states with the most conservative labor policies compared to 17.6% in states with the most liberal policies. 
March 3, 2026

See related: United States

Rising waters, falling taxes: The impact of Hurricane Sandy on property tax assessments in New York City

Wei Guo, Qing Miao, Yusun Kim, Yilin Hou

Co-authored by Yilin Hou, professor of public administration and international affairs, the study was published in the Journal of Environmental Economics and Management.

February 26, 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

Regional Political Climate’s Moderating Role in the Association Between Political Conservatism and COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in the United States

Rachel E. Dinero, William B. Monti, Brittany L. Kmush
The article, co-authored by Associate Professor of Public Health Brittany Kmush, was published in PLOS One.
February 18, 2026

Reforming Primary Elections: Voters, Campaigns, and the Future of Congressional Politics

Robert G. Boatright, Richard Barton

Maxwell School alumnus and Assistant Teaching Professor Richard Barton ’15 M.A. (PSc) has co-edited a book that examines how primary elections have changed over the past decade and why they often yield extreme or unpopular candidates. 

February 10, 2026

Comparison of Self-Reported Survey and Wastewater-Based Epidemiology Measures of Cocaine Use on a College Campus

Shona McCulloch, Dessa Bergen-Cico, Teng Zeng, David A. Larsen

The study, co-authored by Dessa Bergen-Cico and David Larsen, both professors of public health, was published in PLOS One.

February 5, 2026

Visceral Love and More-Than-Human Interembodiment: Olive Trees as Sentient Kin in Sicily

Amanda Hilton

The study, authored by Assistant Professor of Anthropology Amanda Hilton, was published in Social Science & Medicine.

February 5, 2026

See related: Europe

A Gap Analysis in Therapeutic Services for Birthing Individuals with Perinatal Mental Health Disorders

Md Koushik Ahmed, Robert H. Keefe, Brittany Kmush, Emily Shuman, Kathleen Walker, Robert A. Rubinstein, Robert Silverman, Andrea Shaw, Sandra D. Lane

Published in Social Work in Public Health, the article was co-authored by Robert Rubinstein, Distinguished Professor of Anthropology; Sanda Lane, professor emerita of public health; and Brittany Kmush, associate professor of public health.

February 5, 2026

Sicilianità versus Sicilianismo: Thinking from the South with Sicilian Oliviculturalists

Amanda Hilton

The article, authored by Assistant Professor of Anthropology Amanda Hilton, was published in Italian Studies.

February 5, 2026

See related: Europe

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

A New Tool for Handling Multiracial and Multi-Identity Data in Health Research

Gabriel J. Merrin
This brief introduces CATAcode, a free software tool that helps researchers handle check-all-that-apply demographic data more thoughtfully. The tool reveals how coding decisions dramatically affect who is represented in research—decisions that inform health policy and resource allocation. 
February 3, 2026

See related: United States

Pandemic Mask Mandates and Closures Were Linked to Increased Gun Violence

Douglas A. Wolf, Emily W. Wiemers, Iliya Gutin, Jennifer Karas Montez, and Shannon M. Monnat
This brief examines how masking requirements and activity restrictions were associated with gun violence across U.S. counties. The authors find that counties’ indoor masking requirements were linked to a 28% increase in gun violence, while business closures and restrictions were associated with a 4.2% increase. 
January 27, 2026

See related: United States

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