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Getting federal stimulus money turned blue U.S. counties bluer, and red counties redder. How can that be?

Getting federal stimulus money turned blue U.S. counties bluer, and red counties redder. How can that be?

June 2, 2016

Washington Post | By Katherine Levine Einstein (Ph.D. '12), Kris-Stella Trump, and Vanessa Williamson (Ph.D. '14).  "Political science research has been finding increasingly polarized reactions to polling questions...But our work suggests that polarization is even deeper: The public, at least in this very high-profile instance, reacted to actual federal spending by growing more divided."

The authors draw from their research,"The Polarizing Effect of the Stimulus: Partisanship and Voter Responsiveness to the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act," recently published in Presidential Studies Quarterly.

Why the Education Department's New Equity Rule Might Not Be So Equal

Why the Education Department's New Equity Rule Might Not Be So Equal

June 1, 2016

The Atlantic | By Nora Gordon (Ph.D. '02), Associate Professor of Public Policy, Georgetown University: "On the surface, the proposed rule sounds like a win for poor kids...However, the practical and policy implications are far less straightforward than they first appear."

Christopher Jencks: Big Picture Directions for Future Research and Policy on the Problem of Poverty

Christopher Jencks: Big Picture Directions for Future Research and Policy on the Problem of Poverty

May 20, 2016

2nd Annual New Frontiers in Poverty Research Conference at Columbia University | Christopher Jencks, Malcolm Wiener Professor of Social Policy, and Sheldon Danziger, President of the Russell Sage Foundation, were the keynote speakers at the 2nd Annual New Frontiers in Poverty Research Conference at Columbia University.

Christopher Wimer (Ph.D. '07), Co-Director of the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia's Population Research Center, spoke about his latest work with Columbia colleagues, "Harnessing the Robin Hood Poverty Tracker to Understand New Dimensions of Poverty in New York City."

View video: Conference begins at 12:35 minute mark. Jencks's session begins at 3:26 hour mark.

When Landlords Discriminate

When Landlords Discriminate

May 19, 2016

Talk Poverty | By Philip ME Garboden and Eva Rosen (Ph.D. '14). Rosen is a  Postdoctoral Fellow in Sociology at Johns Hopkins University, in their Poverty and Inequality Research Lab. Garboden is a graduate student at Johns Hopkins.

Researchers Find Surprising Results After Testing A New Way To Measure Poverty

Researchers Find Surprising Results After Testing A New Way To Measure Poverty

May 19, 2016

NPR Morning Edition | Christopher Wimer (Ph.D. '07), Co-Director of the Center on Poverty and Social Policy at Columbia University, is working with colleagues on a better way to measure poverty in New York City. Visit the interactive website to learn more about the Robin Hood Poverty Tracker. Scott Winship (Ph.D. '09), Walter B. Wriston Fellow at the Manhattan Institute, agrees that the research reveals some useful findings but expresses reservations about the measures, arguing that they may misdirect attention and public resources from those who really are struggling.

The Destructive Legacy of Housing Segregation

The Destructive Legacy of Housing Segregation

May 17, 2016

The Atlantic | By Patrick Sharkey (Ph.D. '07), New York University. Less visible than the rise of economic inequality is the way it has altered America's urban neighborhoods. Two books—Evicted by Harvard's Matthew Desmond and Ghetto by Mitchell Duneier (Princeton)—should help change that, writes Sharkey.