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Center for Policy Research News

Reforming the Shadow Carceral State

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

“Reforming the Shadow Carceral State,” co-authored by Assistant Professor of Sociology Gabriela Kirk-Werner, was 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

Beyond Social Determinants: Fiscal Determinants of Overdose Death in US Counties, 2017–2020

Zoe Lindenfeld, Diana Silver, Amanda I. Mauri, Michah W. Rothbart

“Beyond Social Determinants: Fiscal Determinants of Overdose Death in U.S. Counties, 2017–2020,” co-authored by Michah Rothbart, associate professor of public administration and international affairs, was published in Social Science & Medicine.

December 6, 2024

Driving Under the Influence of Allergies: The Effect of Seasonal Pollen on Traffic Fatalities

Shooshan Danagoulian, Monica Deza

“Driving Under the Influence of Allergies: The Effect of Seasonal Pollen on Traffic Fatalities,” co-authored by Associate Professor of Economics Monica Deza, was published in the Journal of Health Economics.

December 4, 2024

Yingyi Ma Cited in Nature Article on the Future of Science in the US

Although Chinese-student enrollment at U.S. universities has rebounded since the pandemic, China’s best and brightest might be shying away, says Yingyi Ma, professor of sociology. Soaring anti-China rhetoric probably plays a part, she says, but so do expanding opportunities for Chinese graduate students at home, and the growing challenges to obtain work visas.

November 19, 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

Differences in PTSD Between US Civilians and Military Veterans in Gulf War and Post-9/11 War Cohorts

Kevin J. Ortiz Diaz, Scott D. Landes, Shannon M. Monnat
Findings by sociologists Scott Landes and Shannon Monnat show that among both war eligibility cohorts, combat veterans were more likely than nonveterans to report a PTSD diagnosis. Published in Armed Forces & Society.
November 18, 2024

Does the Reference Period Matter When Evaluating the Effect of SNAP on Food Insecurity?

Colleen Heflin, James P. Ziliak

In this paper, Colleen Heflin and co-author examine if protective effects of SNAP against food insecurity are obtained whether using the 30-day or 12-month food insecurity scale. Results indicate comparable average treatment effects across both reference periods. Published in Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy.

November 15, 2024

Colleen Heflin Appointed to Committee on National Statistics

The committee is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine and provides guidance to the federal government.

November 8, 2024

How Can We Improve Educational Experiences for Refugee Students in Poland?

Iwona B. Franczak and Amy C. Lutz
This brief summarizes findings from a study that used data from 24 interviews conducted in 2022 with teachers and mothers of Ukrainian refugee children attending elementary schools in Poland to examine the impact of forced migration on academic progress and socio-emotional well-being of refugee students. 
October 23, 2024

Behavioural Patterns of Leaders versus Followers in Setting Local Sales Tax Policy

Jongmin Shon, Yilin Hou

Using a 40-year panel dataset from Texas, Yilin Hou and co-author identify leader municipalities in changing sales tax rates and examine how municipalities asymmetrically respond to multi-tiered rate changes. Published in Fiscal Studies: The Journal of Applied Public Economics.

October 16, 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

Heflin Quoted in Newsweek Article on the Farm Bill Reauthorization and Its Impact on SNAP Benefits

“If the appropriations bills are not passed by the end of December, January benefits will still go out because SNAP benefits are obligated in the prior month (December),” says Colleen Heflin, professor of public administration and international affairs.

October 2, 2024

Kids in Limbo: War, Uncertainty, and the School Experiences of Ukrainian Refugee Students in Poland

Iwona B. Franczak, Amy C. Lutz

“Kids in Limbo: War, Uncertainty, and the School Experiences of Ukrainian Refugee Students in Poland,” co-authored by Amy Lutz, associate professor of sociology, and Ph.D. student Iwona B. Franczak, was published in Sociological Forum.

September 23, 2024

See related: Conflict, Education, Europe, Refugees

Evidence-based Practices and US State Government Civil Servants

Yuan (Daniel) Cheng, Leslie Thompson, Shuping Wang, Jules Marzec, Chengxin Xu, Weston Merrick, and Patrick Carter

This university-government-nonprofit collaborative research project aims to better understand how civil servants access and use evidence in their decision-making process. Published in Public Administration Review.

September 19, 2024

Public Health Measures Related to the Transmissibility of Suicide

Jane Pirkis, Jason Bantjes, Madelyn Gould, Thomas Niederkrotenthaler, Jo Robinson, Mark Sinyor, Michiko Ueda, Keith Hawton

In this paper, the fourth in a series on a public health approach to suicide prevention, Michiko Ueda-Ballmer and co-authors contend that the transmissibility of suicide must be considered when determining optimal ways to address it. Published in The Lancet Public Health.

September 18, 2024

Jales Weighs In on South Korea’s Plan to Address Low Fertility Rate in Think Global Health Article

“Most people are not on the fence about having a (or another) child. Thus, to get someone who would otherwise choose not to have children to change their behavior will take large incentives,” says Hugo Jales, associate professor of economics.

September 17, 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

On Uniform Confidence Intervals for the Tail Index and the Extreme Quantile

Yuya Sasaki, Yulong Wang

“On Uniform Confidence Intervals for the Tail Index and the Extreme Quantile,” co-authored by Associate Professor of Economics Yulong Wang, was published in the Journal of Econometrics.

September 16, 2024

See related: Research Methods

Ueda-Ballmer Speaks with USA Today About CDC Report on Suicide Risk

“Everybody has a risk of suicide,” says Michiko Ueda-Ballmer, associate professor of public administration and international affairs. “That also means that everybody basically should think about suicide prevention as their...business.”

September 12, 2024

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