The Institute for Policy Research (IPR) is an interdisciplinary public policy research institute founded in 1968 at Northwestern University. Our mission is to stimulate and support excellent social science research on significant public policy issues.
Type 2 diabetes, a condition widely thought of as a disease of the overweight and sedentary, also develops in people who aren’t overweight—and it may be deadlier in these normal-weight people, according to a new study led by epidemiologist and IPR associate Mercedes Carnethon.
The amount and quality of sleep people get each night might vary across racial and ethnic lines, according to a new study led by epidemiologist and IPR associate Mercedes Carnethon.
New research co-authored by IPR anthropologist Christopher Kuzawa suggests that children of older fathers and grandfathers might inherit longer telomeres—the structures at the tips of chromosomes—that could protect against aging and disease.
According to IPR economist David Figlio, who has extensively studied Florida’s program, school choice vouchers are an important alternative to public schools for some families. But programs differ from state to state, with varying tax benefits for donors and varying rules on who may receive the scholarships.
In the last decade, the number of U.S. children and teens diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) has increased by 66 percent, jumping from 6.2 million people in 2000 to 10.4 million in 2010, according to a new study led by pediatrician and IPR associate Craig Garfield.
“We demonstrate for the first time a robust association between cultural values of individualism–collectivism and the serotonin transporter gene,” said neuroscientist and IPR associate Joan Chiao, who co-authored the study. The researchers found that common traits like British individualism and Chinese conformity could be attributed to genetic differences between races.
A new study co-authored by IPR economist Charles F. Manski found that no matter what the polls showed, voters think their preferred candidate will win.
A new paper by IPR economist Kirabo Jackson provides evidence that implementing college-prep programs can lead to long-term economic benefits for disadvantaged students in urban areas.
Economist and IPR fellow David Figlio has investigated the long-lasting impact names have on individuals. “There is a reason why baby name books are extremely popular,” he said. “We’re always trying to think about the first bit of a child’s identity, and so if we as a society pay a lot of attention to names, it makes a lot of sense that people’s names might influence how they think about themselves.”
Thanks to Northwestern Medicine pediatrician and IPR associate Craig Garfield, 14,000 silver mylar blankets—the kind typically handed out to runners after a marathon—are headed to Afghanistan to help children in danger of freezing to death this winter in scarcely heated refugee camps. More than 20 Afghan children have already died from the cold in the past month.
How can we update our vision of those who would stand to benefit from income equality?
“What image comes to mind when progressives think about the Americans who would benefit from a more egalitarian society? None of the images or phrases currently in vogue are all that inspiring. “Middle class” merely describes a bland, imprecise economic status. “The 99 percent,” the slogan of Occupy Wall Street, is certainly majoritarian and inclusive; but it begs the question of what, besides wealth, distinguishes that vast throng from the tiny, super-rich minority. Bill Clinton’s praise, two decades ago, of those who “work hard and play by the rules” certainly had the ring of virtue; but it never stuck politically.”
-Michael Kazin, “The Producers”
Photo courtesy of CNN
