The Institute for Policy Research

The New York Times: Diabetes and the Obesity Paradox

Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:20:33 -0400

The New York Times: Diabetes and the Obesity Paradox:

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.

Time: How Well Do You Sleep? The Answer May Depend on Your Race

Wed, 20 Jun 2012 11:43:39 -0400

Time: How Well Do You Sleep? The Answer May Depend on Your Race:

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.

LA Times: Older fathers pass on longer telomeres, possibly longer life

Mon, 18 Jun 2012 11:55:46 -0400

LA Times: Older fathers pass on longer telomeres, possibly longer life:

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.

Public Money Finds Back Door to Private Schools

Mon, 04 Jun 2012 16:47:52 -0400

Public Money Finds Back Door to Private Schools:

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.

Slate: ADHD Diagnoses Increase in an Age of Distraction

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 11:25:11 -0400

Slate: ADHD Diagnoses Increase in an Age of Distraction:

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.

Why the British Are Free-Thinking and the Chinese Love Conformity: It's All in the Genes

Mon, 12 Mar 2012 16:37:37 -0400

Why the British Are Free-Thinking and the Chinese Love Conformity: It's All in the Genes:

“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.

UPI: Candidate's Chances Overrated

Wed, 07 Mar 2012 10:34:52 -0500

UPI: Candidate's Chances Overrated:

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.

Minority Students Benefit from Incentive-Based College-Prep Programs

Tue, 28 Feb 2012 15:30:53 -0500

Minority Students Benefit from Incentive-Based College-Prep Programs:

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.

The Daily Mail: Post-natal remorse -- 54 percent of parents go on to regret the name they chose

Wed, 22 Feb 2012 13:10:15 -0500

The Daily Mail: Post-natal remorse -- 54 percent of parents go on to regret the name they chose:

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.”

Northwestern NewsCenter: Delivering Warmth for Afghan Babies

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 17:34:10 -0500

Northwestern NewsCenter: Delivering Warmth for Afghan Babies:

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.

(via Affirmative action in college admissions? Supreme Court to...

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 16:54:36 -0500

(via Affirmative action in college admissions? Supreme Court to hear case)

thenewrepublic: How can we update our vision of those who would...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 16:41:10 -0500

thenewrepublic:

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

thenewrepublic: Celebrate Presidents’ Day by brushing up on the...

Mon, 20 Feb 2012 11:22:51 -0500

thenewrepublic:

Celebrate Presidents’ Day by brushing up on the glories and glitches of the institution.

“In 1787, nothing quite like this office existed anywhere on earth. Hereditary monarchs and feudal lords held sway across the Old World, and American states generally allowed only propertied men to vote for or serve as governors. By contrast, the framers of the Constitution designed the presidency as an office that would be open to rich and poor alike, and imposed no constitutional property qualifications on presidential electors or ordinary voters. In the 1960s, the Constitution’s Twenty-fourth Amendment went a step further, freeing presidential and other federal elections from poll taxes that might limit voting by the poor.”

- Akhil Reed Amar, “Two Cheers For the American Presidency!”

Photo courtesy of MSNBC

Education Week: Why science doesn't support single-sex classes

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 17:32:10 -0500

Education Week: Why science doesn't support single-sex classes:

IPR labor economist Kirabo Jackson has conducted one of the first studies to credibly link the effects of single-sex education to student achievement. Although a select few benefit from attending single-sex schools, he finds little to no difference in achievement for most students in the sample.

Chicago Tribune: Door shutting on residents of last Cabrini-Green row houses

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:43:17 -0500

Chicago Tribune: Door shutting on residents of last Cabrini-Green row houses:

IPR associate Mary Pattillo says that the Chicago Housing Authority has failed to keep its word to the residents of Cabrini-Green and has an ongoing history of broken promises. The CHA announced last September that it would move out the remaining families in the unimproved portion by the end of February and would no longer rehabilitate the units.

pbstv: Happy Birthday 55th Birthday, LeVar Burton!! Ah,...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 15:24:27 -0500

pbstv:

Happy Birthday 55th Birthday, LeVar Burton!!

Ah, nostalgia!

latimes: After revolution in Egypt, women’s taste of equality...

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 12:35:03 -0500

latimes:

After revolution in Egypt, women’s taste of equality fades: Women were at the vanguard in the protests that ousted Hosni Mubarak. But long-held sexism has reasserted itself at the hands of the military and the Islamists.

Bothaina Kamel is a novelty and a provocation in a single breath. The only woman running for Egypt’s presidency, she travels without an entourage, wears a bracelet that says “Make poverty history,” can outlast the most exasperating heckler in the crowd, and has no chance of winning.

“I want to create culture shock. Yes, a woman is running for president,” says Kamel, a television presenter and ex-wife of a former cultural minister. “Some people have come up to me and asked, ‘Is it even legal for a woman to run?’ I hope to set a trend, to open a door. A girl sent me a Twitter: ‘You have given us a chance to dream.’”

Photo: Bothaina Kamel, a candidate for Egyptian president, campaigns in Cairo last summer. Credit: Filippo Baciocchi / Rex Features

Chicago Tribune: Family ties cut suicide rate for LGBT youth

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 13:36:26 -0500

Chicago Tribune: Family ties cut suicide rate for LGBT youth:

New research by IPR faculty associate Brian Mustanski is the first to show what happens over time to LGBT teens who are bullied and victimized, finding that being bullied and experiencing low levels of support from others boosts the risk that teens will become suicidal or try to harm themselves.

Better Measurement for Racial Disparities in Causes of...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:36:00 -0500

Better Measurement for Racial Disparities in Causes of Death

IPR fellow Quincy Thomas Stewart proposes a supplemental method for estimating and comparing death rates that could lead to a better understanding of the racial gap in causes of death.

latimes: “Hai…” Photo: Friedrichskoog, Germany — A young gray...

Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:24:56 -0500

latimes:

“Hai…”

Photo: Friedrichskoog, Germany — A young gray seal peeks out of partly frozen water at a breeding station. Credit: Carsten Rehder / DPA