Research Analysis
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How body cameras may result in a more proactive and community-engaged police force
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On October 5, 2018, Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke was convicted of second degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery for the 2014 shooting of 17-year-old Laquan McDonald. While activists and Chicago community leaders have welcomed this conviction as an important step towards increasing police accountability, others have…
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What Happens After a School Closes?
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School closure can be a jarring process for students, families and communities. Over the past decade, school closures have become a lightning rod, sparking debate across the country. These closures raise several key questions, including where students go after a low-performing school closes and how students perform academically after their…
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A Snapshot of Attitudes Toward Body-Worn Cameras
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Public discontent with police behavior has crested in the wake of recent high-profile civilian deaths due to the excessive use of force. To address this issue, some have advocated the adoption of body-worn cameras (BWC) that officers wear as part of their uniforms. These cameras capture audio and video of…
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Mixed Messages Muddle Student Attitudes on Genetic Modification
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Genetically modified (GM) crops have been marketed and sold to the public since 1994. As an entire generation has grown up surrounded by genetically modified organisms (GMOs), attitudes towards modified foods have gradually trended towards a more favorable outlook. With more than 90 percent of crops such as corn and soybeans…
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How Does Vocational Education Impact Income Gaps?
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Education plays an important role in countering inequality, and education policy can be an efficient tool for policymakers to reduce income disparities. According to the Economic Policy Institute, on average, a family in the top one percent of the U.S. income distribution earned 26.3 times as much as a family…
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Tech Employment Drives Increased Wages…Just Like Other High-Paying Jobs
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When Amazon started looking for a home for its second headquarters (“HQ2”), cities across North America vied to be selected. They offered tax breaks and other incentives, seeking the prestige of a high-profile corporate headquarters and the promise of economic stimulation. Proponents of a tech influx argued that higher tech-sector…
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Global Insect Decline Linked to Light Pollution
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Artificial light may be devastating populations of insects, including species that provide crucial support for human agricultural systems. In a recent article published in the Annals of Applied Biology, researchers examined the effects of light pollution on insects. Artificial light increases environmental pressures faced by insects, the study concluded, and…
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Increasing the Demand for Education With Unconditional Cash Transfers
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Sub-Saharan Africa hosts the majority of the 124 million children not enrolled in school across the globe. Education plays a key role in improving individual and social well-being, but high poverty impedes access to quality education. This cycle of poverty can be broken by reducing the burden of the financial…
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How Decentralization and International Aid Reduce Inequality in Ethiopia
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In 2017, foreign aid from official donors totaled over $146.6 billion. The bulk of this aid went to decentralizing or decentralized countries, in which regional or local governments are granted powers and resources. Localized governments are believed to be more accountable to voters because they are “downward-looking” and need to…
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The New Housing Discrimination: Realtor Minority Steering
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2018 marks the 50th anniversary of the Fair Housing Act—an important victory for activists in the Civil Rights era—but this historic legislation did not eradicate discrimination in the housing market. Evidence shows that real estate agents today still steer buyers into same-race neighborhoods—a phenomenon where realtors show only selected neighborhoods…
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The Hidden Relationship Between Housing, Migration, and Inequality
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In the November issue of the Journal of Urban Economics, Peter Ganong of Chicago’s Harris School of Public Policy and Daniel Shoag of the Harvard Kennedy School investigate a troubling question: “Why has regional income convergence in the U.S. declined?” In economics, convergence—or the “catch-up effect”—is the hypothesis that per…