Institute for Research on Poverty, University of Wisconsin-Madison

IRP is pleased to co-sponsor this presentation by Profesor Michael Kraus, hosted by the Psychology Colloquium Series Committee at UW-Madison. We hope to see you there!

This week's IRP in-person seminar (Thurs, 3/6): IRP Affiliate Dr. Darcey Merritt of Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice, University of Chicago on "Parenting in Precarity: Experiences of Black Mothers Impacted by Child Protective Services." 12:15–1:30pm, 8417 Sewell Social Sciences, UW-Madison. Black families are overrepresented in Child Protection Services and are more likely to have insufficient housing, income, generational wealth, and concrete support, resulting in an increased likelihood of CPS exposure. Collapsing notions of good parenting with CPS decision-making about poverty-related neglect further codifies structurally racist discourses about Black motherhood into harmful policies, negatively impacts mothers’ self-perception and self-esteem, and diminishes parental autonomy. This presentation will examine ways in which systemic racism and the lack of concrete support constrain parenting decisions among CPS-impacted Black mothers in the United States. Identified themes included system oversight and lack of resources constraining parenting choices (inaccessible child care, insufficient employment, CPS unresponsive or uninclined to understand the context of poverty and impacts on parenting choices), being fearful of CPS and traumatized by CPS exposure, and exercising hypervigilance in documenting parenting behaviors and choices in fear of system oversight. What is termed neglectful parenting by CPS are really choices being made due to poverty, lack of access to concrete supports, and community-level risk factors beyond their control. More info: https://buff.ly/3WILMa6

??New podcast episode! ??"IRP Book Talk: Robert Courtney Smith on Dreams Achieved and Denied: Mexican Intergenerational Mobility." There are many factors that influence whether Mexican immigrants to the United States are able to achieve upward mobility. In his new book, Robert Courtney Smith shares research conducted over twenty years and involving nearly one hundred children of Mexican immigrants in New York City. He examines how being documented or not acts as a master status, and how that is expressed through choices about education, employment, social networks, expressions of masculinity, and romantic and familial relationships. Listen here: https://buff.ly/3XHJw3t

This week's in-person IRP seminar: Ben Ost, Associate Professor of Economics at University of Illinois at Chicago, on “Sheepskin Effects in Higher Education.” College enrollment is a critical pathway for economic mobility and despite steeply increasing tuition, it remains a strong economic investment on average. Though the average benefits are known to be large, there is surprisingly little causal evidence on whether college dropouts benefit from having attended some college or if the benefits of college are driven entirely by graduates. This presentation will examine if the earnings benefits are mostly driven by graduates, which would suggest that college enrollment is a risky investment given the 63% graduation rate and the even lower graduation rate among disadvantaged groups. These distinctions are critical for much of higher education and K–12 policy. Thursday, 2/27, 12:15–1:30pm, 8417 William H. Sewell Social Sciences Building, UW-Madison. More information on this and upcoming seminars: https://buff.ly/3WILMa6

IRP is fortunate to have several La Follette School of Public Affairs at UW-Madison undergrad interns working with us. As IRP Director Sarah Halpern-Meekin shared, "We gain from the students’ skills and insights, and we hope they learn more about the many kinds of work that happen around IRP and have the opportunity to deploy some of the hard skills and substantive knowledge they have gained from their public and health policy coursework." https://lnkd.in/gjwhMziK

This week's in-person IRP seminar: Gerard Torrats-Espinosa, Assistant Professor of Sociology, Columbia University, on “The Prevalence and Mental Health Impacts of Militarized Policing in American Cities.” The killing of Breonna Taylor in 2020 brought national attention to no-knock search warrants, a policing practice that allows law enforcement officers to enter premises unannounced. Despite being among the most dangerous and aggressive policing tactics, no-knock search warrants and forceful residential police raids remain under-researched. Building on the literature on the social costs of aggressive policing, this talk will present findings from a multi-city study analyzing all forceful residential search warrants executed over a decade by three large US urban police departments. Discussion will include evidence of racial and ethnic gaps in neighborhood-level exposure to forceful residential search warrants, then focus on the community-level mental health effects of such policing practice. Findings contribute to a growing body of literature highlighting the unintended and adverse consequences of aggressive policing in communities of color and among disadvantaged populations. Thursday, 2/20, 12:15-1:30 pm, 8417 Sewell Social Sciences, @UWMadison. More info: https://buff.ly/3WILMa6

?? New podcast episode! ?? IRP Scientist Molly Costanzo on improving economic well-being for households with children with disabilities. Between 5% and 20% of children in the United States live with a disability. The definition and measurement of disability are constantly changing. Therefore, people with disabilities have been inadequately represented and understudied in research. In this episode, Molly Costanzo shares her research and recommendations for policymakers, practitioners, and researchers to improve their quality of life. Listen here: https://buff.ly/4hBDSYo

Register now for this great IRP webinar on Wednesday, March 5th! "Evidence-Based Policy and Practice Approaches to Addressing Homelessness in the United States" with Dr. Cindy I-Fen Cheng of UW-Madison, Dr. Katherine Levine Einstein of Boston University & Dr. David Phillips of University of Notre Dame. The 2024 rate of U.S. homelessness increased by 18% over the previous year, with a 39% rise in families experiencing homelessness. According to an annual survey conducted in communities across the country, more than 770,000 people were living in shelters or outside—the largest number since the report was initiated in 2007. Our panelists will provide historical context for homelessness in the United States, as well as research findings on the effectiveness of various policy and practice approaches to decreasing homelessness and supporting unhoused families and individuals. For more info & to register: https://buff.ly/4hSEdpb?

This week's IRP in-person seminar: "The Effect of Allotment on Native American Households During the Assimilation Era," with Dustin Frye of Agricultural & Applied Economics at University of Wisconsin-Madison. Co-sponsored with American Indian & Indigenous Studies. Thursday, February 13, 12:15–1:30pm, 8417 William H. Sewell Social Sciences Building. More information on this talk and other presentations in the spring seminar series: https://lnkd.in/gnKP9d-z

Please share this event tomorrow, Tuesday, February 4, with University of Wisconsin-Madison undergrads or terminal masters students who may be interested in a career in poverty research!