Latest posts
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Pathways to Equitable Homeownership
This research investigates how historical disinvestment, biased valuation systems, and structural barriers to credit have limited homeownership access in marginalized Chicago communities. The paper offers a strategic model—grounded in community partnerships and capital pathways—to build sustainable equity through homeownership. Research Team: Kiran Kadiyala (Project Lead), Taryn Kim (Project Lead), Lavanya Gupta, Raymond Ha, Monica Lai,…
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Racial Literacy, Political Polarization, and Curriculum Implementation in K–12 Education
In recent years, American schools have increasingly adopted racial literacy curricula to address equity and inclusion in the education space. However, these efforts have been met with extreme political polarization and implementation challenges. This paper examines education non-profit Pollyanna’s K–12 racial literacy program as a case study, using educator and student surveys and interviews to…
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Beyond the Boatlift: The Labor Force Impact of the Chicago Migrant Influx
Using Chicago as a case study for the 2022–2024 U.S. migrant influx, this paper tests whether large exogenous shocks to local labor supply significantly depress wages or employment outcomes for existing residents. With empirical methods including DiD and triple-DiD regressions, the team finds no large adverse effects and rules out significant declines, suggesting instead that…
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Exploring the Relationship Between Incident Initiation and Fatal Police Violence
This study investigates how the type of incident that initiates a police encounter impacts the probability of fatal outcomes, with a focus on racial disparities. It provides a data-driven framework for rethinking public safety interventions and minimizing preventable deaths Research Team: Sarah Murad (Project Lead), Isabel Alia-Arias (Project Lead), Lilah Bachrach, Seerat Bath, Letom Kpea,…
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Pedestrian Access in Chicago: A Hyde Park Case Study
Date: May 2025 This study provides a comprehensive, street-by-street analysis of pedestrian infrastructure accessibility in Washington Park, Hyde Park, and Woodlawn, incorporating both quantitative metrics and spatial analysis to identify critical disparities in mobility access and infrastructure quality. Research Team: Vikram Srikonda (Project Lead), Madeline Bryant, Sadie Foer, Sophia Liu, Yura Mizutani, Victor Qian, and…
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Electoral Reform + Policy Briefs for Improving U.S. Elections
With the US election season approaching in 2024, voting rights considerations once again took center stage. In collaboration with partners Common Cause Illinois and More Equitable Democracy, the Paul Douglas Institute’s Electoral Reform team explored policy solutions to expand voting access responsibly and equitably. The team’s four policy report groups supported our partner organizations in…