# The Paul Douglas Institute


## Posts

- [Pathways to Equitable Homeownership](https://pauldouglasinstitute.org/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, Hannah Riegel, Charles Rutledge and Anushka Vasudev Date: May 2025
- [Racial Literacy, Political Polarization, and Curriculum Implementation in K–12 Education](https://pauldouglasinstitute.org/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 analyze its effectiveness. Findings indicate that gradual, feedback-driven rollout, robust teacher training, and transparent parent engagement are essential to successful implementation. While students generally welcome the curriculum, teacher discomfort and community resistance can hinder adoption, especially in politically conservative settings. These results underscore that culturally […]
- [Beyond the Boatlift: The Labor Force Impact of the Chicago Migrant Influx](https://pauldouglasinstitute.org/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 migrant-driven economic activity may mitigate traditional concerns about labor displacement. Research Team: Arnav Harve (Project Lead), Allison Yu, Gerard Blake, Kriti Krishnan, Marco Parisse, Milo Simchen, Rowan Felton, Vedesh Kodnani and Vedika Baradwaj Date: May 2025
- [Exploring the Relationship Between Incident Initiation and Fatal Police Violence](https://pauldouglasinstitute.org/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, June Lu, Zoe Nelson, Emily Price, Luiz Carlos Soares Teixeira, Julia Volpp, and Remko Wang Kuijs Date: May 2025
- [Pedestrian Access in Chicago: A Hyde Park Case Study](https://pauldouglasinstitute.org/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 Edgar San Jose
- [Electoral Reform + Policy Briefs for Improving U.S. Elections](https://pauldouglasinstitute.org/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 their advocacy efforts from Chicago to states nationwide Research Team: Adam Jensen (Project Lead), Isabel Alia Arias, Marcus Amine, Raymond Ha, Kiran Kadiyala, YooJin Lim, June Lu, Feifei Mei, Isaiah Moncrieffe, Johan Salome, and Becca Sealy Date: May 2024

## Pages

- [Apply](https://pauldouglasinstitute.org/apply/): Our research follows a year-long project cycle.As a new researcher, your first quarter will focus on buildingresearch skills through qualitative and quantitative workshops,and getting to know the community through social events. At the end of your onboarding quarter, you will be placed on aproject team of 5–10 fellow researchers. Over the next two quarters,your team will work together to investigate a complex policy issueand develop insights that can drive real change.  The year culminates in our Annual Spring Symposium, a showcaseof all project teams’ work, where you will present your findings to an audience of peers, professors, policy professionals, and partners. hello New Researcher Application Process At PDI, we are committed […]
- [Team](https://pauldouglasinstitute.org/team/): Executive Board Elayna Whiteman, Co-President Elayna is a fourth-year student from Illinois majoring in Economics, Public Policy Studies, and Human Rights. Adam Jensen, Co-President Adam is a fourth-year student from California majoring in Public Policy Studies and CEGU (Environment, Geography, & Urbanization). Vasuda Vaidyanathan, VP of Recruitment and Community Cohesion Francesca Carney, VP of Recruitment and Community Cohesion Vasuda is a fourth-year student from Texas majoring in Statistics. Francesca is a fourth-year student from California majoring in Economics and Public Policy. Arnav Harve, VP of Research Vikram Srikonda, VP of Research Arnav is a third-year student from Massachusetts majoring in […]
- [Publications](https://pauldouglasinstitute.org/publications/): Recent Publications All Publications The Paul Douglas Institute policy@pauldouglasinstitute.org
- [About Us](https://pauldouglasinstitute.org/about/): Our Story We are a nonpartisan, student-run think tank at the University of Chicago, working to channel public policy interest into evidence-based, collaborative, and solution-driven projects. Inspired by the life of Senator Paul H. Douglas, we promote public service through rigorous research, technical assistance, and partnerships with civic organizations, using a multidisciplinary and nonpartisan approach. In 2017, PDI was co-founded by a group of entrepreneurial students seeking to fill the gap in student-organized public policy research on campus. In 2018, PDI became a federally registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit and, in 2019, co-founded the Global Student Policy Alliance, uniting student-led think tanks worldwide. Today, with over 50 active members, PDI has created more than 30 […]
- [Home](https://pauldouglasinstitute.org/): The Paul Douglas Institute UChicago’s leading undergraduate think tank, producing evidence-based, nonpartisan research to shape effective public policy. About Through collaborative projects, hands-on workshops, and a strong sense of community, we empower student researchers to tackle policy challenges that matter. Partners Looking for fresh insights, collaborative research, or analytical support? PDI partners with organizations committed to meaningful change. Publications Our teams produce thoughtful, data-driven analysis on issues ranging from local concerns to national policy, turning research into real-world impact. Testimonials “We want to thank [PDI] andeveryone’s hard work on this project.[We] will be sending this [report] over to the rest of the More Equitable […]
- [Partners](https://pauldouglasinstitute.org/partners/): We are always looking for new research opportunities and ideas. If you represent a nonprofit, government agency, elected official, or organization with policy research needs, we would love to hear from you (especially from June to August). When evaluating project proposals, we consider our team’s technical capacity, researcher interest, and access to relevant data. Whether you would like to commission a project, co-sponsor an event, explore past work, or pitch a new idea, please reach out to us at policy@pauldouglasinstitute.org. Past Partners The Paul Douglas Institute policy@pauldouglasinstitute.org
- [Privacy Policy](https://pauldouglasinstitute.org/privacy-policy/): Comments When visitors leave comments on the site we collect the data shown in the comments form, and also the visitor’s IP address and browser user agent string to help spam detection. An anonymized string created from your email address (also called a hash) may be provided to the Gravatar service to see if you are using it. The Gravatar service privacy policy is available here: https://automattic.com/privacy/. After approval of your comment, your profile picture is visible to the public in the context of your comment. Media If you upload images to the website, you should avoid uploading images with […]


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