Disparity Archives

Why are refugees with jobs still living in poverty?

For newly resettled refugees in the United States, getting a job doesn’t always mean escaping poverty, says an expert on migration policy at Washington University in St. Louis.

Medicine & Health

The Future of Foreign Assistance and Global Health

In this episode of Ideas Matter, WashU’s Sandro Galea, dean of the Bursky School of Public Health, and former USAID civil servant Nicholas Enrich discuss how assisting other countries in maintaining public health protects safety and stability across the globe—including here in America.

Nicholas Enrich

Social Work

WashU researchers launch next phase of wealth-building research

Researchers at the Center for Social Development in the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis are launching a new initiative to help shape the future of wealth-building policy in the United States, with a focus on giving children stronger financial foundations that can last a lifetime.

Social Work

Public benefits ‘cliffs’ can trap low-wage workers, study finds

New research from Washington University in St. Louis argues that policymakers should enact gradual cutoffs for public benefits such as food assistance or healthcare. The change could help both families and employers by allowing low-wage workers to earn more without losing critical support systems.

History & Education

Inequality and Opportunity in America

What are the main drivers of inequality in America, and how can we increase opportunity? WashU’s Sandro Galea sits down with Stanford’s Lukas Althoff to explore the role education may have in solving these issues.

Lukas Althoff

Social Work

Is the American Dream in serious trouble?

Fewer than half of Americans, around 49%, believe that all people in this country have the ability to achieve the American Dream, according to a recent survey from the Public Religion Research Institute. Among those under age 30, it falls to 36%. This should serve as a wake-up call for all of us, says WashU’s Mark Rank.

Humanities & Society

Caste: A Global Story

Caste is a prominent feature of India’s society, but are its principles endemic to today’s global society as well? WashU’s Sandro Galea sits down with Penn scholar Suraj Yengde to discuss how a better understanding of caste can inform our efforts to address racism and injustice across the world.

Suraj Yengde

Politics

Political Polarization and the Future of Democracy

Is polarization a threat to democracy or one of its inherent features? WashU’s Sandro Galea sits down with Johns Hopkins University’s Lilliana Mason to discuss the deep divides that define today’s political landscape.

Lilliana Mason

Health & Society

Power, Knowledge, and COVID-19

Did the scientific community’s response to the pandemic fall short of the reasoned pursuit of truth? Alex Broadbent of Durham University and Pieter Streicher of the University of Johannesburg—authors of a new book on science during the COVID moment—join WashU’s Sandro Galea to discuss what is still to be learned from the pandemic.

Alex Broadbent and Pieter Streicher

Disparity

Separating fact from fiction in housing affordability and corporate investors

The rise of institutional investors in the housing market is a symptom, rather than the cause, of an extremely tight housing market and the overall housing affordability crisis, according to Carol Camp Yeakey, the Marshall S. Snow Professor of Arts & Sciences at WashU.

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