Scholars have long debated the role of transportation infrastructure in shaping sustainable societies by influencing environmental impacts. In a recent paper, CSDE Affiliate Dafeng Xu (Evans School) examines how road upgrades affect household waste management, a relatively understudied environmental issue, particularly in the Global South. Using census and health survey data from Benin, Xu applies difference-in-differences regression models to compare waste disposal practices in areas with and without road improvements from a major road project launched in 2011. Study findings reveal that the project significantly increased sustainable, service-based waste collection in historically less developed communities involved in the upgrade. Read the full paper here.
*New* ASA Law and Justice Committee Webinar on Criminal Justice Data (3/13/25)
Brown Quoted in New York Times Article on the Value of USAID Global Health Research
CSDE Affiliate Win Brown was recently quoted in a New York Times article covering the U.S. government’s decision to halt funding for the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) Program. Brown emphasized the severe impact of this funding cut, warning that it will hinder evidence-based policy decisions and international health progress. Dr. Brown’s perspective highlights the DHS Program’s role in guiding interventions and ensuring accountability in global health efforts. Read the full article here.
*New* Applications Accepted for IIASA Summer School for Systems Modeling (3/13/25)
*New* National Academies Climate Conversations, Reports and Research On Urban Fires
In recent weeks, the National Academies of Science, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) shared several resources related to urban wildfires. A NASEM Climate Conversation on urban fires addresses climatic and societal factors contributing to an increased risk of urban fires, effects on public health and human systems, as well as ways individuals and communities can prepare for and move forward in the aftermath of these disasters. Several valuable resources were also shared and can be found below.
Workshop Proceedings: The Social-Ecological Consequences of Future Wildfire and Smoke in the West
Workshop held June 2024
Report Interactive: The Chemistry of Fires at the Wildland-Urban Interface
Report published September 2022
Workshop Proceedings: Wildland Fires: Toward Improved Understanding and Forecasting of Air Quality Impacts
Workshop held September 2020
Report Interactive: Why and When is Respiratory Protection Needed?
Report published February 2022
Workshop Proceedings: Indoor Exposure to Fine Particulate Matter and Practical Mitigation Approaches
Workshop held April 2021
Workshop Proceedings: Implications of the California Wildfires for Health, Communities, and Preparedness
Workshop held June 2019
*New* IPUMS Announces New Data and Data Access Features
IPUMS recently announced updates to multiple data sources including IPUMS International, IPUMS USA, International Historical Geographic Information System (IHGIS) boundary files and new supplement data for the Current Population Survey (CPS). Learn more about these and other updates – and where to catch IPUMS staff at upcoming conference – by clicking this link.
IAPHS Conference Call for Abstract Submissions (3/11/25)
The Interdisciplinary Association for Population Health Science (IAPHS) recently announced their call for abstract submissions for the 2025 Annual Meeting. The meeting theme will be “Community Engagement in Population Health Science” in recognition that solutions to health inequities and our greatest population health challenges aren’t found in the lab or a dataset, but rather within communities themselves. Learn more and submit your proposed abstract here.
RSF Letters of Inquiry (Due 3/11/25)
The Russell Sage Foundation (RSF) will accept letters of inquiry under the core programs for Behavioral Science and Decision Making in Context and Race, Ethnicity, and Immigration. The foundation will also accept LOIs for the special initiatives Immigration and Immigrant Integration and Promoting Educational Attainment and Economic Mobility among Racially, Ethnically, and Economically Diverse Groups after the 2023 Supreme Court Decision to Ban Race-Conscious Admissions at Colleges and Universities.
LOIs must include specific information about the proposed data and research design. After peer review, about 15 percent of those who submit an LOI will receive an invitation to submit a full proposal. The deadline is 2PM ET, March 11, 2025. Successful proposals from this round can have a start date on or after January 1, 2026. Learn more here.
Apply for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Scholars Program (3/11/25)
The RWJF Health Policy Research Scholars is a leadership development program for full-time doctoral students from historically marginalized backgrounds who can connect how their background, identity, or lived experiences have positioned them to contribute to the goals of the program, including bringing unique and diverse perspectives to their research. In 2025, HPRS is selecting up to 40 doctoral students who are beginning their second year in fall 2025 in a full-time doctoral program and do not expect to graduate before spring/summer 2028. Learn more and apply here.
*New* CSSS Seminar on the “Political Economy of the Ordinal Society” (3/12/25)
Today, the personal data we give in exchange for convenient tools like Gmail and Instagram provides the raw material for predictions about everything from our purchasing power to our character. Fueled by digital technologies, the infrastructure of the internet, and the rapid expansion of computer processing power, scores and metrics pervade our lives — streamlining and automating processes of communication, risk prediction, resource allocation, transaction, labor control and decision-making. In this talk, Marion Fourcade (Professor of Sociology, UC Berkeley) will discuss her work with Kieran Healy that argues that the disaggregation of social activities into data streams transforms the process of capital accumulation and facilitates a deeper integration of financial logics into everyday life. It also sustains the rise of insidious forms of social competition, moral judgment, and inequality. See below for details on how to attend.
LOCATION:
Zoom Link: https://washington.zoom.us/j/91889204671
Dial In: +1 206 337 9723 (US)
One tap mobile: +12063379723,,91889204671# (US)
Meeting ID: 918 8920 4671
Questions?
csss@uw.edu
https://csss.uw.edu/