Scholars and policymakers disagree about the causes of the dramatic racial inequalities in child welfare system outcomes such as child protection (CPS) investigations and child maltreatment. In a recent essay in the Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, CSDE External Affiliate Frank Edwards (Rutgers University) attempts to bridge the divide and argues that researchers and practitioners should emphasize analytical approaches that recognize the complex impacts of structural racism. Read the essay here.
Postdoctoral Associate, Rural Health Equity – University of Minnesota (3/21/25)
Anderson and Colleagues Articulate the Benefits of Minimum Quality Standards in Public Health
The minimum quality standards (MQSs) for milk adopted by most major American cities around the turn of the 20th century present a valuable case study in public health history. In a recent article, CSDE External Affiliate D. Mark Anderson (Montana State University) and colleagues present the results of a study that estimates the effect of milk inspectors, who were tasked with enforcing MQSs, on deaths due to diarrhea and typhoid. Read the full study here.
NSF SBE Dear Colleague Letter Encourages Research on the Science of Bias, Prejudice and Discrimination
Ohio Population Consortium Announces Webinar on Fertility Goals (3/24/25)
Over the course of the twentieth century, fertility intentions, desires, preferences, and attitudes (fertility “goals”) became key constructs for demographic research on fertility. The increasing focus in the past two decades on reproductive autonomy and reproductive justice highlights women’s (and occasionally men’s) own desires and preferences as the foundational concern for policy and programmatic activity. An upcoming webinar sponsored by the Ohio Population Consortium seek to explore the ways fertility goals have been defined and measured; how they have been used in scientific research and in policy applications; the challenges and limitations of these constructs, both theoretical and empirical; what we learn by analyzing fertility goals; and what is missed by centering individual fertility goals.
What Fertility Goals Tell Us about Fertility Trends
Monday, 24 March 2025 from 16:00 to 17:30 Universal Time (Noon–1:30 pm, EST / 17:00–18:30 CET)
- Éva Beaujouan and Shalini Singh, Department of Demography, University of Vienna
- Karen Benjamin Guzzo, Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill
- Francis Obare Onyango, Population Council
NSF Dear Colleague Letter on Funding Opportunities for Science and Engineering Research with Impact on Women’s Health
Sloan Foundation Issues Call for Letters of Inquiry (3/25/25)
The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation’s Energy and Environment program has a call for Letters of Inquiry related to Interdisciplinary Social Science Research on Energy System Interactions in the United States. This call seeks research projects led by early- and mid-career scholars that analyze the systemic interactions and connections associated with the transition to a low-carbon economy in the United States. The call encourages the submission of research project ideas that examine the links and implications between different components of the energy system and how they relate to other aspects of the economy. It is expected that 4-6 grants will be awarded from the Call, and grant amounts are expected to be between $500,000 and $1,000,000 over a 2-4 year period, with start dates of December 1, 2025. Submissions are due on Tuesday, March 25, 2025, at 5:00pm ET.
*New* Postdoctoral Fellowship, Irsay Institute – University of Indiana (3/20/25)
CSDE Population Research Planning Grants (PRPGs) (Rolling deadline)
Heat Measurement Webinar from the Center for Aging, Climate, & Health (3/19/25)
The March seminar from the Center for Aging, Climate, & Health (CACHE) will discuss heat measures for aging and demographic research. It will address the properties and pertinence of using mean and extreme temperature measures, as well as using combined indicators of heat (temperature, humidity, radiation, or ventilation) and their adjustments by age. To illustrate these constructs, results and data integration strategies from two demonstration projects will be presented. Learn more and register here.