John Friedman spoke to the UK House of Lords’ Social Mobility Policy Committee recently about his research on social and economic mobility.

Despite declining fertility rates -- now below the replacement level of 2.1 children per woman in more than half of all countries -- the desire for parenthood remains strong.

Last month 31 men at Bluebonnet Detention Center in Anson, Texas, positioned their bodies in the shape of the letters “SOS,” a cry for help, as journalists flew overhead. Much has been written about the state of deportations under the Trump administration and the flouting of the Supreme Court’s orders, as well as the court’s temporary blocking of removals of Venezuelan migrants to a notorious prison complex in El Salvador. However, less has been said about how human rights violations are pervasive at detention centers all over the United States, including Bluebonnet.

Celebrating the Class of 2025

Brown University history professor Mack Scott grew up Indigenous in Rhode Island. He moved to the Narragansett reservation in Charlestown in middle school, where he was steeped in his culture. But prior to that he lived in Providence, where he said this identity was less present in his own life.

Going outside and getting fresh air sure feels good, but does it make a measurable impact on our health?

For years, people concerned about falling birth rates have warned of the economic consequences of population decline. When a country falls below replacement-level fertility, its aging population will surpass the new, younger generation, shrinking the labor force and straining the national economy with increased costs of elder care, retirement benefits and medical services.

From 1922 to 1923, over 1.2 million Greek Orthodox migrated from Anatolia to Greece. This column examines whether the human capital decisions of refugees differ from natives, and how they continue to impact the Greek economy today.

Sociologist and Demographer Courtney Boen is on a team developing a multi-level intervention strategy for Black neighborhoods in Philadelphia, in order to reduce health inequities perpetuated by structural racism.

In early February, seventh grade math teacher Jamie Gallimore tried something new: She watched herself teach class. The idea had come from Ed Baker, district math coach at Tennessee’s Weakley County Schools. Baker set up an iPad on a cabinet in Gallimore’s classroom at Martin Middle School and hit record.

Recent research about migration patterns after the most destructive wildfires may help us predict what happens next.

Every year Brown faculty, postdocs, and trainees present scholarly research papers and/or professional posters at the Annual Meeting of the Population Association of America. In addition, several researchers participate in the conference as chairs, panelists, or discussants. The PSTC compiles an annual list of these participants. Please consider attending sessions of our colleagues and students!

When catastrophic floods, fires, and hurricanes upend communities, the path of destruction they take may be random but the pain and suffering they cause is not.

The nation’s problem is still there, and appeasing Maduro will not stem the flow of migrants, two experts write.

Here’s how to find the money to pay for it

Steve turns to Stelios Michalopoulos for insights into the sources of meaning, happiness, and hardship in the lives of everyday Americans.

The Trump administration’s Dear Colleague letter railed against colleges’ racial diversity initiatives. How did testing policies wind up in the mix?

We hear a lot about climate migration—the idea that people will have to move as climate change makes some places unlivable. But is this something we’re still waiting for, or is it already happening?

Economist Jesse Bruhn utilizes statistical methodologies to investigate how high-profile incidents of police brutality impact a community’s willingness to report incidents and cooperate with police departments.

“Girls, women, families, society, and the economy all pay a price for the gaps in knowledge about women’s health,” a new report says.

Personal Perspective: Boycotts illustrate themes of behavioral economics.

A new study enters the debate over urban areas’ economic effects.

Excluding undocumented immigrants from public schools today looks a lot like a racial removal program disguised as one based on immigration status.

Daniel Jordan Smith Shares his Thoughts on the Relationship Between Anthropology and Demography

More workers than ever before are caring for aging parents during the peak of their own careers. But most workplaces have not kept up with the challenges that employees are facing as the American workforce is getting older, people are living longer, and the costs of eldercare are skyrocketing.

One important job of the federal government is to distribute billions of dollars to address the impacts of climate and other disasters. This function will be even more important with new executive orders that promote fossil fuels and end policies that reduce heat trapping emissions to limit the impacts of climate change.

Though salaries vary widely across districts and experience levels, salaries for young teachers tend to be particularly low, meaning that even highly educated people — with considerable subject knowledge and, often, sizable student loans — have to spend years working their way up the pay scale.

Benefits of agglomeration are “surprisingly little”, NBER paper argues.