New York City Democratic mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani is dividing education advocates with his calls to axe a gifted program in schools.
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Only 14% of American Kids May Be Getting Enough Sleep
Many parents believe their children are getting plenty of sleep—but new research from Brown University suggests that notion may be far from the truth.
Viral Humanity: Lessons From COVID-19
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on American society were complex. How the pandemic impacted racial and ethnic relations, and how differently its impact was felt by people of different races/ethnicities, of different socioeconomic classes, and in different “media silos,” are much-discussed topics.
Welcome Back to the PSTC!
On Wednesday, September 24, the PSTC community gathered to commemorate the beginning of a new academic year.
The $100,000 H-1B Fee That Could Derail “Made in America”
The Trump administration just made it $100,000 harder to bring talent into the United States. From now on, employers must pay a one-time $100,000 surcharge when they file an H-1B petition—the visa program companies use to hire skilled foreign workers.
Exciting News for Brown University’s Master’s Program in Social Data Analytics
Brown's MSDA program finds a new home!
Finance Reforms to Combat Racial Inequities Often Made Them Worse, Study Finds
The study of fiscal policies in 48 states going back to 1990 left its lead author feeling “surprised and depressed.”
Unlocking Ecuador’s Migrant Paradox
With the right policies in place, Venezuelan migrants could help the Noboa administration revitalize the economy, two experts write.
International Forum on Gender Equality in the Context of Demographic Shifts
Sociologist Susan Short gave a keynote address at the International Forum on Beijing +30: Gender Equality in Great Demographic Shifts. This UN event commemorated the thirtieth anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
‘We left New Orleans, but New Orleans has not left us’
For many displaced by Hurricane Katrina, distance did not diminish their bond with the city they left behind, even as they built new lives.
20 years after Katrina, Atlanta is no longer the top haven for evacuees
A New Orleans native and hurricane survivor shares why he stayed in Georgia.
Where are they now? The people displaced by Katrina
Twenty years after hurricane Katrina, this big question remains. What happened to the million people who fled? Most never returned. And their journey reshaped the south.
Climate change is an urgent but often overlooked education policy issue
The United States is facing a dual crisis in declining educational outcomes and escalating climate impacts.
Chennai residents’ water, sanitation woes rooted in caste, class inequality: Study
CIUG project shows Chennai as a city of contrasts, outwardly modern, yet still struggling with inequities in water and sanitation.
Hurricane Katrina at 20: Here's where New Orleans evacuees landed
When thousands of New Orleans homes flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, the city lost more than half its population overnight.
Chennai tops the list of cities with households facing challenge accessing water
Chennai residents have high contact rates with councillors but the city ranks low in basic service delivery while a large number of people rely on intermediaries for service delivery, says a study
Care and Agency: The Andean Community through the Eyes of Children
Cultural Anthropologist Jessaca Leinaweaver examines the various ways that children receive, are denied, and provide care.
Sociologist Emily Rauscher Named an ASA Inaugural Policy Outreach Fellow
The American Sociological Association announced its Inaugural Policy Outreach Fellows this week, and Emily Rauscher was named one of the 10 sociologists who will meet over the next year with the aim of honing skills in communicating with the media and translating complex scientific information from sociological research into plain language for policymakers and the public.
Dr. Kevin M. Mwenda Appointed Associate Editor of Populations
MDPI is pleased to announce that Dr. Kevin M. Mwenda has been appointed Associate Editor of Populations.
Brown Professor Speaks to UK Parliament on Social and Economic Mobility
John Friedman spoke to the UK House of Lords’ Social Mobility Policy Committee recently about his research on social and economic mobility.
1 in 5 Can't Have Desired Number of Kids: UN
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.
Congratulations to our 2025 PSTC Graduates!
Celebrating the Class of 2025
A new Brown University center is exploring how climate, environment, and human health intersect
Born out of the university's Center for Children's Environmental Health, the new center is more than just a re-branding , its director explains.
A new website illuminates the history of Indigenous enslavement in New England
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.
Can green spaces make you happier?
Going outside and getting fresh air sure feels good, but does it make a measurable impact on our health?
So you want to increase your country’s birth rate? Experts say it’s tough
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.
Investing in Black Neighborhoods to Address Structural Racism’s Impact on Health
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.
These school districts are bucking the national math slump
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.
Wildfires Devastated Their Communities. Will Californians Stay Put?
Recent research about migration patterns after the most destructive wildfires may help us predict what happens next.
Brown at PAA 2025
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!
After LA fires, Latino and low-income students are hard hit by school disruptions
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.
Stephen McGarvey receives the Human Biology Association's Franz Boas Distinguished Achievement Award
The Franz Boas Distinguished Achievement Award honors members of the Association for exemplary contributions to human biology in science, scholarship, and other professional service.
Stopping Venezuela’s Exodus Hinges on Restoring Hope
The nation’s problem is still there, and appeasing Maduro will not stem the flow of migrants, two experts write.
Every Kid in America Deserves a Tutor
Here’s how to find the money to pay for it
American Lives
Steve turns to Stelios Michalopoulos for insights into the sources of meaning, happiness, and hardship in the lives of everyday Americans.
How Standardized Tests Became Part of the DEI Debate
The Trump administration’s Dear Colleague letter railed against colleges’ racial diversity initiatives. How did testing policies wind up in the mix?
Are people moving because of climate change?
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?
The Impact of Police Violence on Community Engagement and Public Trust
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.
The Sorry State of Women’s Health in the United States
“Girls, women, families, society, and the economy all pay a price for the gaps in knowledge about women’s health,” a new report says.
A Once-Trendy Car and the Emotions Behind Boycotts
Personal Perspective: Boycotts illustrate themes of behavioral economics.
Are Big Cities Really Richer?
A new study enters the debate over urban areas’ economic effects.
TN Republican Lawmakers Cast Latino Immigrants as a Racial and Linguistic Threat
Excluding undocumented immigrants from public schools today looks a lot like a racial removal program disguised as one based on immigration status.
The Value of Anthropological Demography
Daniel Jordan Smith Shares his Thoughts on the Relationship Between Anthropology and Demography
Combatting Hidden Career Penalties Against Women Who Provide Eldercare
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.
The Perils of Ignoring Racial Equity in Disaster Relief and Recovery Are Costly
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.
‘The pipelines are drying up’: Why teacher salaries are catastrophic for the profession
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.
Bigger Cities Do Not Mean Much Greater Growth
Benefits of agglomeration are “surprisingly little”, NBER paper argues.
Why Traffic Never Gets Better
In 1962, Anthony Downs wrote that there is a Fundamental Law of Highway Congestion: no matter how much road is built, the highway will end up congested again. In decades since then, the United States has undergone a massive experiment in expanding most major roads, leading to an additional conclusion: there is a Fundamental Law of Traffic Congestion impacting both highways and major roads.