News Archive

May 17, 2019 The New York Times

SAT Adversity Index: A Drive Toward Diversity Without Discussing Race

Associate Professor John Friedman comments on the SAT test's new adversity rating, saying "For each extra year you spend in a good environment, you do a little better. It’s very powerful when somebody overcomes that."

April 25, 2019 The New York Times

The Data All Guilt-Ridden Parents Need

Economics Professor Emily Oster critically discusses popular data regarding parenting choices and their effects on children in this New York Times Op-Ed.

April 23, 2019 WWMT

Michigan names 3 people to serve on panel to recommend PFAS standards for drinking water

Professor David Savitz was one of three scientists selected to serve on a Michigan panel that will enforce drinking water standards for the state.

April 23, 2019 The Atlantic

College-Admissions Hysteria Is Not the Norm

Research conducted by Associate Professor John Friedman was cited in an article commenting on the American college admissions process.

April 20, 2019 World Economic Forum

Evolution and economics: How natural selection helped kick start industrialisation

Brown Economics Professor Oded Galor and PSTC Visiting Scholar Marc Klemp discuss their work relating genealogical records to economic growth.

April 7, 2019 New York Times

Congestion Pricing: N.Y. Embraced It. Will Other Clogged Cities Follow?

Brown Economics Professor Matthew Turner provides insight on congestion pricing.

February 26, 2019 CSCC Podcasts

Gender Inequality in China

PSTC Postdoc Yun Zhou discusses gender inequality in China, particularly the implications of the one-child policy and its repeal.

February 14, 2019 The Guardian

Weedkiller 'raises risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma by 41%'

PSTC epidemiologist David Savitz comments on a new study on the cancer-causing potential of glyphosate herbicides.

February 13, 2019 City Journal

Barriers to Black Progress

PSTC economist Glenn Loury discusses the persistence of racial inequality in the U.S. with Jason Riley at a Manhattan Institute event.

February 13, 2019 NPR

A High-Crime Neighborhood Makes It Harder To Show Up For School

"Kids who are supposed to be walking along streets with higher rates of violent crime are more likely to miss school," says Julia Burdick-Will, sociologist at Johns Hopkins University and a former PSTC postdoc.

February 12, 2019 New York Times

The Biggest Economic Divides Aren’t Regional. They’re Local. (Just Ask Parents.)

The NYT cites research by PSTC economist John Friedman, noting neighborhoods explain "most of the geographic variation in upward mobility."

February 1, 2019 The Good Men Project

Overcrowded Prisons – Nightmare Nests

Article cites study by PSTC economist Anna Aizer that finds youth who are imprisoned are less likely to finish school, more likely to offend again.

January 31, 2019 C-SPAN

State and Local Policymaking, Panel 1

PSTC economist Justine Hastings participated in a Brookings Institute forum on evidence-based policymaking.

January 29, 2019 M Live

Trump administration won’t set legal limit for PFAS in drinking water, report says

EPA advisory limit for PFAS "may not provide a sufficient margin of safety" for drinking water, says PSTC epidemiologist David Savitz.

January 28, 2019 News from PSTC

GIS and improving maternal health

GIS Institute participants present research with a GIS perspective.

January 28, 2019 WUSA9

'I offer myself': Vets urge committee to take serious look at anti-malaria drugs

A committee chaired by PSTC epidemiologist David Savitz heard from veterans Monday about the health effects of antimalarial drugs.

January 16, 2019 Panama City News Herald

Churning, yes, but no exodus

PSTC demographer Elizabeth Fussell notes population "churning" following hurricane in Florida.

January 11, 2019 Fortune

Migrants Are Healthier and Make Everyone Wealthier, Says Report

Migrants may live longer and contribute more taxes, says a report co-authored by PSTC sociologist Michael J. White.

January 10, 2019 News from Brown

Highlighting Brown’s distinction in economics

PSTC economists noted for their use of data in economics research.

January 10, 2019 Fox Providence

Executive Suite 1/10/2019: Shawmut; Opportunity Atlas

PSTC economist John Friedman discusses with WPRI's Ted Nesi the interactive mapping tool he co-created.

January 9, 2019 Education Week

The 2019 RHSU Edu-Scholar Public Influence Rankings

PSTC educators Matthew Kraft and John Papay ranked among those "who did the most last year to shape educational practice and policy."

January 7, 2019 WUSA9

National Academies to study long-term psychiatric effects of antimalarial drugs

PSTC epidemiologist David Savitz named chair of committee to study possible long-term health effects of antimalarial drugs used by U.S. military.

January 4, 2019 Pew: After the Fact Podcast

The American Dream: Does Your Zip Code Determine Your Destiny?

PSTC economist John Friedman discusses how the opportunity to move up the economic ladder depends a lot on where you live.

December 22, 2018 Vox, CEPR Policy Portal

Why children of teen mothers do worse in life

PSTC economist Anna Aizer writes about the role fathers play in teenage childbearing and the importance of policies that consider not only mothers.

December 16, 2018 Wired Japan

The root of economic disparity is attributed to East Africa ten thousands of years ago

Wired Japan features PSTC economist Oded Galor's unified growth theory as a "Break Through & Mind Changing Idea."

December 14, 2018 News from PSTC

Fussell awarded NIH grant to address long-term effects of Katrina

The PSTC's Elizabeth Fussell to create data sets to examine outcomes in decade following hurricane.

December 13, 2018 The Red & Black

Lines in the sand: Database shows how future opportunity depends on quality of homebase

Research by PSTC economist John Friedman and his colleagues show that future opportunities depend on family and neighborhood characteristics.

December 10, 2018 Education Next

The Top 20 Education Next Articles of 2018

Research on teacher coaching by the PSTC's Matthew Kraft is named among top Education Next articles for the year.

December 10, 2018 Medium

The Complicated Truth About C-sections

PSTC economist Emily Oster writes about c-sections and their effects on child and maternal health.

December 10, 2018 Winnipeg Free Press

Peru's child-welfare warning

PSTC anthropologist Jessaca Leinaweaver writes about poverty and child services custody cases.

November 30, 2018 News from PSTC

Former PSTC director named AAAS fellow

John Casterline elected for prestigious honor for his contributions to the field of social demography.

November 27, 2018 The New Times

Cultural diversity and economic growth in Africa

The interplay between cultural assimilation and cultural diffusion plays an important role in economic development, says research by Oded Galor.

November 27, 2018 Pacific Standard

How a Volatile Climate Shapes the Way People Think

Research by Oded Galor finds people facing major climactic turbulence take greater risks than those who enjoy relative ecological stability.

November 26, 2018 News from PSTC

PSTC awards faculty seed funds

Four faculty associates receive funding for projects on housing and health, adolescent life, racial disparities and household strategies.

November 21, 2018 News from PSTC

Migrant illegality symposium examines undocumented experience

Kevin Escudero and Andrea Flores coordinate event to address the importance of place in immigrant activism.

November 19, 2018 Providence Journal

Brown’s mindfulness center combines ‘strong, strong research’ and traditional practices

PSTC epidemiologist Eric Loucks leads interdisciplinary center that aims to combine outstanding research with practice.

November 19, 2018 News from PSTC

New junior faculty join PSTC community

Four new faculty members drawn by Center's interdisciplinary nature and more.

November 19, 2018 KJRH

Does your zip code determine your destiny?

Research by PSTC economist John Friedman shows the difference a zip code can make in determining someone's chances of rising out poverty.

November 15, 2018 Fast Company

How “Ban the Box” has helped (and hurt) the job prospects of people with criminal records

PSTC visiting scholar and economist Terry-Ann Craigie notes the overall positive effect the Ban the Box policies have had on employment for people with criminal records.

November 12, 2018 Slate

Should Pregnant Women Take Anti-Anxiety Medication? Some Have No Choice.

Economist Emily Oster weighs in on balancing the potential effects of medication with maternal mental health.

November 8, 2018 News from PSTC

Partner selection in marriage and re-marriage

Sociologist Zhenchao Qian finds previously married individuals often face demographic shortages in the supply of potential partners.

November 7, 2018 News from PSTC

Study evaluates effect of SNAP on household expenditures

Economists Justine Hastings and Jesse Shapiro find SNAP benefits do indeed lead to increased household spending on food.

November 6, 2018 News from PSTC

Smith examines entrepreneurialism, infrastructure, and the state in Nigeria

PSTC anthropologist finds Nigerian households develop cultural strategies to cope with infrastructural deficiencies.

October 29, 2018 News from PSTC

Grant Writing Workshop supports faculty proposals

PSTC workshop provides mentoring to earlier-career faculty for proposal development.

October 18, 2018 AP News

Job growth is found to be no cure for a community’s poverty

Economic mobility often hinges on factors such as race, neighborhood demographics and housing prices, not job growth, says research by John Friedman.

October 16, 2018 MarketWatch

Why the deck is stacked against fathers in teen pregnancies—and their children

A new study by economist Anna Aizer examines fathers in teen pregnancies, noting they have lower levels of human capital and earnings.

October 12, 2018 News from PSTC

Speculative property purchases spur Detroit neighborhood decline

PSTC Postdoc Eric Seymour examines the post-crisis housing markets and worsening housing security.

October 11, 2018 Providence Journal

Health disparities in R.I.: Wellness tied to race, income, education and ZIP code

The Opportunity Altas, published by economist John Friedman and colleagues, shows areas in RI that confirm the correlation between race and income.

October 5, 2018 GeekWire

Gates Foundation announces $15M commitment to map neighborhoods that help kids out of poverty

The Gates Foundation commits $15M to Opportunity Insights, co-directed by economist John Friedman.

October 4, 2018 News from PSTC

PSTC awarded $1.5 million NICHD training grant

Funding supports postdoctoral and predoctoral trainees in population studies.

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