Social Sciences

In new book, Emily Oster offers tips for family decision-making

August 17, 2021

The Brown economist’s third book, “The Family Firm,” gives parents of elementary school children the tools they need to make informed choices about schooling, extracurriculars and more.

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Social Sciences

Josh Bricker: Investigating whether low public defender spending explains high incarceration rates

August 12, 2021

As a summer research assistant, the rising senior is analyzing decades of data to investigate whether increasing spending on state public defender programs could lower America’s uniquely high incarceration rate.

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Social Sciences

To advance human rights, consult neuroscience

August 5, 2021

Scholars at Brown found that brain science bolsters long-held notions that people thrive when they enjoy basic human rights such as agency, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.

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Social Sciences

$3.4 million NIH grant to bolster population science at Brown

July 28, 2021

A five-year award from the National Institutes of Health will advance research at the Population Studies and Training Center, which confronts health inequities, economic divides and other major societal problems.

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Social Sciences

Education expert joins $2 million grant project to transform high school civics

July 28, 2021

An education policy expert at Brown is part of a research team that will boost high school civics lessons by connecting students directly with members of Congress.

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Social Sciences

Political ‘couples therapy’ could heal a divided America, study finds

July 1, 2021

People were less politically polarized after taking part in workshops modeled on the principles of couples therapy, showed a study conducted by a political scientist at Brown, the nonprofit Braver Angels and other researchers.

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Social Sciences

Partisanship guided Americans’ personal safety decisions early in the pandemic, study finds

June 22, 2021

Results from a new study show that many Americans remain fiercely loyal to their like-minded communities, even when their health is on the line — an important lesson for future pandemics.

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Social Sciences

Driven to create policies for a post-pandemic world, Brown’s largest-ever MPA cohort arrives

June 16, 2021

The Watson Institute’s one-year master of public affairs program saw a 58% increase in new students in 2021, due in large part to policy issues laid bare during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Social Sciences

With more two-way dialogue, school board meetings could draw more diverse audiences, study finds

May 24, 2021

A study shows that giving the public more opportunities to converse with school board leaders could increase civic engagement and lead to more public trust in officials — especially among low-income groups and people of color.

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Social Sciences

Politically polarized brains share an intolerance of uncertainty

May 13, 2021

A new study on political polarization led by a Brown University team showed how an aversion to uncertainty is often associated with black-and-white political views.

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Social Sciences

With new special collections policy, John Hay Library aims to diversify the historical canon

May 11, 2021

The John Hay Library’s new collection policy is intended to support new trends in scholarship on campus and to diversify the personal and community stories told in Brown’s archives and special collections.

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Social Sciences

‘This is the country’s karmic moment of truth,’ says author Isabel Wilkerson

April 1, 2021

In a virtual conversation at Brown, Isabel Wilkerson, author of “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” called on Americans to “defend true democracy” by resisting the divisions of the nation’s centuries-old social hierarchy.

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Social Sciences

Through independent research, students tackle pressing social issues

March 1, 2021

From Providence to Madagascar, Brown undergraduates are conducting first-hand research across disciplines to confront a wide range of social issues.

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Social Sciences

Brown sociologist investigates racial gap in treatment of students

March 1, 2021

As a 2020 William T. Grant Scholar, Brown sociologist Jayanti Owens embarks on a five-year research plan to study how race impacts teachers’ perceptions of student behavior.

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Social Sciences

Amidst unrest, CSREA leads community in crucial conversation

March 1, 2021

Brown’s Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America has carved out a critical role in dialogue and research.

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Social Sciences

U.S. cities segregated not just by where people live, but where they travel daily

February 11, 2021

An analysis of 133 million tweets found that city-dwellers stay racially segregated as they eat, drink, shop, socialize and travel each day, demonstrating even deeper segregation than previously understood.

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Social Sciences

Reimbursing hospitals for postpartum contraception prevents unintended pregnancies, study finds

February 9, 2021

Researchers found that expanding access to long-acting reversible contraception methods, such as IUDs and implants, could give adolescents more agency in choosing whether and when to become pregnant again.

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Social Sciences

Conversations on COVID: Is all pandemic news really bad news?

January 22, 2021

Molly Cook, a junior at Brown, participated in a research project that found that major American news outlets took a more negative tone in their COVID-19 coverage than international news outlets or scientific journals.

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Social Sciences

Conversations on COVID: How the pandemic could increase homelessness in 2021

December 18, 2020

Francesca Mari, a visiting lecturer at Brown, spoke about what might happen when the federal eviction moratorium ends on Jan. 31 — and why millions of disadvantaged Americans have struggled to afford urban housing for years.

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Social Sciences

Infant health inequality has increased since 2010, study finds

December 8, 2020

After decades of narrowing gaps in health between infants born to the most and least advantaged American mothers, infant health inequality is increasing, portending a rise in health and social inequity that could last for decades.

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Social Sciences

Field research has changed, and so should ethical guidelines, Brown professor says

November 24, 2020

A social scientist at Brown is calling on research institutions, leading scientific journals and national professional associations to establish new ethical standards that protect human subjects from emotional, financial and political manipulation.

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Social Sciences

Political, environmental, race scholars share presidential debate takeaways

October 23, 2020

Faculty at Brown shared their thoughts on the final televised presidential debate before the 2020 election, where the two major candidates sparred over COVID-19, climate change and racial justice.

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Social Sciences

Anti-climate action statements get more visibility in news coverage, study finds

July 27, 2020

Analysis by assistant professor of environment and society and sociology at Brown found that press releases expressing opposition to climate action were twice as likely to receive news coverage as those supporting action.

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Social Sciences

Race and politics scholar weighs in on Black Lives Matter movement’s resurgence

July 27, 2020

Juliet Hooker, a professor of political science at Brown, has long conducted research at the intersection of race and politics — work now catapulted into the spotlight as Americans increasingly consider systemic racism.

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Social Sciences

Voter protection led to steep drop in racially biased arrests in late 20th century, study finds

July 7, 2020

Using voting records and arrest data from before and after the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, a Brown economist found that increased enfranchisement led to fewer arrests for Black Americans.

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Social Sciences

Annenberg Institute to provide research-based advice for educators amid COVID-19

June 30, 2020

Project led by the Annenberg Institute and Results for America will equip educators with research briefs on addressing teaching challenges, from coping with learning loss to protecting the most vulnerable students.

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Social Sciences

Brown scholar explores rising tide of anger over economic inequality

June 22, 2020

In a talk about his new book, “Angrynomics,” Mark Blyth explained why Westerners are angry over the current economic state and suggested a fix for broken capitalist systems.

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Social Sciences

Report exposes persistent income, race gaps in college graduation, even with strong K-12 education

June 18, 2020

Researchers at Brown and Harvard found that Massachusetts children of all racial and economic backgrounds are more likely than ever before to enroll in college — but wealthy, white students are still far more likely to receive a college degree.

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Social Sciences

Conversations on COVID: How science, data can inform personal choices during the pandemic

June 3, 2020

Emily Oster, an economist and public policy expert at Brown, has partnered with medical experts, data scientists and Brown students to create a hub of helpful information about COVID-19.

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Social Sciences

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Brown economist, colleagues develop real-time economic tracker

May 7, 2020

The research team Opportunity Insights, co-directed by Professor of Economics John Friedman, developed a tool to help policymakers and nonprofits respond to rapid economic shifts during the global health crisis.

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Social Sciences

Anxiety impairs judgment in social situations, study finds

May 1, 2020

A new study by three Brown researchers found that those who report symptoms of anxiety have a harder time walking away from people who become increasingly untrustworthy.

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Social Sciences

Conversations on COVID: How to persuade loved ones to stay at home

April 30, 2020

Rob Grace, a Ph.D. student at Brown, drew from his research on humanitarian negotiation to offer advice on how to convince skeptical friends and family to protect themselves from COVID-19 via social distancing.

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Social Sciences

Choices Program offers Rhode Island teachers access to digital course content

April 28, 2020

The Choices Program at Brown is granting high school teachers in Rhode Island free access to digital editions of its classroom units, which cover topics including war, genocide and climate change.

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Social Sciences

Conversations on COVID: The future of American politics

April 2, 2020

Professor and Chair of Political Science Wendy Schiller weighed in on how COVID-19 is changing the Democratic primaries — and how the fallout could change people’s minds in November’s presidential election.

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Social Sciences

American studies scholar at Brown chronicles the lost globalism of Wendell Willkie

March 30, 2020

In his new book “The Idealist,” associate professor Samuel Zipp argues that Willkie’s World War II-era “one world” idea could help guide how the U.S. evaluates its role on the world stage.

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Social Sciences

Research team uncovers ancient Maya capital in a Mexican backyard

March 23, 2020

Researchers have been searching for Sak Tz’i’, an important city from the ancient Maya civilization, since 1994; thanks in part to Brown anthropologists, they now have physical evidence that it existed.

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Social Sciences

Big data could yield big discoveries in archaeology, Brown scholar says

February 25, 2020

Parker VanValkenburgh, an assistant professor of anthropology, curated a journal issue that explores the opportunities and challenges big data could bring to the field of archaeology.

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Social Sciences

Students from middle-class families underrepresented at selective colleges, study finds

February 14, 2020

Opportunity Insights, co-directed by Brown Professor of Economics John Friedman, found that students from high-income backgrounds were significantly more likely to attend selective colleges than their lower-income peers.

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Social Sciences

U.S. is polarizing faster than other democracies, study finds

January 21, 2020

Americans’ feelings toward members of the other political party have worsened over time faster than those of residents of European and other prominent democracies, concluded a study co-authored by Brown economist Jesse Shapiro.

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Social Sciences

Climate change legislation, media coverage drives ad spending by oil companies, study finds

December 17, 2019

An analysis led by an Institute at Brown for Environment and Society visiting professor found that oil companies ramp up advertising campaigns when they face negative media coverage or new regulations.

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Social Sciences

Poll reveals generational, political divides over economic outlook

December 2, 2019

Asked whether the economy is doing well, Americans do not see eye to eye, according to a new poll from Brown’s Taubman Center — they do agree that the government cannot be trusted and that school safety is under threat.

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Social Sciences

The cost of the global war on terror: $6.4 trillion and 801,000 lives

November 13, 2019

Two reports released by the Costs of War project, based at Brown, provide a comprehensive estimate of the financial and human cost of America’s post-9/11 wars.

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Social Sciences

Are men animals? In new book, a Brown anthropologist investigates

November 12, 2019

Matthew Gutmann’s book “Are Men Animals?”, out on Tuesday, Nov. 12, traces the origins of the claim that “boys will be boys” — and refutes it.

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Social Sciences

At Brown, evolution and expansion for Native American and indigenous studies

October 10, 2019

Building on a decades-long legacy of research, teaching and community partnerships, scholars at Brown are taking steps toward an undergraduate concentration in Native American and indigenous studies.

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Social Sciences

From scholars at the Watson Institute and beyond, podcasts for the people

September 19, 2019

Increasingly, scholars at Brown are turning to podcasts to shed light on a broad spectrum of the groundbreaking research and original ideas emanating from College Hill.

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Social Sciences

City’s self-guided Jewelry District tour highlights student research into long-lost history

September 10, 2019

A free self-guided tour of the Providence neighborhood, created thanks to a partnership between a Brown professor, the city and the Jewelry District Association, features original research conducted by undergraduate students.

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Social Sciences

Using data to spark creativity

August 22, 2019

In a summer internship at the Swedish advertising firm NORD DDB, rising junior Harshita Agarwal unearthed surprising insights that revealed decision-making patterns and biases among Swedes.

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Social Sciences

Translating philosophy into political action in Chile

August 1, 2019

One semester after Bleeding Heart Libertarianism, four Brown students are working with political scientist John Tomasi to make connections between political philosophy and conditions on the ground in Chile.

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Social Sciences

Teacher treatment of students factors into racial gap in school suspensions

July 18, 2019

An analysis led by Brown sociologist Jayanti Owens found that different treatment of black and white students accounted for half of the racial gap in school suspensions and expulsions among 5- to 9-year-old children.

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Social Sciences

Highlighting Brown’s distinction in international and public affairs

July 18, 2019

Brown’s scholars in international and public affairs are addressing inequality, convening conversations that move the needle on tough issues and connecting students with practitioners on the ground.

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Social Sciences

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