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The Social Policy Institute at Washington University in St. Louis is a university-wide initiative dedicated to addressing pressing social issues through transdisciplinary empirical research, dissemination of evidence-informed policy and training. This is a monthly update of our current research, news and events.

 
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A Message from the Director


As we are opening a new year, we are also experiencing the tragedy of Wednesday's violence at the U.S. Capitol. It was a sad day in the nation’s history and highlights the ever-widening divisions within the country.

Despite the shocking and unprecedented moment in American history, Congressional leaders were undeterred and fulfilled their constitutional duty. As our elected officials and community leaders aim to address the political divide, the Social Policy Institute is also ready to double down on its efforts in reducing disparities in the areas of financial security, health, education and housing through evidence-informed policy and practice.

Although the world is slowly beginning to recover from the coronavirus pandemic, we have a long ways to go to advance health and economic equity for the most vulnerable people in our communities. In 2020, long-existing racial, class and gender disparities were exacerbated. Compared to white households, Black individuals were more likely to contract the virus; Hispanic households were more likely to lose their housing; and families with children were unemployed at higher rates than those without—among other alarming statistics. The virus did not create these disparities, nor did the virus target certain people. Instead, the virus widely and publicly exposed deep and unacceptable inequalities and the consequences of structural racism, discrimination and bad policies.

In March, as the enormity of the pandemic became clear, our team quickly adapted to focus its efforts on a robust, evidence-based response to seek understanding of the pandemic’s impact in the moment and, more importantly, over time. Quickly, we launched the multi-wave Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey in the United States and Israel. The surveys have informed blog posts, editorials, international (virtual) presentations, research reports and academic papers—all of which demonstrate the unequal social and economic devastation caused by the virus. These findings have also provided evidence for important policy conversations at local, national and global levels. This is how change happens.

Understanding the history and current impact of discrimination and exclusion is critical to the recovery and future of our communities, including healing political divides. The Social Policy Institute is committed to collaborating with incredible community, academic, corporate, nonprofit and civic partners to identify, test and implement promising solutions. We believe change is not only possible, it is necessary.

Thank you for your partnership this year and always. We look forward to continuing our progress together in 2021.

In partnership and with appreciation,

Michal Grinstein-Weiss
Director, Social Policy Institute

Housing inequality gets worse as the COVID-19 pandemic is prolonged

Though a second stimulus bill was signed into law at the end of 2020 with some relief for homeowners and renters, evidence from the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey indicates that it will not be enough; without fundamental long-term solutions (e.g., a universal housing voucher), the bill will be another band-aid remedy for the inevitable housing crisis during and after the pandemic.

A recent blog post published by SPI researchers with Brookings Institution demonstrates that the impact of COVID-19 on homeowners not only still exists, but it has also significantly worsened since May, especially among Black and Hispanic households and young adults.
Read the Blog Post

School breakfast matters for Missouri students

Child nutrition programs are essential to ending hunger and supporting children’s health, learning and development. One important yet underutilized program is the School Breakfast Program (SBP). Operation Food Search teamed up with the Social Policy Institute for a multi-year research project analyzing Missouri’s school breakfast data.

Sarah Ritter, manager of public policy, Operation Food Search, highlights key findings in a guest blog post for SPI. For example, though breakfast participation increased by a modest 1.1% compared to the previous year, only about half of all possible free and reduced-priced breakfasts were served.

Read Key Findings

SPI Updates & News

Kids, Families and COVID-19
The Annie E. Casey Foundation published a report identifying pandemic pain points from COVID-19 as it relates to kids and families. Data related to child care and working families from the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey was featured in the report. 

7 Tips to mitigate hoarding behavior
Mary Acri, research associate professor at SPI, offers seven tips to mitigate hoarding behavior during a pandemic.


As temperature drops and virus cases climb, groups file for new Missouri utility disconnection moratorium
SPI Inclusive Growth Advisory Committee member, Jackie Hutchinson, was recently interviewed about an effort with Empower Missouri to invoke a statewide utility disconnection moratorium that would help keep residents housed during the winter months of the pandemic.

Guest opinion: How to help your employees avoid the perils of payday loans
St. Louis Business Journal highlighted an SPI study of installment loan arrangement products that help employees to pull through financial emergencies with reasonable alternatives to the high-cost payday loans.

Moderna Monday – Another vaccine lifts the markets – again
TheStreet cited Social Policy Institute findings from Wave 1 of the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey, including how liquid assets may influence the likelihood of an individual's ability to practice social distancing.  

Operation Food Search expands study of food for health benefits

St. Louis Business Journal featured a new research partnership between SPI, Operation Food Search(OFS), and Medicaid Health Plan. The study aims to determine the effect of Medicaid in promoting food security among pregnant women. 
 
Uber made big promises in Kenya. Drivers say it's ruined their lives.
NBC News cited research conducted by Michal Grinstein-Weiss, director of SPI, and Kaitlin Daniels, faculty affiliate, to demonstrate the impact of the gig economy on financial hardship among low-income families. 

The human costs of the pandemic: Is it time to prioritize well-being?

An essay by SPI faculty affiliate, Carol Graham, at Brookings Institute raises the importance of health and well-being in sustaining economies and societies. 

Working women with children in Israel hit hardest by pandemic
Michal Grinstein-Weiss, director of SPI, was interviewed for a story in The Marker, the leading economic publication in Israel, about COVID-19 related job loss and the mental well-being of working mothers in Israel. Results from the Socioeconomic Impacts of COVID-19 Survey related to working women in Israel were also featured in a BloombergHaaretz and a radio interview (recorded in Hebrew).

In Israel, households with children are struggling during the COVID-19 pandemic
Research assistant for SPI, Jessica McKay, wrote a blog post for SPI highlighting evidence that Israeli families with children, especially single-households with children, will likely bear the greater burden of financial distress from COVID-19.
 
Bradley Hardy awarded grant from WorkRise Initiative
Faculty affiliate, Bradley Hardy, was recently awarded a 2020 grant from Urban Institute’s WorkRise Initiative for his project, Cash and Near-Cash Safety Net Programs and Labor Market Outcomes. His project was one of nine selected out of 343 applications.

SPI Publications & Research

 
Journal Publications:
  • Case managers, HIV-positive youth, and a text messaging intervention: “That care just didn’t happen before" | Journal of the Society for Social Work and Research | Read Now
  • Ideal cardiovascular health in racially and ethnically diverse people with serious mental illness | Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved Read Now
  • Organization leaders’ decisions to sustain a peer-led healthy lifestyle intervention for people with serious mental illness in supportive housing | Translational Behavioral Medicine  Read Now 
  • Disengagement From Early Intervention Services for Psychosis: A Systematic Review | Psychiatric Services Read Now
  • Happiness and Aging in the United States | National Bureau of Economic Research Read Now
Working Papers:
  • Racial and ethnic disparities in housing instability during the COVID-19 pandemicRead Now
  • Who relocates, where do they move, and why?Read Now
  • COVID-19 educational inequities: Shining a light on disparities in a graduate school of social work | Read Now
Special Issue:
  • Sarah Moreland-Russell, faculty affiliate, is a guest editor for the Special Issue of International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health titled, Public Health and Social Policy Formulation and Implementation during Public Health Crises. Send Sarah a message at smoreland-russel@wustl.edu  to learn more or submit a proposal. 

Mark Your Calendar

  • 12 p.m. CT on Wednesday, January 13, 2021: St. Louis’ Cortex Innovation Community as a model for inclusive economic development features two members of the Inclusive Growth Advisory Committee as both moderator and panelist. Register here.
  • 12:00 to 2:00 p.m. (CT) on Wednesday, Feb.10 to Thursday, Feb.11, 2021: Creating Inclusive Access to Education, Training & Technology takes place over two days and will focus on expanding meaningful and equitable opportunities for youth, women and people of color to develop skills that meet the needs and flexibility of a changing workforce and increases representation in high-income, quality jobs, such as those in the STEM industry. Register here.

Past Events

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