Highlights of 2011 - Institute for Policy Research - Northwestern ...

Message from the Director
Our Relevance and Expertise
For more than four decades, IPR has stayed its path as a
research institute devoted to policy-relevant research. We
believe that the problems that confront America should not
be viewed through the lens of just one discipline but are better
viewed from bridges that cross multiple disciplines. This is why
we promote an interdisciplinary approach to research, and
why we take particular care to support projects such as the
MacArthur Network on How Housing Matters for Children
and Families, chaired by social psychologist Thomas D. Cook,
that brings together economists, psychologists, sociologists, and
developmental specialists (see p. 19).
As researchers, we also take up topics that serve to inform
current policy debates. These include research on energy
policy, food stamps, segregation and poverty concentration,
school vouchers and higher education, biological effects of
stress, and psychological manifestations of race, to name a few
(see pp. 12–57).
We believe that our interdisciplinary approach coupled with our
reputation for conducting high-quality, methodologically strong
research has led to a long-standing and solid track record of
support—in an incredibly competitive funding environment—
from state and federal governments and some of our nation’s
most esteemed foundations. In all, 60 IPR research projects
were supported by funders in 2011 (see pp. 78–79).
Perhaps most important, we feel that our expertise is meant to
be shared. We ran four faculty-led training workshops in 2011,
three on methodology for education experiments and another
on how to use biomarkers in field research (see pp. 20, 49). We
also offer graduate research assistantships that allow some of our
most promising graduate students to work with IPR faculty on a
wide variety of research projects. In addition, we organized the
14th year of our Summer Undergraduate Research Assistants
Program for 23 students, which introduced them to the inner
workings of social science research (see pp. 76–77).
Our Dissemination
No public policy institute, however, can make its mark without
connecting with the policymaking community and the public.
This is why the Institute spends a considerable amount of effort
in disseminating its faculty’s findings through its website, publications,
social media, working papers, and of course, events such
as conferences, policy research briefings, panels, and colloquia.
Over 2011, we held 54 colloquia and events, approximately onefourth
of which were co-sponsored with other departments and
schools within Northwestern. Two of our biggest events of the
year were attended not only by academics, but also by students
and the wider public. Our policy research briefing brought
together more than 120 academics, students, policymakers, and
others to examine how environments affect the lifecourse from
the earliest developmental stages to adult achievement and
cross-national mortality with IPR developmental psychologist
Lauren Wakschlag, IPR economist Jonathan Guryan, and MIT
economist Michael Greenstone. IPR’s 2011 Distinguished Public
Policy Lecture with then-U.S. Census Bureau Director Robert
Groves gave more than 100 participants the opportunity to
hear him address the differences in dealing with statistics as an
academic and as the nation’s chief statistician.
Our Future
In August 2012, I am stepping down as director after 16 years
of leading IPR, to continue on with my teaching and research
as an IPR fellow. My mantra while I have been at IPR has always
been “onward and upward.” While leading such an exciting and
demanding research enterprise, in particular one that crosses
multiple disciplines, is never an easy task, I have treasured my
time as IPR’s director. Nonetheless, I could not be happier
to leave IPR in the extremely capable hands of my brilliant
friend and colleague, education economist David Figlio. I have
no doubt that he will surpass me in every way in leading IPR
“onward and upward.”
IPR MISSION AND SNAPSHOT
“The mission of the Institute for Policy
Research is to stimulate and support
excellent social science research
on significant public policy issues and
to disseminate the findings widely—to
students, scholars, policymakers,
and the public.”
• 38 Faculty Fellows
• 74 Faculty Associates
• 8 Postdoctoral Fellows
• 34 Graduate Research Assistants
• 25 Undergraduate Research Assistants
• 60 Active Grants in 2011
3