Russell Sage Foundation’s Social, Political and Economic Inequality Program (US)

The program also delves into the extent to which those inequalities affect social, political, psychological, and economic outcomes, including educational and labor market opportunities and consequences, social and economic mobility within and across generations, and civic participation and representation.

They seek innovative investigator-initiated research that will expand their understanding of social, political, and economic inequalities and the mechanisms by which these inequalities influence the lives of individuals, families, communities, and the country.

They welcome projects that explore the relevance of socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, immigration or other statuses for the distribution of social, political, and economic outcomes within and across different status groups. The kinds of questions that are of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Economic Wellbeing, Equality of Opportunity, and Intergenerational Mobility:
  • To what extent has increased economic inequality (e.g., in income, wealth, consumption) affected equality of opportunity and mobility within and across generations? How have these effects varied by socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, immigration or other statuses?
  • What are the causes and consequences of disparities in income, wealth, and consumption and do these vary by socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, immigration or other statuses?
• Inequality and Policymaking:
  • What policies are effective at breaking the association between parental educational and economic status and the next generation’s outcomes? How do the effects of these policies vary by socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, immigration or other statuses?
  • How have social, political, and economic inequalities affected political participation, support for and the stability of democracy, the responsiveness of elected officials to public opinion, or the development of public programs?
• Political Institutions and the Democratic Process:
  • What social, political, and economic factors have contributed to partisan polarization and what are the consequences of this polarization? Have these effects varied by socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, immigration or other statuses?
  • What social, political, and economic factors contribute to the development of pro- or anti-democratic attitudes among citizens and political leaders?
• Climate Change and Natural Disasters:
  • To what extent is climate change associated with changes in the level and distribution of social or economic wellbeing through dislocation, migration, availability of resources, disruption of occupations or employment, or other mechanisms?
  • How do the effects of climate-related disasters like wildfires, floods, drought, heat, hurricanes, and their recoveries vary by socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, immigration or other statuses?
• Neighborhoods and Communities:
  • What are the long-run consequences of growing up in economically or racially segregated neighborhoods or communities?
  • What are the causes and consequences of declining geographic mobility from areas experiencing economic distress and how do they differ by socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, immigration or other statuses?
• Crime, Criminal Justice & the Legal System:
  • What has been the impact of crime and criminal behavior, especially violence, on neighborhoods and communities, and on the socio-economic wellbeing of families and children? How do these effects vary by socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, immigration or other statuses?
  • What effect does policing have on a community and its residents? How do individuals and communities perceive police and efforts to control crime and how do these differ by socioeconomic, racial, ethnic, gender, geographic, immigration or other statuses?
• Psychological and Cultural Changes:
  • To what extent has increased social, political, or economic inequality affected values, beliefs, and behaviors, including young adults’ career or educational attainment?
  • How do social, political, or economic inequalities affect perceptions of risk or threat, cultural biases, or stereotypes? How might such perceptions or biases affect inequalities in decision-making, such as the behaviors or decisions of landlords, employers, or police?
• Educational Achievement and Attainment:
  • How has increased economic inequality affected educational choices, opportunities, achievement, or attainment? What policies or interventions can reduce disparities in these educational outcomes?
  • To what extent does school diversity (i.e., teachers, staff, students) or teacher attitudes, behaviors, and bias affect student achievement and educational attainment?

Funding Information

• Trustee Grants are capped at $200,000, including 15% indirect costs, over a two-year period.
• Presidential Awards are capped at $50,000 (no indirect costs) over a two-year period. However, when research projects have special needs for gathering data (e.g., qualitative research or survey experiments), gaining access to proprietary or restricted-use data, or when the proposal budget includes salary support for multiple assistant professor PIs, applicants may request up to $75,000 (no indirect costs).
• Funding can be used for research assistance, data acquisition, data analysis, and investigator time for conducting research and writing up results for publication.

For more information, visit Russell Sage Foundation.